By Kallandra Weatherbee
The NAITSA executive council and U-Pass vote took place from Feb. 5-11 and official votes are in.
Photo via NAITSA
For NAITSA president, Jerilyn Kotelniski. Kotelniski is a second term president and business student and wants to work towards affordable tuition and continue mental health support around NAIT.
“As President, I am a student advocate which means that I am here to represent your real student needs. My focus will be on collaboration, open communication, and empathy. I will advocate for affordable and predictable tuition for all students, continued mental health support for students and more support for international students,” said Kotelniski.
Photo via NAITSA
For VP academic, Renata Medeiros. Medeiros is an international photographic technology student. She is advocating for easily accessible online and in person mental health support as well as support for online learning.
“I believe that for students to be successful during their time in a post-secondary which requires a lot of work and effort, they need to be able to rely on their mental and physical health to be stable to go through these challenging times. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and students struggle mentally and physically to get through a term,” said Medeiros.
“I will advocate for more easily accessible mental health services that can be reached whenever a student is going through a rough time and needs someone to talk to, and better physical health support in person or online.”
Photo via NAITSA
For VP external, Natalie Sarzynski. This year Sarzynski will be focusing on support for online learning, physical health support and open educational resources such as access to affordable textbooks and other resources.
“Over the last year I have worked as a Volunteer Coordinator with the NAITSA Campus Activities Board. This opportunity gave me firsthand experience to reflect on the uncertainties that current students have at NAIT. I want you to get the best out of your academic experience. My empathy and strong work ethic are powerful skills that will contribute to attaining our goals for the coming year,” said Sarzynski.
Photo via NAITSA
For VP internal, Jorgia Moore. Moore will be advocating for online and in person NAITSA events to make NAIT a positive and fun experience.
“We all know COVID has created challenges in our campus experience and it’s been tough, but events help spark excitement in our world. I want to ensure we can look back to our school year and have positive memories, not just remember getting through a pandemic,” said Moore.
With the vote for NAITSA executive council was the U-Pass referendum which 77 per cent of students voted for. NAIT students will have access to U-Pass for another four years.
