John Chauhan becomes Manager of

Student Engagement at Douglas

> An interview on the importance of his new role to him and the school

Jamal Al-Bayaa
Staff Writer

 

tarting off the new year

with the promotion of old
faces, Douglas College has
raised John Chauhan into the
role of Manager of Student
Engagement, one of the umbrella
branches of the Student Affairs
and Services department (SAS).

As Manager of Student
Engagement, he works
directly under Duane Seibel,
Director of Student Affairs and
Services. He will also work
very closely with a number of
staff, student-staff, and fitness
instructors in supporting
students in their development.
The promotion came

after Chauhan applied for the
position while already working
in the Office for New Students
as a Student Recruitment
and Support Specialist. One
of his top priorities in that
position was his work for the
Student Ambassador Program,

spearheaded by Eric Glanville.
Chauhan had been in this
position for about a year before
being told of his new role with
Student Engagement. Talking
about the position, one of
the first things that he
shared was that it was

a dream job to him.

As Manager of
Student Engagement,
he'll primarily be
responsible for
leadership in all things
engagement-related,
including leadership
programs, school-wide
events, supporting student-

run groups, and award programs

such as the Leader of the

Year awards and the Student
Engagement Gala. In years
past, the Student Engagement
department has supported
students as they travelled
across the globe to Zambia for
work experience, among other
opportunities, as one of many
ways that students become

  
  
 
 
  
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
 

engaged on and off campus
through the department.
Although Chauhan has a
hand in just about everything,
he says his role of leadership
and guidance isn’t enough on its

SPOTLIGHT: Draw till you drop!

> DSU Sketch Dump Club finds artistic niche in college

Aaron Guillen
Staff Reporter

 

or avid sketchers and

budding artists, Douglas
College now boasts a club
tailored to those who want to let
their artistic flag fly.

New this year, the DSU
Sketch Dump Club is a dedicated
place to draw with friends,
watch animated movies, and
meet new people with similar
interests.

“Anyone who enjoys drawing
or just wants to get better at
drawing, this club is for them,”
said Sam Nelson, President of
the DSU Sketch Club.

“It’s very informal. We're
planning to just hang out,
draw, and watch movies. It’s a
great way to meet new people
with similar interests in a low
pressure setting. There’s also no
commitment so you can drop in
on meetings whenever you can.”

The name of the club,
Sketch Dump, was the
brainchild of Vice President
Deepti Singh, who thought
of the idea because of the
correlation between the
definition of the phrase and
what hopes she holds for
the club. A sketch dump is
a slang term used by artists
when displaying a bunch of
sketches all at once. Similar to

uploading a bunch of sketches
onto a blog, none of the work
is finished; it’s simply being
worked on continually. While
not necessarily providing the
finished product, the act of
simply putting the pen to the
paper has begun.

“I want to get better and |
want to see how! can use it as
a part of my career,” Singh said.
“To [anyone] who is thinking of

 

joining [...] we want to help you
improve. Let’s watch movies that
influence what kind of styles
you want to do. Most of all, just
join us for a nice sit-down [...] to
expand your horizons with us,
because we want to [develop as
artists] too.”

Nelson arrived at Douglas in
2015 and saw a need for artistic
expression, something he and
Singh felt was missing from the

own to accomplish everything
that can be accomplished at
Student Engagement.
“I am literally unable

to accomplish the
goals [of Student
Engagement] without
the buy in of everyone
around me,” he
explained. “Student
Engagement’s role
isn’t to host every
event or to have
ownership over every
student leadership
initiative, but to provide
leadership guidance and
most importantly support
for all the departments,
students, and faculty interested
in developing students.”

“Developing students”
is perhaps the simplest way
to summarize the goals of
the Student Engagement
department. The goal of
Student Engagement is to
provide students opportunities
to find development through

Image via DSU

college.

“T had just left the
animation program from Emily
Carr University to pursue a
different major, but still wanted
to keep up with my drawing,”
Nelson explained.

“Surprisingly, there were no
art classes or clubs or anything
on campus. So, I wanted to start
a club because I knew there
were other students out there

experiences that are practical,
inspiring, and flexible. The ideal
result is a more fully-developed
student who has gained as much
as they could have during their
stay in an academic program.
Through that experience,
Douglas College continues their
mission of providing experiential
learning opportunities.

This, Chauhan said, is why
he likes the job so much: because
of its commitment to people.
“Student Affairs is an amazing
world where every level of
people you get to work with is
amazing... there’s nothing quite
like it. I get to see people become
who they will be for the rest of
their lives. I get to see people
grow up, find themselves, and
transform themselves and those
around them for the better.”

Lastly, Chauhan said
about his new job: “I chose
to accept the offer here over
somewhere else [because
the] students’ importance is
written right into the policy.”

who felt the same as me. It was
really hard to start the club
because | didn’t know anyone
who would support the idea. A
year later, | finally met Deepti.
We realized that we loved anime
and drawing [...] and decided
to go through with starting the
club this semester. We wanted
to provide a space where artists
could meet and discuss. It was
a space that the school was
lacking.”

Nelson and Singh were
pleasantly surprised by the
students’ reactions to the
unveiling of their club during
Club Days in mid-September.
The duo hopes that artists of
all skill levels will drop into
the DSU Sketch Dump Club
meetings in order to build a
community of students that
love what they draw, design, or
sketch.

“It seems like there are
many students at Douglas
who were looking for the same
things we were, a place to meet
other people with similar dorky
interests,” Nelson added.

“It’s always validating to
meet others that like the same
things you do. We haven't
started club meetings yet, but
we're looking forward to it! We
hope that the club can help
students embrace what they like
and not feel guilty about it.”