Essentials

To get involved in the world of clubs, you must log into OoksLife. All NAIT students, staff and alumni have an account tied to their NAIT account. The login process is as follows:

1. Go to ookslife.ca.
2. Select the “log in” button on the top right of the screen.
3. Log in using your NAIT credentials. Your username will be your NAIT email, and your password will be the same as the one you use for MyNAITPortal.
4. You might be asked to answer some additional questions if it is your first time logging in. Please complete the required questions to get started on OoksLife!

You’ll notice we refer to ookslife frequently. To understand what it is and how to navigate it easily, check out the “What is ookslife” section in the TRAINING Tab

Clubs are a great way to meet new people, explore your interests, and develop useful skills. It’s also a chance to enhance your resume and have enjoyable experiences beyond the classroom.

Our clubs have access to special privileges on campus and support to ensure their success.

NAITSA clubs are part of the few organizations that are allowed to sell to NAIT students on campus. Clubs are allowed to host events with food on campus, which is also an otherwise limited opportunity. In addition, NAITSA clubs are supported by us, Campus Clubs. We offer services such as: workshops, training, internal banking, space reservations, equipment bookings, grant funding, awards, and much more – exclusively for clubs!

1. Log into ookslife.ca.
2. Select the left hand navigation menu on the top left of the screen. A dropdown menu will appear.
3. Select “Organizations” from the dropdown menu.
4. You will end up on the list of “Organizations”. Organizations are any groups available on OoksLife. To narrow down the list to only student clubs, select the branch NAITSA Campus Clubs. Other branches list some organizations that are NAIT and NAITSA departments.,. You can learn more about any organization by clicking on them and reading their descriptions.
5. Pick a club you are interested in and select the “Join” button on their organization page. Please only do so on club organization pages.
6. Wait for approval from the club. Joining a club is not instant and can take a few days. Club members need to accept your request to join. When you are accepted, you will receive an email tied to your OoksLife account. If you are not accepted within your club of choice within 7 days, please reach out to askclubs@nait.ca and we will assist you.

Did you know? There is no limit to the number of clubs you can join as a regular member! It is completely up to you how many clubs you would like to join!

Simply involves logging into ookslife.

a. Access ookslife through your NAIT portal or ookslife.ca
b. Log in with your NAIT portal ID and password.
c. Click on your initial on the top right corner and then click the pencil icon. From there, make any necessary edits to your personal information.

You can officially begin creating the club once you have three current students to fill the executive roles: VP Operations, VP Finance, and President

1. Log into Ook Life (ooklife.ca)
2. Navigate to the Organizations tab on the left-hand side of your ookslife.ca page. You will see a button that says Register an Organization on the left side of the page underneath the search options
3. Click on Register an organization will start your club registration process. (Important to pick NAITSA Campus Clubs as the branch) (If you are a returning club, use the Re-Register Existing during limited time frames).

When first starting a club, people are invited to a role (type their NAIT e-mail address). Once the registration is approved, please check in with your executive that they have accepted their invite. A clear indication is that they appear visible as officers on the club page.

What to consider when registering:

• Clubs may not be started for the purpose of using resources to complete class initiatives or projects, nor may existing clubs use resources in this manner.
• Multiple clubs that have the exact same purpose are not approved. Check the organization listing first to see if there’s already an existing club
• Students can have membership in multiple clubs, however, they may only hold an executive position for a maximum of two clubs

• Student Council (Fixed Year) are program-based clubs whose membership is limited to specific graduating years.
• Student Council (Combined Years) are program-based clubs that have membership composed of first, second, third, and fourth year students.

• Interest Clubs offer a variety of activities. These clubs can be based on any recreational activity, culture, religion, or other category.
• Academic Interest Clubs are clubs whose activities rely on their membership having a particular academic background. These clubs do not limit their membership to students of any one program.
• Chapter Organizations are the on-campus club for their established not-for-profit parent organization.
  Interest, Academic Interest, and Chapter Organization clubs all have open membership – any student at NAIT can join them.
• Student Council clubs (both Combined and Fixed Year) have limited memberships – they can only be joined by students of specific academic programs. These clubs primarily focus on creating initiatives to enhance their program experience and to fundraise towards their graduation celebration.

Clubs cannot limit their membership based on age, race, religion, ability, social status, gender, or sexual orientation.

Campus Clubs has 34 lockers available for clubs to rent for a period of one year. This year’s term begins May 4, 2024 and ends May 4, 2025. Lockers must be vacated before the rental end date.

To request a club locker, clubs must complete the Club Locker Rental Request Form on Ooks Life. Lockers are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis and are non-transferable. Only club resources can be stored inside a locker, not personal belongings.

Each locker rental requires payment of a $25.00 refundable deposit. Deposits can be paid by submitting a purchase request on Ooks Life. Cash deposits are not accepted. If a locker is deemed excessively dirty or damaged when vacated, Campus Clubs reserves the right to not refund the club’s deposit.

To renew a club locker, the club requests that their locker rental be renewed for a period of one successive year by submitting the Club Locker Rental Renewal Form. This form is available on Ooks Life for a limited time (May 3-15 of the current year) to allow Campus Clubs to reset all lockers for the next rental term.

Each club can pick up their mail from the Campus Clubs (O108) front desk. Clubs should check in regularly to receive cheque payments and external mail. Please use the following address to direct your club mail:

NAITSA c/o “Your Club Name”
11762 106 Street, Room O108
Edmonton, AB, T5G 3H4

Bring personal ID to verify your identity.

1. Clubs must demonstrate clearly that they are of benefit to the student body and actively generate interest in the student body.
2. All clubs must host at least one activity or meeting per semester to retain active status. This also determines whether club executives receive recognition on the Involvement Record. Activity must be logged on Ooksife.ca no later than Nov 5 for the first semester and March 5 for the second semester.
   1. Both off and on campus activities are to be registered on the Ooks Life platform. For external activities and soliciting seek the proper channels of permission to be on another campus or public venue, especially for recruitment and/or promotional purposes.
3. A club will be placed in a frozen state on Ooks Life if they do not register events on ookslife.ca
4. Club membership must be made up of over 50% current NAIT students, the remainder can consist of NAIT Staff/Alumni.
5. Any recruitment must be done in a non-aggressive fashion.
6. While holding onto their beliefs, clubs must show respect for all others who may have differing opinions.
7. All clubs must follow NAIT and NAITSA policies/procedures, federal, provincial, and municipal law.
8. All clubs are student driven. Sharing of information between students and advisors is encouraged to support and maintain continuity from year to year.
9. Approved clubs are considered a sanctioned club and begin with “Good Standing” designation. This provides clubs access to the many services NAITSA offers.
10. If a club does not follow the Club Policy they are placed in “Bad Standing,” pending the severity of conduct they may be de-ratified (no longer a club). Privileges and services are denied to clubs in Bad Standing.
11. If a club notices damaged or missing NAIT or NAITSA property, inform Campus Clubs.
12. Clubs are not agents or representatives of NAITSA, have no authority to act on behalf of NAITSA, and their views and actions in no way represent NAITSA.
13. Students cannot create and/or run a business under their club. All business ventures must occur externally.
14. Clubs will not use the NAITSA logo without prior permission.
15. Pub crawls are not an approved fundraising option for clubs. Pub crawls pose far too great a risk for NAIT or NAITSA to approve, and have the potential to impact students beyond their time at NAIT. This issue has been researched thoroughly and NAITSA has concluded the limitation is non-negotiable for clubs.
16. All Club Executives must be current NAIT students (enrolled in at least one class).

1. Club finances must be completed in conjunction with Campus Clubs (O108) using the Ooks Life platform. The use of external banking institutions is prohibited. E-transfers can only be used to send direct deposits to NAITSA. Do not use your personal bank account to store club funds or reimburse students.
2. All clubs shall be non-profit and cannot pay salaries or other stipends to any of its executive officers or members.
3. Any invoices must be in the club or students’ name, not NAITSA. Your club name may appear after NAITSA or listed in the memo area.
4. All cheques to be deposited are to be made payable to “NAITSA”.
5. As a signing authority, executives will take responsibility to ensure all club funds are spent appropriately.
6. If a club executive does not follow the Club Policy, and pending the severity of conduct, they could be removed from their position.

Good standing is a status bestowed to a club that follows the policies set out by NAITSA to ensure appropriate conduct/operations; it also protects the clubs and NAITSA as an organization. Clubs in good standing are eligible for full services provided.

A sanctioned club maintains its good standing through the following actions:

1. Register the club through Ooks Life.
2. Keep Campus Clubs informed of any changes within the club. Maintain an up-to-date organization roster on Ooks Life.
3. A minimum of one activity per semester submitted on Ooks Life in order to keep Campus Clubs informed and retain active page on ookslife.ca. I. All club events and activities are to be submitted through ookslife.ca. In return, executive involvement is recognized on the Involvement Record
4. Follow NAITSA policies in event planning and implementation.
5. Follow poster and advertisement policies.
6. Practice risk management strategies.
7. Follow club finance policy.
8. Act as a NAIT ambassador and in the best interest of the NAIT community.

Disobeying procedures means a loss of privileges and possible disbanding of the club. Any of the following are cause for bad standing:

1. Violation of any procedures indicated in the club handbook.
2. Abuse of any NAITSA services or privileges (poster board, meeting spaces, equipment, etc).
3. Not having at least one activity or meeting per semester submitted on Ooks Life.
4. Repeated failure to submit an Event Finance Summary within two weeks of holding a fundraiser (bar nights at external businesses may be granted extended time).
5. Not abiding by the club profile as sanctioned by NAITSA.
6. Holding prohibited events and those not approved through Campus Clubs (ie. pub crawls).
7. Having an incomplete roster of signing authorities. (One or more of the following positions are vacant: VP Operations, VP Finance, President).
8. Use of external banking institutions for club finances.
9. Failure to repay outstanding loans.
10. Failure to replace or repair equipment damaged by club.
11. Rude conduct, harassment, or bullying.
12. Bad attitudes and/or sense of entitlement.
13. Major issues during an “Event with AlcoholType 2” including but not limited to: high number of over-intoxicated patrons or shutdown of an “Event with Alcohol Type 2”. Negative reports from Protective Services may also result in immediate suspension of future “Events with Alcohol Type 2”.
14. Removal of student club status for repeated non-compliance or one serious offense. This may result in the club being disbanded, and funds frozen. Reinstatement of a club will be assessed on an individual basis.
15. Lack of financial transparency.

Campus Clubs has the power to place a club in bad standing through detection of violations.

The Senate or Executive Council also has the power to place a club in bad standing by a simple majority vote if the club has acted in conflict with the Club Policy, and federal, provincial, or municipal laws.
If a club executive/member or a club is considered to be in non-compliance or in violation of processes laid out in the handbook for clubs, penalties can be assessed. Penalties may include, but are not limited to:

• Forfeiture of equipment loans.
• Loss of funding opportunities.
• Suspension of on-campus privileges.
• Club executive removal.

A warning of bad standing or de-ratification shall be presented to the club executive. Upon receiving such notice, the club will be permitted an opportunity to correct the violation or appeal to the NAITSA VP Internal. If the club is not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, the club may then request a hearing before the NAITSA Senate. If the decision relates to safety and the security of students or AGLC regulations, it may not be appealed. One speaker will be permitted to speak for each side to present their case.

Grounds for an appeal are as follows:

• The decision was unreasonable in light of evidence presented.
• The penalty was unreasonable in light of the circumstances.
• There was a lack of procedural fairness.

Your club will be deemed inactive after:

1. 12 months without any club-hosted activities.
2. 12 months without an up-to-date executive team. After twelve months of inactivity any unclaimed or unspent club funds will be forfeited to NAITSA. If you would like to voluntarily disband your club, email Campus Clubs Manager (roseb@nait.ca).

For more information, reference “Year End Administration” in the Finance chapter of this handbook.