During the first week a school, a few of you may have noticed a classmate or two missing from your lectures only to see them mysteriously appear in the next week of class. Lo and behold, your classmates weren’t tired of course overviews and syllabuses. Myself and seven others were in Magog, Quebéc, attending the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students’ (CFES) annual general meeting (AGM) Congress. The conference, hosted by Sherbrooke University, not only acts as the organizations’ AGM but also provides an opportunity for engineering students from across the country to collaborate and learn from industry partners, sponsors and fellow students.
Over the first three days of the five day conference, delegates introduced themselves to each other during evenings of mixer events, hosted in downtown Magog and on Sherbrooke campus. During the day, delegates attended a variety of student-run seminars relating to a diverse set of topics. From how to run a society election to how to deal with the media, every session brought forth new ideas from schools large and small and from students with different backgrounds. The most interesting session to me was the governance session, where “large schools” from across Canada convened and discussed issues experienced by schools coast-to-coast. Topics at this session encompassed many ideas from the benefits of full-time staff to society fees and governance structures. Though, those things may sound boring to some, I find the most intriguing part of many of my conversations at Congress the ones where I get to learn how other schools operate and run.
After sessions completed on the morning of the third day, Claire Lewis from SNC Lavalin talked about Ethics and Compliance, an apt topic coming from an employer of recent, significant corruption scandals. Mrs. Lewis’ words were not those of doubt or cover up, but of reconciliation and compassion. She talked about a culture shift from within SNC Lavalin, which she stressed must start from the top. She also rejected the notion of the “culture of corruption,” commenting that international contracts can be conducted without bribes, backdoor deals and under-the-table negotiation.
The remaining time at Congress consisted of two plenary sessions, the equivalent to our Engineering Society council meetings, elections, and bidding, as well as a career fair. I was not able to attend enough of plenary to effectively describe what was passed and what was significant, but if anyone wants to learn more about what went on, minutes should be available on the CFES website, cfes.ca. While you are there, you can check out three new additions to the website: The Pub, The Club and The Hub. The Pub is the online replacement to Project Magazine. The Club is where you can find the latest updates coming out of CFES and the Hub is a forum where student society executives can interact and share ideas.
One last notable thing that came out of Congress was the successful bid by Waterloo to host the CFES Conference on Diversity in Engineering (CFES CED), formerly the National Conference of Women in Engineering (NCWiE), in 2016!
Thank you to the University of Waterloo and the Faculty of Engineering for sending eight, lucky delegates to this great conference. It was an experience that will affect my decisions in the years to come and has introduced me to many passionate engineering students from all over Canada, all of whom I wish to see again very soon.
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