Duke engineering students are known for their work ethics and relative independence, and their student governing body is no exception.
Over the course of the last year, the Engineering Student Government has made a significant effort to expand its presence and better serve the Pratt School of Engineering community, said ESG President, David Piech, a junior who was elected internally to the organization’s top post Jan. 17. ESG’s steady expansion and increased influence in the engineering school is a result of academic assessment initiatives and a shift in programming styles, he added.
“We’re a much more multifaceted, true governing body,” Piech said. “Previously, our main efforts were towards programming, but now we’re branching out.”
ESG’s Academic Action Committee is one of the most significant additions this year, Piech said. The subcommittee, which began meeting in October, is responsible for promoting and communicating Pratt students’ academic interests and concerns to the administration. The committee’s nine members have established connections with directors of undergraduate studies and serve as a resource not only for students but also for faculty, he added.
“We’re at a point where we have deans and faculty e-mailing us to ask for our input on academic action,” Piech said. “That’s actually a huge improvement for us—it’s a really big step.”
The committee has already influenced decisions made by the Pratt administration. In the Fall, the organization helped to halt the closing of a computer lab in Hudson Hall, said ESG Publicity Chair Dianna Liu, a junior. The committee polled students and presented their data to the administration, convincing them to keep the lab open in late November, Liu added.
“This really made students trust us more,” Liu said. “This was a visible thing, and it really made a statement.”
ESG is also looking to revamp its programming and presence beyond the University. ESG Community Service Chair Emily Sloan, a sophomore, has also spearheaded the Student Mentoring Association for Recruiting Tomorrow’s Scientists program, which began in the Fall and allows Pratt students to volunteer as Science Olympiad coaches in Durham middle schools.
ESG will also work to improve its programming this Spring. It will hold small Engineering Socials, or E-Socials, as informal networking events with various outside employers and larger E-Socials monthly that will feature four or five student groups, Piech said. In addition, ESG is working to strengthen Pratt’s peer-advising network.
At its meeting Monday night, ESG also announced that the annual E-Ball will be held at an off-campus location for the first time in three years but declined to publicly announce the specific venue.
Piech also met with DSG President Mike Lefevre, a senior, and other DSG representatives Sunday to discuss the dynamic between the two groups now and in the future. Piech noted that ESG is committed to maintaining its independence from DSG.
“We’re two different organizations working pretty well in our current state,” Piech said. “At this point, there’s really no need for a deeper collaboration—nor does ESG necessarily want to have a huge collaboration—but at least now we have a means of communication.”
However, Piech added that the two groups could work together in the future on projects that mutually benefit both groups.
Pratt Dean Tom Katsouleas said he thinks it is important for ESG to continue to improve and develop in order to shape the best possible student experience for engineers.
“In order to move Pratt forward and to offer the best education possible, we need all the members of the community to take ownership of the school—faculty, staff and students,” Katsoleas wrote in a Jan. 26 e-mail. “There is a characteristic of the Duke experience that students who come here are shaped by the University, but also forever re-shape it for the next generation. I welcome ESG’s ambition to contribute with broader impact to shaping Duke.”
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