Re: An Outsider’s Look into the Engineering Society
The Editorial written in the July 6th, 2011 edition of The Iron Warrior raised some concerns about the Engineering Society and the image they portray to the general engineering student population. The concerns expressed in the article centre around the image portrayed by the Society and the inclusiveness of the events which they run.
The recently elected Executive were presented with a challenge on how they planned to create a more inclusive EngSoc and encourage more people to participate. Outlined below are a few comments we have in response to the challenge but feel that a letter to the editor cannot fully convey our sentiments.
The Engineering Society is a group of student volunteers. Their mandate is to support the undergraduate engineering students in academic and social ventures. Trying to provide something which interests all 5900 diverse students is a major challenge which the society strives to accomplish on a daily basis.
The Engineering Society has a great deal of useful services and events which benefit the Engineering Undergraduates at Waterloo, but many of those students see the Society as a clique who drink and party all the time. This attitude towards the Society is a definite problem that needs to be addressed. It stems from a combination of perception and psychological human factors, but also in the way the society is structured.
EngSoc runs a number of social-based events each term which range from small engineering competitions, all night variety evenings and “Of Term” pub nights. Unfortunately due to the “vivid” principle in social psychology the “drinking” events are the only ones people can remember when thinking about EngSoc social events, despite only 5 of 15 typical events even serving alcohol. It is easy to forget about Resume Critiques or the exam bank which are utilized by hundreds of students each term.
The new Executive have already developed some strategies in order to change the perception of EngSoc. These changes include more extensive Class Rep training and support and more effort in separating events run by other groups that are commonly associated with the Engineering Society like Pub Crawls and DUSTED. We have also discussed strategies on how to alleviate the anxiety associated with coming to a new event and meeting new people. We hope to this is something we will also extend to the members more involved in EngSoc so that they may be more inviting to newcomers.
If there is a concern that you, or anyone around you has about the Engineering Society, please feel free to contact any of the Exec or drop by the EngSoc Office (CPH1327) as we are always open for feedback. Even if you have had a bad experience in the past, turnover is quick and the Society changes from year to year based on the people involved so give us a second chance. Please know that we are aware of the problems facing the society and are actively working on improving this image. We feel that these things take time and if the last 10 years have shown us anything, times are changing. EngSoc will continue to increase their representation, inclusiveness and services in the years to come.
Incoming EngSoc ‘A’ Executive,
Leah, Mike, Lisa, David, Angela, and Derek
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