Engineering students gathered at the Carl A. Pollack Hall courtyard on Thursday, July 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m to celebrate their annual Engineering Day.
Engineering students gathered at the Carl A. Pollack Hall courtyard on Thursday, July 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m to celebrate their annual Engineering Day.
The event featured multiple activities and free food. Students filled the courtyard as they lined up at the different booths which offered barbeque, treats, and swag. There were also different activity stations, such as a photobooth, colour powder station, inflatable games, and a faculty member dunk tank.
Students were encouraged to wear a white shirt for the colour powder throw at 12 p.m. where they would be covered with starch mixed with dye, coloured purple to match the faculty’s signature colour.
The UW Engineering Society (EngSoc) also resurrected the bus push, an almost 50-year tradition where engineering students raise money for charity by working together to tow a school bus around campus. Students can get involved by donating.
The event was sponsored by Magna International, an automotive supplier and mobility technology company, which also frees the faculty from any tax obligations. Associate marketing director at the faculty of engineering’s advancement team, Leilei Li, highlights how students often express concern regarding the potential use of their tuition towards this event. However, because of this sponsorship, this event is of no charge to them. She adds how these sponsors are usually UW alums who want to give back to the school.
According to Li, the engineering faculty deans established the importance of giving students the opportunity to create connections and feel like they are part of a large community. She expresses, “We want to celebrate our students, give them a day to enjoy outside of classes, and to be able to have fun with their classmates.”
Engineering students expressed strong approval of the event as they shared their enjoyment of the different activities, with some having attended it during the previous years. However, they also criticized its schedule as it conflicts with certain classes, resulting in a lower turnout. Second-year computer engineering student, Hasnain Azam, suggested extending this event by an hour. He shared that because of the time conflict he had to skip class but that “it’s worth it for an event like this… a once in a year type of thing.” He also recommended a designated day for the school to pause classes and host events for all faculties on campus during the summer.
While some engineering students at the event often cited observing isolation and competition in UW’s engineering community, they also highlighted the wide availability of opportunities for undergraduate students to connect through clubs and year-round events hosted by EngSoc and their faculty.
Several also shared their critiques regarding social opportunities in the community. Sahil Drubra, a staff member at the UW Grad House, feels that there is a lack of recreation activities for grad students. “You want to be a part of certain activities, but you can’t because they stop you with, ‘you’re a grad student’,” he said. Fifth-year mechatronics student Aryan Jain also shared his concerns with the advertisement of these opportunities. He stresses that the faculty should “mak[e] the students more aware of the events that are happening [and] improv[e] their EngSoc website… so that students are well aware beforehand about what event is happening.”
As the Engineering Ready Day for incoming first-year students approaches, they also shared pieces of advice for these students to balance the rigor of their program with a vibrant social life. Second-year mechatronics student Ezra Ornstein emphasizes, “You’re not trying to get into Waterloo anymore, so you don’t need a 99 average.” He adds, “There’s a lot of fear mongering, especially on IG reels and TikTok about, like, ‘this is the hardest course you’ll ever take. It made me want to [give up]…’ It’s never that bad.” Jain also advises students: “[Y]ou must have a social life outside engineering… I think that is what I didn’t really do in my first year [that] I should have done, and because these four or five years pass by pretty quickly, attending these kinds of events is pretty important as you engage with people outside your coursework.”
