Friday, September 30, 2016 | By Lindsay Cashin
The Civil Club is off to a great start for 2016-2017, and this year’s President, Erica Mason, is looking ahead to a year of growth for the organization.
Erica, a seasoned student leader, has been involved with the Civil Club since second year, serving in a range of positions from second-year rep and E-Week rep to Vice President. She also has extensive experience as an active member of the EUS, having served as a sustainability officer, publicity rep, and conferences director. She describes the latter, which involved travelling to conferences across the country to meet and collaborate with other engineering student groups, as a major highlight: “I absolutely loved that job – I got to meet students from across the country,” she says.
She’s also a member of the Concrete Toboggan Team, which will benefit this year from the hands-on experience with concrete she gained during a recent co-op work term; and she has spent the last two summers working for Geering Up’s Summer Camps, designed to spark kids’ interest in science and engineering. Anyone who has glimpsed Civil Club social media, posters, the Slipstick, or the Handbuk will also be familiar with Erica’s not-so-hidden talent: art and photography. She’s a skilled photographer who loves to capture the spirit of Civil Club through her lens, and a talented artist who learned graphic design to contribute to Civil Club and EUS publications. Erica’s experience with student organizations and enthusiasm for UBC Civil Engineering in general promise to guide her through a productive year as Civil Club President.
What inspires Erica about leading the Civil Club for 2016-2017? “I’m really excited to help it grow this year,” she says. Plans include strengthening the communication pathways between the Civil Club and the student chapters and teams, giving the Club’s constitution a long-awaited revamp, and re-igniting spirit in the student body (she fondly recalls her first year in the program, when Civil students won the Spirit Award during E-Week). Erica anticipates that with the confirmation of appointees to club executive positions, more specific objectives will become clear. Meanwhile, she says she looks forward to the club expanding its range of events this year, as well as possible upgrades to the Civil Loft: “We’re going to hopefully repaint, get all new appliances, and just get it functioning again so it’s more welcoming. We just got a new foosball table!”
Erica encourages Civil undergrads to make the most of their automatic membership in the Civil Club. Noting that the Civil Club receives some funding through student fees, Erica says, “We need to spend the money on the current students. So we do that by planning events…we’re always trying to find ways to put our resources toward the students.” Attending Civil Club events, joining the executive, or sitting in on weekly Civil Club meetings are all great ways to get involved. The Civil Club meets every Tuesday at 12:30PM in the Civil Loft – all undergraduates are welcome to attend.