Welcome to the St. Jerome's community! The transition to University is almost always challenging for everyone involved. To help, we have created the following "parent pages" and associated links to help orient you to the University: your son or daughter's "home away from home."
It is our hope that parents of current and prospective students will find useful information and resources here. We recognize that the flow of information is not a constant one, and parents are not always given complete information. If you are unable to find an answer to your question or would like some additional clarification, I would encourage you to contact us. You may reach the Residence Office by clicking the highlighted link.
University is a big step, a tremendous learning experience that can be overwhelming but rewarding. It is my hope that all residents will embrace residence life and the residence environment will afford them the opportunity to form lasting memories and life-long friendships.
Sincerely,
Glen Lombard
Residence Manager
St. Jerome's University
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G3
phone: (519) 884-8111, ext. 28227
fax: (519) 725-0015
email: resinfo@sju.uwaterloo.ca
October 2009 Parent's Newsletter
How do I send a letter or package to my child?
Who are these Dons I keep hearing about?
What sort of measures are in place for the safety of my child?
My son or daughter is sick; where can they go?
My son or daughter is having trouble at school; who should they talk to?
My son or daughter feels they are being harassed. Who can they talk to?
What sort of events are going on at SJU?
How does my son or daughter go about buying his/her books?
My son or daughter is trying to find a house off-campus; how should they proceed?
Where can my son or daughter find a job on campus?
My son or daughter has or may have a disability; where can they go for help on campus?
Where can my son or daughter go for help with jobs, graduate studies, interview and resume skills?
I still have a question; who can I contact?
All letters and packages can mailed to:
Your child's name
St. Jerome's University
J.R. Finn (for men) or Sweeney Hall (for women) Room ----
290 Westmount Rd. N.
Waterloo ON N2L 3G3
Canada
Mail is always appreciated, whether you just send them a quick hello or a great big care package!
One 3rd year student Don is assigned to each floor of the residence. His/her role is to provide leadership, maintain discipline, and provide assistance and support in all aspects of residence living. Dons take an active role in the quality and enrichment of residence life, and show a personal interest in the residents on their floor. The Dons will help residents find their way around campus and answer their questions. They will also present opportunities for residents to get to know their roommate and floor mates, and inform residents about what is going on at SJU and on Campus.
Students can expect Dons to respond to their questions in a reasonable amount of time. They will hold floor meetings regularly, as well as organize floor trips. Students can also expect their dons to be friendly, approachable, and consistent.
In return, students are expected to take responsibility for their actions and respect the rules. They are expected to keep their Don informed of potential problems and to contact them about all floor situations from medical emergencies, to theft, to noise complaints. Finally, residents are expected to participate in floor activites and have fun!
The St. Jerome's residences have a state-of-the-art electronic key system for all the main doors. Upon arriving in residence, all students living here receive electronic keys as well as individual keys to their rooms.
The Waterloo campus itself has its own police force which monitors the campus 24 hours a day, as well as various student-run programs, such as Walk Safe and Ride Safe, so that no one has to walk alone at night.
One of the best things about SJU is how close it is to everything on campus, especially Health Services. Literally a thirty second walk away, Health Services provides medical care to all registered students. Should your son or daughter need more extensive or emergency medical attention, Waterloo has two hospitals. Dons can take students needing hospital attention to one of these area hospitals.
The Dons are always a great first resource, but they don't know everything. For academic advice, students should contact their academic advisor. Click here to find the academic advisor for your child's program. To contact Counselling Services please click here.
St. Jerome's takes these matters very seriously. If a student feels they are being harassed or discriminated against, it is important that they visit the Ethical Behaviour and Human Rights website to get in touch with one of the Grievance Advisors for more information.
Throughout the year there are guest lecturers, workshops, literary readings, and many other events of interest. The calendar of SJU events provides current details about these events as well as cancellation information.
The University of Waterloo and St. Jerome's are part of a network that connects all the libraries on campus as well as the libraries at the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University. The Library webpage will help with general research questions, access to journals and locating books, as well as links to all the other libraries. St. Jerome's library staff are always willing to assist students with research needs.
The University of Waterloo has two bookstores. The main Campus Bookstore has all the textbooks required for a student's courses. However, many students also use the student-run Used Bookstore to help save money. Students can also sell their textbooks when they're done with them from the Used Bookstore.
The Off-Campus Housing Office includes a database of available properties as well as useful links.
Career services has a list of jobs on campus in addition to volunteer opportunities. If a student qualifies for OSAP, he/she can also check the Work Study board in the Student Awards & Financial Aid Office, which is located in Needles Hall.
The University of Waterloo's Ombudsperson is an invaluable resource and can help with these and many other problems.
The Office for Students with Disabilities website will answer any of their questions as well as put them in touch with someone for further help.
The Career Services website provides information on job search seminars, as well as job listings and resources for researching graduate, college and apprenticeship programs.
If you still have questions about St. Jerome's, please feel free to contact:
Glen Lombard
Residence Manager
St. Jerome's University
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G3
phone: (519) 884-8111, ext. 28227
fax: (519) 725-0015
email: resinfo@sju.uwaterloo.ca
