While all of us on B-Soc were out on co-op, a lot of changes took place back here on campus: a new batch of first years joined the ranks, our much beloved CPH foyer now looks like a taped-off crime scene on an episode of CSI, and a wave of caffeine-deprived rage has been sweeping across the faculty like wildfire. Along with these changes, a new face has appeared amongst the faculty’s administration. Robin Jardin, the faculty’s Student Relations Officer has left on maternity leave for the next year (She had a baby girl on January 1st, congratulations Robin!). During this time, her position is being filled by Meg Bauman, who is currently on a Leave of Absence from her previous position as a recruiter for Conrad Grebel. I had a chance to sit down with Meg to chat about how she’s settling into her role, and her upcoming plans for the next year.
Iron Warrior: So what brought you to working in this position?
Meg Bauman: I have been working for the past three years in recruitment and marketing at Conrad Grebel, and I have a lot of contacts at campus, since our marketing does a lot of centralized work. So it was mentioned to me that this job was opening up for the coming year, and the big appeal to me was the ‘student life’ aspect of the job. As much as I enjoy working with 17 year olds and bringing them onto campus, I enjoy working with current students even more.
IW: What were some of your first impressions of Engineering?
MB: In recruitment, my best stories were always from engineering students, and I always hear from the engineering recruiter that engineers are full of life and very active. After meeting with Robin and seeing how active your student body is and what a great student community there is, I was really impressed!
IW: Do you have any plans for the upcoming year?
MB: Of course, I obviously want to be mindful of what Robin has done because she’s done a great job in this position and I want to keep that up. That being said, every new person brings something new to the table. One of the big things I’ve been working on in the past week is a communications plan – I want to up the overall level of communication with the entire student body. Things like an active Facebook page, a centralized student life webpage with resources for students such as funding information, and more articles from the dean in the Iron Warrior.
IW: Student-faculty relations has been a hot topic for the past few years with EngSoc, what’s your take on our current relationship with the faculty?
MB: I think the student body is already on a good path. It’s sometimes hard to see that without an outside perspective. Engineering students have a very strong connection to their faculty and administration – there are a lot of good foundations already in place. The students have a very active engineering society, you have a dean that was insightful enough to create a student relations position, items like this that aren’t as common in other faculties. By doing things like getting in touch with social media, I hope to work to meet students where they’re at which will help. There’s definitely room to grow, but you guys are much better off than you may think.
IW: Anything coming up that you’d like to bring attention to?
MB: Absolutely! Firstly, the Vision 2015 forum is on February 2nd at 5pm in E5-3101 and I really encourage everyone to come out to that – this is where you get to help shape engineering for the next 5 years. I’m also really open to feedback and questions from students – I’d like to have a regular article from the Dean but it should be related to questions that students have. Most importantly, my door is always open and I’m available for students whether they need money, whether they have a really big question or they just need someone to talk to. That’s what this position is about, it’s about being here for the student body and helping students find their way.
While talking to Meg, one thing that became apparent very quickly was Meg’s unmistakable sense of genuine enthusiasm. She has some great plans for the upcoming year, which are backed up, by solid action plans. Those of us who know Robin will definitely miss her, but her role has been left in very capable hands. Welcome to engineering Meg!
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