Grand opening of the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre. Photo courtesy @usask on Twitter
The president of the University of Saskatchewan says the new Aboriginal student centre on campus will open the doors to First Nations culture and students.
The Gordon Oakes Red Bear Aboriginal Student Centre held its official grand opening on Wednesday in Saskatoon. The student centre is designed by Douglas Cardinal, who previously designed the First Nations University in Regina and the Canadian Museum of Natural History in Gatineau, Quebec.
U of S President Peter Stoicheff says the grand opening of the student centre is a great moment for the campus and Aboriginal students alike.
“It’s a sign of respect for Aboriginal people and a sign of the university’s commitment to being the best place for Aboriginal people and their communities in the future,” says Stoicheff.
“In the fall, the U of S committed to working together (with other post-secondary institutions) to close the education gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people,” says Stoicheff. “The life of this centre will be one of our main ways of doing this.”
Students union president Jack Saddleback says the student centre is a fantastic move in the right direction for Aboriginal students.
“I think that this is the most heartwarming thing to see; that the student body as a whole wants to see this happen,” says Saddleback, a member of the Samson Cree Nation.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde says the students centre is reconciliation in action.
“We’ve heard the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commision — 94 calls to action,” he says. “This building — and I’ll lift up the University of Saskatchewan for not merely talking about it, but actually doing something — and this is what this signifies.”
Wednesday’s grand opening brought in several dignitaries and First Nation leaders, many of whom expressed their delight in seeing the student centre officially open its doors.