Story by Jamie Hunter
Most U of T Engineering undergraduate students spend a great deal of time outside of the classroom participating in some of the nearly 90 Skule™ clubs available to the U of T Engineering student community. Clubs provide students with opportunities for experiential learning while developing talents, having fun and forming life-long friendships.
The success of many Skule™ clubs wouldn’t be possible without the generous financial contributions of alumni and the pay-it-forward mindset of fourth-year students during the Graditude campaign.
During the 2014–2015 school year, a total of $116,150 was granted to 59 clubs, of which $8,538 was raised by graduating students during the 2013–2014 Graditude campaign. Besides this funding, alumni contributed over $100,000 in additional funding toward student clubs in their home departments.
With the 2015–2016 Graditude campaign in full swing, it’s the perfect time to highlight the remarkable impact the program has had on student clubs:
Louis-Etienne Couture (Year 4 CivE)
Chair, Civil Engineering Discipline Club
“The funds will go towards a number of the club’s expenses, most notably improvements to the civil engineering undergraduate common room (renovations and new furniture), as well as funding many of the student-oriented events we organize throughout the year.”
Mariana Gomez (Year 4 IndE + PEY)
Chair, Industrial Engineering Club
“The funds will be used to pay for a third of the 1T5 + PEY and 1T6 Indy FeO Party. The remaining funds will go towards material donations that will be accessible to all industrial engineering students. We are also currently considering ideas like a coffee maker or setting up a lab coat loaner program for first-year students.”
Madonna Khalil (Year 4 ChemE + PEY)
Vice-Chair, Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Council
“We were able to subsidize $10 of the total annual Chemical Engineering Dinner Dance ticket per attendee. This made the event more affordable to the students, and allowed them to get to know their peers and professors in a social and more relaxed setting. Through this, the students were able to form stronger bonds and foster a strong sense of community. The turnaround to this annual dinner dance was 15% greater than the past 10 consecutive years.”
Kenny Kim (Year 4 EngSci)
Chair, Engineering Science Club
“The funds will go towards improving the EngSci student experience, namely by investing in new common room equipment, a variety of EngSci socials, a better dinner dance, and Iron Ring parties.”
Thomas Santerre (Year 4 ElecE)
Electrical Finance Director, Electrical & Computer Engineering Club
“The funds have been allocated to general common/study room improvements. This ranges between locker purchases, entertainment system upgrades, and overall furniture maintenance and acquisition.”
The 2014–2015 Student Club Funding Report provides a detailed breakdown of the number of applications and the total amount granted to all school clubs during the last year, followed by detailed summaries of the impact that the funds have made on engineering students.