Last weekend’s President’s Meeting 2018 was a great success! 59 delegates from 43 schools across the country arrived in Fredricton, New Brunswick on Thursday afternoon and gathered at UNB Fredricton. After checking in, delegates heard opening remarks from President Zenon Kripki, as well as presentations from President’s Meeting 2018’s generous sponsors, the UNB Fredericton Faculty of Engineering and J.D. Irving. Delegates then loaded on to buses to Camp Medley, our accommodation for the weekend, where they participated in conference orientation and meet-and-greet sessions before settling down for the night.
Friday and Saturday were spent going over the work of our officer team and discussing new opportunities and directions for the CFES. Session topics included student mental health, session content for Congress and the new Conference on Sustainability in Engineering, and our work with the Engineering Change Lab. Delegates from Polytechnique, the 1989 Montreal shootings, presented their proposal for the CFES to take a stance on gun control. Delegates also heard presentations from special guests Maximilian Stol from bonding, a German counterpart to the CFES, an
d Logan Karls from the USA’s National Association of Engineering Student Councils (NAESC). President Kripki gave a presentation about our progress on the International Federation of Engineering Student Associations (IFESA, formerly CIESO), of which the CFES, bonding and NAESC will be a part. Summaries and results of all these sessions will be available on the CFES public drive.
On Sunday morning, delegates loaded back onto b
usses and headed to the Royal Canadian Legion Fredricton for general assembly, which was brought to order at 9:30. During general assembly motions on capping travel officer travel expenses and research into possible new membership structures were discussed and passed. Motions on capping delegate fees for activities and new policies for conference surpluses were tabled to congress. Polytechnique’s gun control initiative was adopted, with amendments, 39 for, 7 abstentions . UBCO’s bid to host PM 2019 was approved.
We are pleased to announce that our proposed partnership with bonding was passed unanimously by the general assembly to thunderous applause. The official a
greement was signed minutes later by President Zenon Kripki, bonding representative Maximilian Stol and International Relations Commissioner Emma Xie. We are also please to announce that UNB St. John’s membership application was also approved unanimously by the assembly. Congratulations UNB St. J
ohn! General Assembly was adjourned at 3:00 with a standing ovation. The full minutes for general assembly will be made available on the CFES devie. With the conference over, delegates said their goodbyes and departed for home.
Thanks to all those who made the journey to Fredricton to attend President’s Meeting 2018. It was a great success with new relationships built and ideas shared. We look forward to seeing you all again at CFES Congress in January. Thanks also to the fantastic organizing committee from UNB Fredericton that put this weekend together, your hard work and dedication was evident.
