GG with Dean Pfaendtner

For many College of Engineering (COE) students, playing video games is a popular way to unwind. It’s also a favorite pastime of Jim Pfaendtner, Louis Martin-Vega Dean of Engineering.

During the spring semester’s Wellness Day on Feb. 13, students took on the dean in Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers Ultimate through an event put on by the COE Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI). NC State has scheduled a Wellness Day each semester to encourage students to unplug from academics.

There were GGs (gaming lingo for “good game”) all around as the event was livestreamed from the new Esports Lab in the James B. Hunt Jr. Library. But there were a few hiccups when changing games and switching players.

“Once he figured out what character he was, yes, he was actually pretty good,” joked Kaleb Decker, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, after playing two rounds of Super Smash Brothers Ultimate against the dean.

“And I take full responsibility for that,” laughed Jair Valenzuela, Ph.D. student in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “I could’ve sworn he was player four, and he was actually player two, and he was very confused. I’m so sorry Dean Pfaendtner. It’s on the record.”

Decker has known Pfaendtner since they were both at the University of Washington.

“I thought it’d be a cool chance not only to explore the space because it’s new and fresh, and I think it’s a really great way to bring community together, but also to rub shoulders with the dean and say hi and kind of destroy him in Super Smash Bros,” he said.

Emma Grace Johnson, a biomedical engineering student who played as Baby Toad in Mario Kart, felt the pressure to play well due to the livestream.

“The dean was super interactive, so it was fun playing with him,” she said.

Prior to heading up to the Esports Lab, Pfaendtner spoke to students about his experience with depression and encouraged students to reach out to him or other leaders in the College at any time.

“… Know that you’re not alone,” he said. “You have a dean who understands mental illness and cares deeply about your success and wellbeing. Among the many resources we want to provide you with here in the College are authentic examples of professional engineers who are not just surviving but thriving with mental illness so that if you or someone you know is struggling with those symptoms, just know that it’s available for you, too.”

The Wellness Day also included yard games and Cocoa & Crafts, an ODEI event for students to connect over hot drinks and a craft. For the Lunar New Year, students made their own fortune cookies out of paper, writing fortunes like “Everything happens for good.”

“It’s been a tough semester,” said Pankaj Manoharlal Thakur, a graduate student in the Department of Computer Science. “So, I was focusing on not doing anything … to just have this day to relax and enjoy.”