Jackrabbits in the spotlight / Joint Engineering Council made 2023-24 a year to remember

Joint Engineering Council members were recognized for a successful 2023-24 at the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Banquet April 23 and will head into 2024-25 with much the same leadership team.

The council’s 2023-24 officers were Cherish Stern, president; Jalen DeJong, vice president of administration; Hailey Gruber, vice president of marketing; Connor Matthies, secretary; and Brock Aleshire, treasurer. For 2024-25, Stern, Gruber and Matthies all return to their positions. The new vice president of administration is Haley Evenson with Luke Degen serving as treasurer.

The continuity should serve the organization well. The Joint Engineering Council is the umbrella organization for the Lohr College of Engineering, serving as the communication hub for all engineering organizations, individual students and faculty members. 

It has representation from each of the 25 engineering clubs on campus, which included two new clubs in 2023-24. Three new clubs are in the developmental stage, and Stern hopes they will be ready to join the Joint Engineering Council in the coming school year. She said 50 to 60 students attended meetings in 2023-24, and she hopes to keep attendance in that upper range the coming year.

While the council’s monthly meetings serve as a conduit for conversation for the college’s efforts, the council also has a heavy role in programming.

In 2023-24, the council:

• Hosted a fall picnic for all engineering students and staff with food and cornhole games. 

• Organized college participation in the South Dakota State University Foundation’s One Day for STATE. Several clubs showed their projects to the Brookings community in the foundation’s parking lot. 

• Encouraged eight student groups to participate in the Hobo Day parade. 

• Gained participation in the Festival of Lights parade from the Quarter Scale Tractor, Desert Hare Off-Road baja buggy and the SAE Formula race car. That involved about 25 students, and it was the first time in several years for participation in the parade. 

• Organized Engineering Week on campus Feb. 20-23. Events included a speaker from an area corporation, club tabling in the University Student Union with cookies, a movie, and Donuts with the Dean in Crothers commons. 

Stern added, “At our meetings, I hope to keep the clubs and students educated in the workings of the College of Engineering and help them promote and grow themselves, whether that be through finding monetary supports, new members, connections with the dean's office and faculty, or in providing professional opportunities with engineering companies. 

“The goal for this year was to increase the amount of speakers present at meetings, and we met that by having six compared to three last year. I also gave presentations on financing and social outreach for clubs as well as giving them the opportunity to present in front of GE101 (the engineering intro course that all freshmen must take) and participate in the student engagement expos to gain more new members. 

“We have also hosted grocery bingo and Kahoots.”

In addition to activities, Stern said, “For the next school year, we hope to improve in how clubs are communicated with and provide them with more networking and financing opportunities.”