NAITSA Senate held their fifth annual meeting of the academic year on Wednesday, Jan. 15. The meeting began with a quick review and approval of an agenda in the consent agenda, previously discussed in their fourth meeting. The motion was moved to pass.
Overview:
- NAITSA’s External Relations Director presented on the upcoming U-Pass referendum, informing the Senate about the new fee structure. Year one will remain at $180, year 2 will increase to $182.50 and year 3 will increase to $185. Because the new contract contains a mandatory fee, students must vote to decide if NAITSA moves forward with the new contract.
- NAITSA is proposing a bursary program for Indigenous students. If approved, three students from each term would receive $1500.
- During question period, Senators asked President Luczak about challenges with Brightspace, NAIT’s pool and a potential meeting with NAIT stakeholders to hear their challenges.
- VP Academic was asked about accessible classroom visits. She shared that they occur online and in-person as needed.
- VP Internal was questioned on construction issues in the M parkade; Shopland said he would look into it. He was also asked about potential role adjustments to the Ooks Life Team and ways to streamline the check-in process at events.
Presentation given on upcoming U-Pass referendum
Following the approval, President Luczak introduced NAITSA’s External Relations Director Jason Roth. Roth joined the Senate to give a presentation on NAIT’s U-Pass referendum, set to run concurrently with NAITSA’s executive council election. Roth’s presentation detailed the U-Pass’ history, fee structure and exemptions. Roth also reminded the Senate of a previous mandate passed, requiring at least two thirds of Student votes before they can pass a referendum with any fee attached. He stated this allows for an opportunity to see if the vast majority of students actually want to participate in the program.
Dir. Roth then informed the Senate that the current contract is set to expire this August, after sitting at a $180 fee over the past 6 years. According to Roth, the contract he and President Luczak were able to negotiate has a 3 year term, with the $180 mandatory fee remaining frozen for the first year. The fee will then increase to $182.50 in the 2026/27 academic year and finish its contract at $185 in 2027/28. Roth also reminded the Senate of the many exemptions available to students, including apprentices, students attending other schools offering a U-Pass or equivalent, as well as students commuting over 100km each day.
Roth informed the Senate that results will be released on Feb.13, as the vote is held in tandem with the Executive Council elections. He stressed that it must be the students who decide, and that this program is not something NAITSA can force upon them.
Following Roth’s presentation, Senator Libunao raised the question of why the U-Pass is not offered in the Spring and Summer terms despite there still being classes and students on campus. Roth explained that while it is a possibility, due to the dramatic population drop on campus during those months, NAITSA believes it would not be fair or necessary.
Senator Dunphy also asked Roth where students would be able find out if they qualify for exemptions; Roth encouraged students to visit the NAITSA website or the NAITSA office Concluding questions from Senators, Secretary Mills weighed in to reassure the Senate that she would be placing the U-Pass referendum vote at the top of the Executive Council Election ballots, in hopes of having fewer students miss it while voting.
NAITSA proposes bursary for Indigenous students
Next on the Senate’s agenda, President Luczak was asked to present a new proposal involving bursaries for Indigenous students. Luczak asked for the Senate’s consideration in allocating $225,000 from the NAITSA Endowment Fund for the creation and implication of these bursaries, beginning in Fall 2025. This investment would allow for 3 Indigenous students in both Fall and Winter terms to receive $1,500. Other requirements include the students have completed a minimum of one year in their program and more. President Luczak explained this comes from NAIT’s commitment to supporting Truth and Reconciliation, and they hope this will be a meaningful step to help address the systematic barriers and financial inequalities Indigenous students face.
The proposal is set to be voted on in the next senate meeting, allowing Senators proper time to make their decisions. The presentation then concluded and President Luczak welcomed questions from Senators.
Senator Libunao was concerned with the decision process on who would be receiving these bursaries, as it is a NAITSA bursary but is ultimately decided upon by the NAIT committee. President Luczak explained that to her knowledge every award already goes through the NAIT committee, and there are already multiple scholarships and bursaries available that are managed by NAITSA and the present committee. Libunao followed up with the question if there were any NAITSA members present on the NAIT awards committee as she feels it would help make the decision making process more informed, but unfortunately President Luczak was unable to answer.
Questions for the President about Brightspace, NAIT’s pool and stakeholders
Senator Wilson asked Luczak about a meeting with Mark Schnieder, the Director of Learning Technology, concerning Brightspace. Wilson explained that she had been hearing a lot of frustrations surrounding Brightspace from both staff and students on campus. Luczak confirmed she shared students’ struggles and concerns about the rollout process; she also mentioned that Schneider shared that instructors are also struggling. Luczak hopes to see improvement over the upcoming months, as we are now entering our second term using the new application. In a later follow-up question, Senator Savaterri asked for updates on future plans for the Brightspace app, and Luczak shared they asked for more integration of Excel for accounting students and that all communications will be made further in advance. VP Bruno also shared that Schneider explained that students had noticed bugs on the app, but that NAITSA would continue to share feedback to Schneider as their meetings are ongoing.
Senator Libunao asked about a potential stakeholder meeting from President Luczak’s report. Luczak identified the stakeholders as those departments at NAIT that deal with students so they can share their concerns. Libunao asked a follow-up about how the ECs would choose a representative, and Luczak explained they would let each department choose.
Senator Garcia asked about future use of NAIT’s pool. President Luczak assured him that there will be future communication about it, and it remains an item on the Campus Planning Advisory Committees agenda. Garcia followed up asking for clarification on whether the committee was considering restoration or repurposing, to which Luczak responded that unfortunately the pool has been deemed unusable and will be repurposed.
VP Bruno asked about accessible classroom visits
Moving onto questions for Vice-President Academic Marina Bruno, Senator Libunao asked about EC classroom visits and if they had been done in online classes and at satellite campuses. Bruno explained that while many of these visits have taken place in person, President Luczak has conducted a few online and they both strive to try and meet with these classes online if they wish. Senator Libunao followed up to ask what can be expected in these visits, and Bruno responded that they typically share NAITSA’s services, discuss advocacy and what the Executive Council does as well as some free swag for students. Libunao asked if it is the students or staff that request this service, and Bruno clarified it typically is a little bit of both.
VP Internal questioned on construction, role adjustments and events passes
The question period passed onto Vice President Internal Brayden Shopland, with Senator Wilson raising safety concerns regarding construction in the CAT building. Wilson explained that for the past week when entering from the M parkade, students must walk through a construction zone lacking proper signage, as well as forcing students to push plastic tarps back in order to walk through properly—all while workers are actively repairing the roof above. Shopland was unaware of this construction at this time, but assured the Senate that following their meeting he would investigate the claims and provide photos to NAIT so it can be properly handled.
Senator Libunao also asked about role adjustments for the Ooks Life Teams. Shopland explained there are two volunteer coordinator positions that coordinate volunteer events, but they are considering creating a third that would manage the Ooks Crew. This role would handle onboarding, giving necessary materials and similar duties. Shopland said they are currently testing this and he is excited with the progress.
Senator Garcia asked if there were plans to simplify the check-in process at events. Shopland shared insights about having multiple people helping students get their events pass ready before reaching the front of the line. He also shared that they are encouraging students to download their Ooks Life app as the events pass is more accessible.
The Senate debated the possibility of getting the events pass on phones, as Executive Director Chelmick mentioned discussions with the city to get the U-Pass on phones. Senator Savaterri asked how it would work for those without a phone, and VPI Shopland highlighted that there are workarounds.
This concluded the Senate’s question period, and seeing as there was no unfinished or new business to attend to, the Senate moved onto the accountability and education section, stating that the next Senate meeting is expected to occur on Jan. 29, 2025.
Following some announcements, the NAITSA Senate meeting was officially adjourned at 6:23pm.
