RÉFAEC university competitions: Our BAA students bring home all four trophies: it’s a Grand Slam!
January 27, 2017
What a great year it has been for the HEC Montréal teams in the competitions held by the Regroupement des Étudiants des Facultés d’Administration de l’Est du Canada (Students Association of Management Faculties of Eastern Canada) (RÉFAEC)!
Our BAA students won all four events, one after the other: the 2016 Omnium financier, the 2016 Happening Marketing, the 2016 Symposium GRH, and the 2017 Jeux du commerce.
“The Competitions Committee knew, before the Jeux du commerce in January, that we had the other three trophies,” explains BAA student Audrée Lavoie Archambault, Chair of the AEHEC Competitions Committee. “We didn’t talk about it too much to the other students on the team, but we definitely wanted to bring home the trophy from this competition, too!”
Taking all four events in a row is a first for HEC Montréal – especially because before this year the School had never won at the Symposium GRH.
“It’s truly exceptional to take all four in the same year,” emphasizes Guest Professor René Gendreau, Academic Competitions Co-ordinator.
“It’s true!”, adds Jean-François St-Pierre, Director – Student Relations Jean-François St-Pierre. “Just winning the Jeux du commerce is quite a feat. In recent years, we took first place there in 2013 and 2006. The team at the Jeux du commerce can’t make a single false step. You have to be good in all the categories of the competition.”
All in all, about 150 BAA students take part in the four RÉFAEC competitions. While some students compete in several events, the vast majority of each year’s teams are made up of new participants.
“The teams are almost completely new every year,” explains René Gendreau. “The students learn a huge amount through these competitions and it’s a fundamental part of our approach.”
For Audrey Lavoie Archambault, participating in competitions has been the highlight of her undergrad studies. “I don’t feel it as pressure. It’s motivation. You feel that you’re validating and applying what you’ve learned in the classroom. As students, we feel privileged to have the support we’re given, and that’s another reason why we want to stand on the podium. It’s a great source of pride for the School, and we want to honour that.”
BAA student Andrew Coffey feels the same way. He recently competed in the Jeux du commerce and is preparing for the 2017 Omnium financier, which is going on right now, until January 29.
“Some of our coaches teach at the School, others are alumni who turn out to support us,” he says. “Along with all the students you get to know on your team, it all adds up to a really valuable network. The bar is high, for sure! But I like to have the chance to represent the School, to know that everyone is behind us. That motivates us even more to do well.”
Congratulations to all the participants in these competitions, and thanks to their many coaches!
