BY TED STUART (DES PRESIDENT)
The Diploma of Engineering Society (DES) is entering an exciting time of the year! In the past month alone, our society has undergone major reforms which have included major overhauls to our Policy manual and our Constitutionals at our General Meeting which was conducted on February 5, 2019. During the meeting, DES executives reported on our goals and progress with said goals, presented the budget and the students voted on the constitutional changes. The full minutes and presentation for the meeting can be found at daleng.ca/des-forms. The most significant changes involved the creation of a VP social position and changes to the structure and jobs of other executives to accommodate this.
Zoe Smith, a second year Chemical Engineering student was then voted in by the students at the General Meeting to fill this position. Zoe had already been performing the role associated with the new position since September since she was appointed by the executive into the temporary position of Social Assistant. This semester, Zoe and her team on the new DES Social Committee (which was also formed at the beginning of the year) have taken the lead on many events including a Bob Ross Painting event, and a Garrison Brewery tour. Both events were well attended, with over 100 paintings being made at the first. Prior DES events include the hypnotist show in November and the 40th Annual Toilet Bowl Cup, a flag football event where engineering students from Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s University go head to head. Most recently, we held the “Bus Trip to Nowhere,” a 19+ event that brings together second year students from several schools such as Saint Mary’s University, Cape Breton University, StFX, Acadia and Dalhousie’s Agricultural campus for a fun night of socializing. Tickets were $10 each including bus fare.
Some upcoming events and items that Diploma Students can look forward to include:
Diploma Banquet.
On March 30th, join DES for a night of charity gambling, glamour and awards at our Great Gatsby themed, annual Diploma Banquet. A full mock casino is being set up, and all proceeds go to the Sexton chapter of Jack.org, a campus mental health advocacy group. Many student-voted awards are are being given to students and faculty alike. The keynote speaker for the evening is Denise Pothier, who was recently named one of Canada’s 100 most influential women. Ticket sales starting on the 25th of February.
A number of smaller events (dates not yet finalized) such as an escape room event, a Gym Lock-in, and a therapy dog visit during exams.
Elections are also around the corner for next years executives! Timelines for nominations and voting have not been finalized but positions include open include: President, VP External , VP internal , VP Finance, VP Academic, VP Social, VP Communications.