Tucked into the busy basement of the Sandford Fleming Building, The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Office is a small office with a big heart. Home to five staff members, the doors of the ECE Undergraduate Office always seem to be open—and decorated according to season—to students and staff alike.

While their doors are always open, one of the biggest challenges that the ECE Undergraduate Office—and many undergraduate offices—face is that students are not always aware that the resource exits. To proactively combat this issue, this fall staff visited one of the main ECE student lectures and attended the ECE Dinner Dance to help elevate their profile among students. Ella Lund-Thomson, Program Manager and Counsellor, states that it’s important to let students know that staff members are approachable.

An extremely busy office, Ella comments, “We always back one another up. There’s never anyone who has to do something by themselves.” Especially during peak busy periods—August, September and January—staff members band together to help one another out and assist students. This is quite a feat considering that Karen Irving, one of two Student Advisors in the Office, recalls that the office received over 1,000 emails in August alone. “It requires a lot of patience.”

In such a busy environment, it’s especially important for staff members to find balance between work and their personal lives. Emma Johnson, the other Student Advisor in the office, cites cycling to work as a way to combat stress. While in the office, the ECE Undergraduate staff all seem to agree on one thing: humour is a great way to relieve stress. “We have fun here,” says Karen. “Yes, it’s busy, and, yes, sometimes it’s crazy, but we get along really well and we have fun most days that we’re here.”