WHAT IS STUDENT CHAPTER?
A student chapter is composed of a minimum of six registered SAIEE student members. It is a sub-unit of the SAIEE. The student chapter is required to hold a minimum of four meetings per year and to maintain a level of activity that is acceptable to the SAIEE regional centre and regional student activities committee chair. The student chapter will have a minimum of three activities a year, with the goal of creating an atmosphere for other students to be part of the student chapter. These three activities may include: A launch/opening event, an industry related event and a year-end event to reflect on the achievements and assess the level of satisfaction of the student members.
Why Join a SAIEE Student Chapter?
The student chapter is formed in order to assist students to gain pre-professional benefits and form a link between students and the industry. These benefits can be summarized as follows:
• Introduce students to the SAIEE
• Mentorship (Access to mentors that are active in the SAIEE and the industry at large)
• Promote networking and improve interaction between students and the industry
• Opportunities to be addressed by high-profile speakers in the field
• The SAIEE pays for student organised activities
• Access to job shadowing opportunities
• Industry field trips
• Community outreach projects
• Become a part of the organizing committee
The objective is to help the students to gain appreciation for the electrical engineering profession and to be placed in a better position to participate in the engineering profession, either as an employee or by forming their own company.
3. Student Chapter Committee
A minimum of six SAIEE student members are needed to form a chapter at a learning institution. These six committee members will fill the following portfolios:
• Chair
Chairs student chapter meetings, approves meeting schedules, and provides a firm direction to the student chapter. Liaises with the Centre on behalf of the student chapter.
Provides annually planned activities and feedback to the student chapter centre, this could be by means of presentations. The Chair, or his/her delegated representative, automatically becomes a member of the Centre committee and attends Centre committee meetings.
• Vice-chair
Chairs student chapter meetings in the absence of the chair. Assists the chair in some duties, based on the needs of the chapter. May attend Centre committee meetings to support the chair.
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• Secretary
Takes minutes of the student chapter meetings. Sends out contact lists, event attendance and minutes to the student chapter committee before subsequent meetings. May assist in the preparation of the agenda for/with chapter chair. Sends out the contact list
• Treasurer
Assists with the annual budgeting for the planned yearly activities. Liaises with the
SAIEE Centre, making sure that payments are made to service providers. Keeps record of expenditures by making sure that all is within the annual budget. May also have to attend the annual student chapter year plan presentation for the Centre.
• Public Relations
Assists in making the student chapter more visible on campus. Makes sure that marketing material, posters, etc., are posted either on social media, or on campus in designated areas (might need SRC approval for advertising). Creates and take care (regular updates) of the student chapter social media group.
• Activities Coordinator
Assists with the booking of venues for the student chapter events and identifies suitable service providers. Resolves logistics issues on catering, transportation, etc. (the coordinator may also delegate where assistance is needed, it’s team work after all). Assists the Treasurer in soliciting event quotations from service providers and submitting it to the Centre Treasurer.
The SAIEE student members would vote for the respective portfolio members in order to form the student chapter. Ideally it would be good that postgraduate and under-graduate students form part of the committee, for this will make sure there is continuity for the coming years.
4. Role of student chapter committee
One of the primary roles of the student chapter committee is to plan and present a yearly activity plan, along with a budget to the SAIEE regional centre for approval and input. Once the regional centre has reviewed and approved the activities’ plan and budget, it will then allocate a budget for the student chapter in order for their activities to be realized. Since the SAIEE regional centre is directly linked with the engineering industry, some of the activities proposed by the student chapter may require assistance from the SAIEE regional centre. In addition, the student chapter role also extends to the following:
• Collaboration between student chapters
• Collaboration with regional centres on activities organised by the regional centres or the student chapters
• Seeking external sponsorship in order to increase their presence on campus and in the community and to fund gifts, etc.
It is paramount that the student chapter makes it their mission to make the chapter as beneficial to the students as possible. That means they should inform the regional centres of what the students need from the industry and what they would like to see organisations, such as the SAIEE, do in order to encourage students to stay and succeed in the field, e.g. issues of transformation, etc.
Institution’s Club Membership of the SAIEE Student Chapter
In certain institutions, it is beneficial for the student chapter to register for a club membership. Here are some of the possible benefits of registering the SAIEE chapter to form part of the institution club:
• The student chapter will be allowed to place their adverts for events and activities on the advert boards within the institution by the institution.
• Registration to be an SAIEE student member will be debited from the student account.
Thus, student chapters are encouraged to investigate this option in their respective institutions and register accordingly where beneficial.
6. SAIEE website
Students can visit the SAIEE website for events and current news related to the electrical engineering profession. The Website address is: https://www.saiee.org.za/
7. Fees
The fees usually increase annually, please visit the following link for the registration fees:
https://bit.ly/2L5AE0l