As we start the 2023-2024 academic year, we’re checking in with the newly elected leaders of CivMin’s various clubs. Here’s our Q&A with Min Club Chair Evan Beri (MinE, Year 4):
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Evan Beri: I’m a fourth-year student in Mineral Engineering. I just finished my 16-month PEY Co-op at Imperial Oil in Calgary.
What is Min Club?
Evan: Min Club is the club for all Mineral Engineering students. We are pretty small, but we do events. We have our Dinner Dance with the [Civil Engineering Club], we have a lot of industry events where we host companies for networking and we have more casual outings as well.
What does Min Club do?
Evan: We’re a pretty tight-knit group. Min is small so everyone knows each other. Min Club mainly plans events. We go out bowling, for example, just to socialize and get all the first and fourth-years connected. Last year, we went to Agnico Eagle’s Macassa Mine for a tour. As part of one of our second-year classes, there’s usually a mine tour, but it was cancelled because of COVID-19. Alec Gilvesy, who was Min Club Chair at the time, stepped up and got us a cool tour. If that doesn’t end up happening again this year, we can try to organize a similar outing.
How did you get involved in Min Club?
Evan: When you join U of T Mineral Engineering, it’s THE club. Mineral Engineering and Min Club are very similar and very intertwined; we have good turnouts for events. When you first join University, there are introductory events and Min Club goes to one of those and explains what Min Club is, so that’s usually how people first get introduced.
Last year, I was VP academic. Before that, I was a second- and third-year representative. I’m passionate about Mineral Engineering. Mineral Engineering was my first choice. That passion is what led me to be this year’s Min Club Chair. I’m very excited and passionate about running the show this year.
What types of events does Min Club have planned for this year?
Evan: General outings to socialize, a lot of networking with companies and also with high school students and just trying to get Mineral Engineering out there; it’s just unknown. I’d like to reach out to people before they even come to university to explain what it is and what we do. Hopefully, we’ll have some common room improvements. We’re also looking into an advertising campaign in collaboration with the Department on TikTok and Instagram to get some more people into the discipline.
What types of events with guests from industry did you have in mind?
Evan: Normally, we bring in a representative or two from the company and they’ll explain what the company is and students can ask questions. It’s good because it puts some faces to names on resumes. The company I worked at, Imperial Oil, used to do a lot of events. Maybe reaching out to them and asking if they could send someone out here and talk to some students would work well. It’d be nice if we could do more where the students go to the company and take a look around. Those are a lot harder to organize, but I think they’d be really good. We have a lot of local companies in Toronto – more interaction with them would be nice as well.
Does Min Club have any new initiatives starting this year?
Evan: We definitely want to do some new stuff. With COVID-19 and everything, it’s been difficult to organize new things in the past few years. Now that things are finally back to normal, it’d be nice to get some new events going and start some new traditions.
Is there somewhere students can typically find Min Club members?
Evan: The common room on the first floor of the Lassonde Mining Building [MB131]. If you’re not on campus, you can contact us on Instagram – we’re all pretty open.
Do you have any helpful hints for new students to be successful academically and socially?
Evan: First year is going to be crazy. Don’t take your first year too seriously. Classes are going to be hard, but your first year is the time when your social life is probably the most important. It’s when you meet everybody; you’ll probably meet most of your friends then. Don’t be afraid to go out there and talk with people and meet people, especially the Mineral Engineering students; we’re all very supportive of each other. And don’t be afraid to ask the upper years for help or advice because they’ve already been through it, so why not ask them?
What are you looking forward to the most?
Evan: What I’m looking forward to the most is being able to bring all the students together to just chill out and have some fun. I’m also looking forward to meeting some of the younger students and for the younger students to meet some of the upper years. I think because we’re so small, we’re a lot more intertwined than some of the other disciplines and I think that’s one of our strengths – we’re very tight.
Do you have any favourite places on campus?
Evan: The Lassonde Mining Building. We’re mining engineers, right? It is great because our Department is smaller, so it’s much quieter than some of the other buildings. The fourth floor is kind of a common area when it’s not being used for capstone projects, and it’s a great place to study. It’s quiet. It’s all been remodelled recently; it’s really nice. There’s also the main common room; there are a lot of social opportunities there. The libraries at the University are always nice; they’re always well-maintained and offer a quiet place to study, as well as the pit, which is always great.
How can students get involved in Min Club?
Evan: Just talk to us. We post events on our Instagram [@uoftminclub]. We’ll also send out emails, so we’ll be in contact with all the Mineral Engineering students; they won’t have to worry about missing events or anything. If you want to get involved with organizing things in the club, just send us an email at uoftminclub@gmail.com or message the Min Club Instagram and we’ll be happy to facilitate that.
Do you have any interesting hobbies or talents you’d like to share?
Evan: I like to build stuff. My dad has a business nearby that has a shop and so I go in and just build stuff. The furniture for my place I’ve built by woodworking and metalworking. I make my custom mechanical keyboards – it’s a lot of fun. You can check it out on my Instagram page [@evan_makes].
Full list of 2023/2024 Min Club Executives:
President: Evan Beri
VP Finance: Grant Liao
VP Academic: Matthew Ye
VP Social: Sarim Baig
VP Women & Representation: Belinda Wang
By Rachael Gallant