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Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Community Committee

Our Journey:

The Community Committee was created out of a recognition that there is at times friction in our CEE community. Clashes between programs/cohorts, reactions to world events, and power dynamics within the department can occasionally rub us the wrong way. At the same time, we see so much cohesion and community-building within cohorts, across extracurricular groups, and within department initiatives.

Purpose:

The Community Committee is responsible for supporting inclusion and addressing issues that impact the wellness of our CEE community. Our purpose is to “CREATE” a sense of belonging among all community members and uphold six core values. 

  1. Community 

  1. Respect 

  1. Environment  

  1. Accountability 

  1. Tolerance 

  1. Empowerment 

Plan of Action

The Community Committee’s plan of action is to build stronger connections among our community members. To achieve this, we plan to engage members, pursue activities, provide resources, and address feedback.  

 

Building connections with community members that include: 

  • Undergraduate and Graduate Students 

  • Faculty and Staff 

  • Retirees (Faculty and Staff)  

  • Alumni 

  • Friends of CEE (industry advisor committee reps., coop employers, donors, etc.) 

 

Capturing community ideas and feedback: 

  • Share event/activity ideas via a webform for community members 

  • Provide suggestions for event/activity ideas 

  • Solicit feedback 

  • Meet with Undergraduate students’ class representatives 

  • Meet with Graduate students by attending CE2GA meetings  

  • Maintain/update bulletin board to:  

  • Share community activities and events 

  • Share University of Waterloo resources 

  • Calendar of events – provide sticky notes for our community to add events/activities 

  • Connect through LEARN 

  • Schedule Grad House runs 

Membership

Membership Profiles and Responsibilities 

  • Community Committee Chair 
    • Scheduling meetings
    • Setting action items
    • Serving as the liaison with the Department Chair to address priorities, concerns, and budget for activities
    • Ensuring events are communicated to CEE Marketing and Communications Coordinator 
  • Notetaker (carried out by all committee members on a rotating basis) 
  • Coordinator with community champions (carried out by multiple committee members) with the following responsibilities:
    • Event touch point contact by creating a process to manage requests
      • e.g. create a form for community members to submit ideas
    • Champions organizer and convener for different community-related initiatives 
      • e.g. Alumni Grad House run
      • Student/Prof hockey game
    • Liaison with undergraduate and graduate students
      • Meet with undergraduate and graduate students during the term
      • Invite students to raise issues and/or concerns as they arise 

 

Membership Duration 

  • The duration term for members of this committee is generally two years, beginning in December 2023. To ensure continuity, there can be up to a one-year extension for the “outgoing” members. 

 

Membership Selection 

  • Initial membership is based on volunteers from initial call, with the goal of representing diversity. The membership should consist of both staff and faculty. 

 

Meeting Frequency 

  • The Committee shall hold regular meetings on a monthly basis (or at a frequency determined by its members).  

 

These Terms of Reference are effective as of [Date] and will be reviewed annually to ensure they remain relevant and effective. 

Committee Members