[Acocoops] FW: MEDIA ISSUE: ACO travel laptop loaner program

Tue Apr 15 09:10:19 EDT 2025

Hello team,

As Nick has indicated:
Bill, Bob and Alexei – please redirect all media to me when they contact you or the team.

Cheers, Bill
--
William R Baer, BASc (Systems Design)
Director IT - Arts Computing Office (ACO)
Bill.Baer @ uwaterloo.ca
Cell: 905-320-0483
Home: 905-481-2986
Fongo: 289-619-3650
Bill.Baer @ gmail.com

From: Nick Manning <nick.manning at uwaterloo.ca>
Date: Monday, April 14, 2025 at 10:51 PM
To: Alexie Tcheuyap <atcheuyap at uwaterloo.ca>, Vivek Goel <Vivek.goel at uwaterloo.ca>, Vice Pres Academic Provost <provost at uwaterloo.ca>, Charmaine Dean <cdean at uwaterloo.ca>, Nenone Donaldson <ndonaldson at uwaterloo.ca>, Jacinda Reitsma <jacinda.reitsma at uwaterloo.ca>, Bill Baer <bill.baer at uwaterloo.ca>, Robert Park <robert.park at uwaterloo.ca>
Cc: Gregory Smith <greg.smith at uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: Re: MEDIA ISSUE: ACO travel laptop loaner program
All. Here is the story: https://archive.ph/2025.04.15-015636/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-15/avoid-us-or-take-burner-devices-canadian-executives-tell-staff<https://archive.ph/2025.04.15-015636/https:/www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-15/avoid-us-or-take-burner-devices-canadian-executives-tell-staff>

I think this is fine, particularly as it notes that the memo does not specifically mention the US.

N

Nick Manning
Associate Vice-President, Communication
University of Waterloo
519-575-6560
________________________________
From: Alexie Tcheuyap <atcheuyap at uwaterloo.ca>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2025 8:52:22 PM
To: Nick Manning <nick.manning at uwaterloo.ca>; Vivek Goel <Vivek.goel at uwaterloo.ca>; Vice Pres Academic Provost <provost at uwaterloo.ca>; Charmaine Dean <cdean at uwaterloo.ca>; Nenone Donaldson <ndonaldson at uwaterloo.ca>; Jacinda Reitsma <jacinda.reitsma at uwaterloo.ca>; Bill Baer <bill.baer at uwaterloo.ca>; Robert Park <robert.park at uwaterloo.ca>
Cc: Gregory Smith <greg.smith at uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: Re: MEDIA ISSUE: ACO travel laptop loaner program

Thanks, Nick

Best.

Alexie

---

Alexie Tcheuyap, FRSC

Dean, Faculty of Arts

Professor, French Studies

University of Waterloo

Waterloo ON Canada N2L 3G1

atcheuyap at uwaterloo.ca<mailto:atcheuyap at uwaterloo.ca>

Latest publication: African Documentary Cinema<https://www.routledge.com/African-Documentary-Cinema/Tcheuyap/p/book/9781032203744>, 2024

[Image]

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

From: Nick Manning <nick.manning at uwaterloo.ca>
Date: Monday, April 14, 2025 at 8:49 PM
To: Vivek Goel <Vivek.goel at uwaterloo.ca>, Vice Pres Academic Provost <provost at uwaterloo.ca>, Charmaine Dean <cdean at uwaterloo.ca>, Nenone Donaldson <ndonaldson at uwaterloo.ca>, Jacinda Reitsma <jacinda.reitsma at uwaterloo.ca>, Alexie Tcheuyap <atcheuyap at uwaterloo.ca>, Bill Baer <bill.baer at uwaterloo.ca>, Robert Park <robert.park at uwaterloo.ca>
Cc: Gregory Smith <greg.smith at uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: MEDIA ISSUE: ACO travel laptop loaner program

Hey folks,

Below is an email that Arts Computing Office sent on April 2 to all faculty members. It has been leaked by “multiple” sources to a reporter at Bloomberg, who called me tonight to confirm the memo exists and to get comment. Specifically, the reporter is tying the guidance to uncertainty around travel in the US.

I have worked with Charmaine and Greg to provide the following quote and guidance.

“The guidance issued from our Arts Faculty Computing Office is consistent with our efforts to improve support for safeguarding Canadian research and applies to all travel, globally."

I should add for background – our safeguarding research team has been out talking to our faculties since September to share guidance and direction on how we can evolve to better safeguard Canadian research – so although the Arts team sent their message on April 2, our guidance on how to safeguard while travelling pre-dates that message.

I am flagging this as it will certainly generate a story as early as tonight and likely follow on enquiries. It will be positioned in news as a direct response to the Trump government and a significant development in Canadian university protectionism and fear.

Bill, Bob and Alexei – please redirect all media to me when they contact you or the team.

Nick Manning

Associate Vice-President, Communication
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1
Mobile: +1-519-575-6560
uwaterloo.ca<http://uwaterloo.ca/>

[signature_1777244052]<https://outlook-sdf.office.com/bookwithme/user/75988dc7cf4d4527b9b6ea1ba66536cb@uwaterloo.ca?anonymous&ep=plink>

From: Bill Baer <bill.baer at uwaterloo.ca>
Date: Monday, April 14, 2025 at 19:05
To: Nick Manning <nick.manning at uwaterloo.ca>
Cc: Robert Park <robert.park at uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: Fw: ACO travel laptop loaner program

Evening Nick,

As we discussed on our Teams call, here is the specific email sent to Arts Faculty and Arts Staff email lists.

The way I read the email, it relates to international travel. The concern may be the second paragraph.

Robert and I started discussing this a year ago shortly after the mandatory cyber-security training.

Cheers, Bill

William R Baer, BASc (Systems Design)

Director IT - Arts Computing Office (ACO)

Bill.Baer @ uwaterloo.ca

Cell: 905-320-0483

Bill.Baer @ gmail.com

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our _ Indigenous Initiatives Office_<https://uwaterloo.ca/human-rights-equity-inclusion/indigenousinitiatives>.

________________________________

From: Artsstaff <artsstaff-bounces at artsservices.uwaterloo.ca> on behalf of Robert Park <robert.park at uwaterloo.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, April 2, 2025 10:37
To: Artsfac <artsfac at watarts.uwaterloo.ca>; Artsstaff <artsstaff at watarts.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: ACO travel laptop loaner program

For Arts faculty members, staff, and graduate students who need to travel internationally on UW business (e.g., to conferences, etc.) but who do not wish to take their own laptop with them due to concerns about having all their files potentially subject to inspections at the border, the Arts Computing Office now has a limited number of "clean" PC and Macintosh laptops available for short-term loans.

The university has for some time offered useful advice concerning "Digital Travel Safety" (https://uwaterloo.ca/cyber-awareness/digital-travel-safety  but recent events have elevated these concerns, which is the reason we are starting the service in Arts right away for anyone who believes they would benefit from it, pending the creation of a university-wide service.

We are still finalizing exactly how these laptops will be configured but they will allow users to access their online remote resources securely (e.g., email; their OneDrive files; and Microsoft 365 applications) without any information remaining on the laptop once the connection is closed (keeping in mind the good advice in the "Digital Travel Safety" guide about ensuring secure access to wifi). We also intend to configure them to allow users to do some basic tasks offline (e.g., edit a Word or PowerPoint file). Before departing the user would install onto their laptop only those files that they anticipate needing during their trip and which they are comfortable having inspected at the border. When they return the laptop to ACO it will be completely wiped and re-imaged so that the next borrower can start with a pristine device.

ACO is not yet in a position to offer loaner cellphones along with the loaner laptops, but we (and IST) are exploring whether that will become possible.

To request the loan of a laptop, please contact ACO with your travel destination and dates as far in advance as possible. Requests from graduate students should cc their supervisor. The laptop will need to be returned to ACO as soon as possible after your trip, so that it can be wiped and re-imaged for another traveller.

Robert W. Park, Associate Dean Co-operative Education and Planning

William R. Baer, Director IT - Arts Computing Office (ACO)

_____________________________________

Robert W. Park

Associate Dean of Arts, Co-operative Education and Planning, and Interim Chair and Professor, Anthropology<http://anthropology.uwaterloo.ca/park.html>

Office PAS 2419

226-339-9002 (cell)

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