The UW Staff Association is the official voice of staff at the University of Waterloo. Our mission is to cultivate a progressive work environment where employees feel safe, empowered to grow, and able to thrive.
News
Notice of Special Meeting March 20, 2025
There will be a Special Meeting of the UWSA membership at noon on Thursday, March 20, 2025, to elect two directors to restore quorum to the Board.
2024 Staff Enhancement Grant Stories
One of our favourite things in the UWSA office is getting a window into the lives of members through the Staff Enhancement Grant. Here are just a few stories from recent grant recipients about how they used the grant and what it meant to them.
Introducing: What Your Colleagues Want You to Know
To help us all understand each other better—and to offer staff a chance to have your voices heard—we’re launching a new blog and social media series featuring members’ own experiences and words.
Our posts amplifying the voices of contract staff and staff with disabilities and/or chronic illness are now live!
We're currently collecting submissions from Black staff and staff who are caregivers.
What do you want to share about your experience working at UW? What should we all know about what you need to feel safe, empowered to grow, and able to thrive?
Events
March 2025 Area Reps meeting
The UWSA Area Representatives Council is a space to exchange information about current issues facing staff at UW and to keep an open line of communication between the UWSA leadership and staff members across the University. Most meetings are open to Area Reps, with one meeting each term open to all staff. Find your rep here or apply to be one now!
President's Office Hours – Virtual
Need help understanding a policy? Have suggestions for UWSA initiatives or workshops? Want to better understand what we do here? Drop in to chat with UWSA President Lisa Habel!
Unlocking Your Potential: Getting More Involved at UW
There are countless ways to get involved on campus: serving on committees, supporting large-scale events, getting funding for a project through the Staff Excellence Fund, participating in a community of practice, running for seats on UW and UWSA governing bodies, and more.
Join us in this Staff Conference session to learn how you can meet new people, showcase and develop your skills, collaborate with colleagues across the University, break down organizational boundaries, and introduce fresh ideas to transform our campus.
President's Office Hours – In person
Need help understanding a policy? Have suggestions for UWSA initiatives or workshops? Want to better understand what we do here? Drop in to chat with UWSA President Lisa Habel!
Blog
What Your Colleagues Want You to Know: Disabled* & Chronically Ill Staff
We heard from staff with a wide range of chronic illnesses, physical disabilities, neurotypes, and mental health struggles for our second post in this series featuring members’ own experiences and words.
Ubuntu 101: Community, Integration, Collaboration!
Upon joining the University of Waterloo last year, I was pleasantly impressed with how the university’s new values, Think Differently, Act with Purpose and Work Together resonate with my perceptions of Ubuntu. Thinking differently, acting with purpose and working together are essential pillars in the Ubuntu philosophy, and I hope sharing my perspective on Ubuntu can enhance our shared understanding of these values.
What Contract Staff Want You to Know
The Staff Association membership is incredibly diverse. We encompass a wide range of roles, backgrounds, lived experiences, and so much more. Our mission at the UWSA is to cultivate a progressive work environment where staff feel safe, empowered to grow, and able to thrive, but we need different things to make this a reality.
To help us all understand each other better, we’re launching a new blog and social media series featuring members’ own experiences and words. We’re kicking it off with contract staff, who make up 18% of the UWSA.
Opportunities
There are five openings on the UWSA Board of Directors, with different term lengths:
- Two until October 2025
- One until October 2026
- Two until October 2027
The first two will be filled at a special meeting on March 20.
We’re always looking for more members to represent staff on our Area Representatives Council. This group meets virtually September through June to share and hear updates on issues affecting staff. Feedback from Area Reps shapes UWSA priorities.