This blog post is for those of you who may be a director, a class rep, a volunteer or even a student who isn’t involved in the Society at all. For people who know what EngSoc is and know how it works but have also has been frustrated by things that we have not done. And lastly for the people who have thought about running for Executive and decided against it.
But if you have even considered for a second being an Executive or taking a larger role in the Society why not go for it? We need people who have new ideas and the passion to implement them. If you are elected you will have the support of your Executive team and an amazing team of directors and commissioners to help make positive changes for students. As an Executive team you get to set the priorities for the Society for the next 16 months and that is very exciting.
With better and better transitions your previous experience and titles are becoming less important for success than the ideas you bring to the role. If you haven’t been a commissioner and only held one directorship but are running against someone who has been an Exec before who cares? If you have a stronger platform and present yourself well you have just as much a chance as they do.
I am writing this blog post as an outgoing two time Executive who can honestly say that working for the Engineering Society has been the most rewarding part of my undergrad experience. Does it suck when you overhear people say EngSoc doesn’t do anything after you have been in the orifice till 12 working for them? Yes it does… a lot. But what makes up for it is when you can walks down the halls and see the POETS doors, the new electronics shop, and posters for a first year conference and know that you and your amazing team helped to make things happen.
The next election is in the Spring term in just under 3 months and it is my hope that we have a real election. That we have every person running against an opponent and not a campaign where all you have to do is show up.
If any of this has resonated with you or you were considering running before but are unsure of the process please e-mail me or send me a message and I can help you in every way that I can. There is also a blog post right after this one that goes over exactly how the election process works, the timeline for the spring, and what you will need to prepare to help those who may not have seen an election before or been involved.
Thanks and I’ll see you at the polls this Spring!
Leila Meema-Coleman
President A
president.a@engsoc.uwaterloo.ca