Editor’s note: This article is a summary of the most important items from the Senate meeting. Conversations have been edited for clarity and brevity.
The March 5 NAITSA Senate meeting was an hour long, and covered topics like the upcoming appointment of student representatives to NAIT’s Board of Governors, the historic turnout for the recent NAITSA U-Pass referendum and Executive Council election, along with the training and onboarding of the entirely new incoming Executive Council team.
Board of Governors Presentation
The Senate will need to appoint two representatives to NAIT’s Board of Governors for next year, so VP Academic Marina Bruno and Senator Libunao (who currently serve on the board) shared a presentation about their experience. They explained that these representatives bring the student voice to the table, but their end goal is to serve in the best interest of NAIT. The position is typically filled by a NAITSA EC or Senate member, though it is open to NAIT students. The Senate will vote to appoint the two positions.
Senator Libunao and VP Bruno shared the challenges and perks of the role, along with some of the things BoG student representatives can expect to learn. Later in the meeting, NAITSA’s Executive Director (ED) Chris Chelmick shared where Senators and viewers can find more information about the appointment process on the NAITSA website.
Senator SAVATTERI asked how long the term was, and Bruno shared it is a full year, beginning in September. MURILLO asked if non-incumbent Senators can be appointed to the Board. Bruno explained that there is no conflict; students can be both NAITSA Senators and BoG student representatives.
Furniture Disposal
Many questions were asked about the disposal of old furniture on campus. Shopland had advocated to NAIT’s Campus Planning department that new furniture was needed, and thanks to a surplus discovered in December, NAIT has been installing new furniture in key locations this month. However, Senator Wilson was told that the old furniture was being taken “to the dump.”
- Shopland was told that any usable furniture would be reused or put in storage.
- NAITSA’s Executive Director Chris Chelmick clarified “the dump” may mean government surplus.
- Senator WILSON asked about the gap in furniture placement; old furniture was removed without being immediately replaced.
- VPI Shopland said he knew about the disruption, but that the EC believes the benefits outweigh any interruptions.
President/VP External report question period
Editor’s note: During question period, the Senators can ask the Executive Council questions about the contents of their reports, submitted each meeting. The reports are not public, but we’ve done our best to identify gaps in information and summarize the context where we can.
- Senator MURILLO asked about a meeting with Graham Construction mentioned in Luczak’s report. President Luczak said they asked about opportunities to speak to construction students, and that the ECs passed their information on to a NAITSA Campus Clubs, namely the Construction Engineering Technology Student club, to host an event at the end of April.
- Senator LIBUNAO asked about a letter that the Alberta Students’ Executive Council sent to the Alberta government about discontinuing operating grant funding for post-secondary institutions (PSI). The letter was written by 25 Albertan students’ associations and urged the government to restore the funding, as quality of education will be impacted if Alberta PSIs start to look elsewhere for funding, like increasing tuition or MNIFs.
- Luczak shared there was seemingly no negative reaction from government; the letter was released close to the Budget 2025, so Luczak isn’t sure if the letter made an impact. But she was happy with how it helped advocate for students.
VP Academic report question period
- LIBUNAO asked about the convocation committee; Bruno shared that they are still in the planning phases—seeing how many students are attending, looking into event details, etc.
- LIBUNAO also asked for an update on the meeting Bruno had with the NAITSA ECs and Directors about Canada trade and potential impacts on NAITSA’s operations. Bruno explained that the meeting was successful; they looked into alternatives where needed.
VP Internal report question period
- Senator LIBUNAO asked about NAIT consultations with NAITSA on tuition, as NAIT is required via the Post-Secondary Learning Act to “meaningfully consult” on tuition with the students’ association.
- Shopland and the ECs met for the first time with NAIT in January, and the second meeting was just a week ago. However, he mentioned that in their March 4 meeting, NAIT’s BoG approved the 2025/26 budget, which included proposed tuition increases.
- Senator MURILLO asked the grant used to hire a full-time volunteer coordinator. Shopland explained that management of the Ooks Crew, NAITSA’s student-volunteer team, historically falls under the VP Internal role. However, as EC should be a strategic role and not operational, they have plans to hire a full-time volunteer coordinator using the Canada Student Jobs Grant
- Senator FLEMING mentioned that the elevators in the parkade near Ernest’s are broken and wondered when they might be repaired. VP Shopland answered that he was unaware but appreciated Fleming bringing it to their attention and that he would follow up with NAIT’s Facilities and Management department.
