The support you need for a great year on campus
If you’re a student, Erin Saiko probably knows how you feel.
“When a new student arrives at NAIT, they're nervous, they’re excited – it's a brand new experience for them,” says the director of Student Success. “So we have a variety of services to support them, whatever their journey looks like.”
To help you have the best NAIT experience possible – and a great year on campus, be it your first or your fourth – we talked to Saiko and her staff and colleagues about how they can help.
Dept. of Removing Barriers: Learning Services
The work of Learning Services is based on the principle that “people deserve an equitable opportunity for learning,” says manager Gifty Amakye. She and the department’s staff believe all NAIT students have the right to spaces, tools and supports to ensure they can reach their full potential.
That is, they’re entitled to having barriers to learning removed.
To do that, Learning Services will work one-on-one with students to assess needs, devise strategies and help with implementation or accommodations.
“For some people, that is ensuring that they have extra time for exams or it could be using technology,” says Amakye. Solutions are tailored to each student’s circumstances.
Have questions? Make an appointment to speak with an adviser on Main Campus or drop-in at E105 Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Dept. of Reclaiming Space: Nîsôhkamâtotân Centre
The doors of the Nîsôhkamâtotân Centre are open to anyone who wants to participate in and celebrate First Nations, Métis and Inuit culture. For Indigenous students, it’s “somewhere on campus that they can go and feel safe, represented and heard,” says centre manager Camille Louis. A knowledge keeper is frequently on site for conversation and consultation.
The centre is also an active partner in the educational experience, providing resources and programming – including Indigenous Student Orientation – and connecting students with additional supports as needed.
Outside the centre, staff members seek to have an impact in NAIT classrooms, fostering acknowledgment and inclusion of traditional ways of knowing, and creating conditions where students feel empowered to fully take part and “use their voice,” says Louis. “It’s about reclaiming space.”
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Dept. of All Kinds of Healthy: Counselling
The NAIT Counselling team of regulated mental-health professionals aims to create a safe space for students to share their feelings, says acting student counselling and mental-health lead Juliet Seade.
“Life is already stressful – now they’re adding school,” she says.
She invites students to book free and confidential appointments to come and talk things through, or drop in at W111PB if it’s urgent. There’s no need to wait for pressures to mount, Seade adds. “If a student is thinking, ‘Is this issue too small? Do I really need to bring it forward?’ Book an appointment – no issue is too small.”
Mental-wellness support is also available through Greenshield+. The online platform complements on-campus services with three free hours of 24/7 assistance. Appointments take place by video or phone.
To Seade, making use of the resources is just a practical, healthy approach to the school year. “When people feel heard and supported, then they're able to do well.”
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Dept. of Connection: Centre for Community and Belonging
Daley Laing wants all students to know that “your story is welcome across NAIT.” The polytechnic hosts diverse backgrounds and identities. The Centre for Community and Belonging, which Laing manages, seeks to reflect that.
Located on Main Campus, the centre is a place for students to gather to explore and celebrate those stories.
“Belonging isn't everyone being the same,” says Laing. “Belonging is, How do we find connection across difference?”
That means learning about one another, participating in events, and sometimes being directed toward other relevant NAIT services. In some cases, it may also mean consulting a gender-based violence specialist, who can take a disclosure at the centre.
Overall, the aim is to foster a feeling of inclusion, and to show people how they can do that at NAIT and elsewhere.
“It’s a key skill in any industry, in any workplace, and in life,” says Laing.
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Dept. of Getting Stuff Done: Library Services
What can’t the NAIT Library do? To sum it up, director Carmen Reems says her team “supports the student journey by helping to ensure that all students, regardless of background or experience, have the foundation they need to succeed.”
In addition to supplying learners with good old-fashioned books, that includes providing:
- loanable technology such as laptops, webcams, 3D printers, cameras and microphones
- learning supports, including tutoring at NAIT’s Writing Center
- bookable quiet solo study areas, audiovisual booths for content creation, and collaboration rooms
- access to a makerspace featuring 3D printers, a laser engraver, vinyl cutters, a water-jet cutter, CNC mills and more
- all manner of course materials
- photo and portfolio printing, report binding, scanning and other project-finishing services
- research and citation support from specialized subject librarians
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Dept. of Feeling at Home: International and Intercultural Community Centre
Heather Nally views the International and Intercultural Community Centre (IICC) “as a safe landing pad for international students … that can allow for empowerment and further engagement and success throughout their studies at NAIT,” says the director of International Student Experience.
The IICC offers programming and events to support students’ transitions, build community and create a sense of belonging.
Staff also meet with students individually and through workshops to support them with issues related to education, immigration and settlement. The office even features a student lounge.
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Dept. of Movement: Campus Recreation
Looking to connect, have fun and take a break from the demands of classes and coursework? Campus Recreation has something for everyone!
“Campus Recreation is about so much more than physical activity,” says recreation coordinator Sandy Babiuk. “Our goal is to create experiences and connections that contribute to students’ overall well-being. We want them to find opportunities to move, connect and belong.”
Programming includes fitness classes, intramurals, esports, outdoor events, learn-to programs, social activities and more. They're designed for participants of all skill levels.
So, take a moment to put down the books and and connect with the NAIT community through Campus Recreation.
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At NAIT, we honour and acknowledge that the land on which we learn, work and live is Treaty Six territory. We seek to learn from history and the lessons that have come before us, and to draw on the wisdom of the First Peoples in Canada. Only through learning can we move forward in truth and reconciliation, and to a better future together. Read more
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