W3+ Presents Holding It Together

University of Waterloo’s W3+ group is hosting “Holding It Together” on Wednesday, April 22, as a 90-minute panel and meet-up on workplace strain, community support and wellbeing. (uwaterloo.ca) The event is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the upper floor of Grad House at 200 University Avenue West in Waterloo, Ontario. The university’s events calendar lists it as open to current students, faculty and staff. (uwaterloo.ca) The organizers frame the discussion around “an austere workplace and a horrific news cycle,” and say the session will examine how womxn and nonbinary people are “holding it together” during difficult times. A graduate-student events listing says W3+ will “open the floor for connection and discussion” on coping and support. (uwaterloo.ca 1) (uwaterloo.ca 2) W3+ stands for Waterloo Womxn + Nonbinary Wednesdays, a University of Waterloo community for womxn and nonbinary graduate students, post-docs, staff and faculty. Its stated purpose is to build a social and support network, offer a space to discuss issues, present research and raise awareness about gender and sexuality on campus. (uwaterloo.ca) The group is funded by the Faculty Association and Staff Association, but the university says it is not an official committee of either body. It is coordinated by a volunteer planning committee made up of faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students. (uwaterloo.ca) The April 22 session fits a pattern of regular W3+ programming at Waterloo. Other recent events on the university calendar include a February 18 lunchtime barre class, and the faculty association says the group usually meets on the last Wednesday of the month. (uwaterloo.ca 1) (uwaterloo.ca 2) Waterloo has also expanded campus wellness programming more broadly. The university’s current wellness listings describe term-based programs and student groups aimed at supporting mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. (uwaterloo.ca) For this week, the practical details are straightforward: a lunchtime gathering, a discussion about how support gets shared when systems feel strained, and a campus group built for that conversation. The university is directing people to register through its event portal. (uwaterloo.ca)