U of R Profs Set To Join Camp-out At FNUC
Friday, March 26, 2010 at 15:17
University of Regina professors say they will be joining a “live-in” at the First Nations University of Canada next week.
U of R faculty will be sleeping over at the FNUC’s Regina campus Monday evening in an effort to sway the federal government to restore 7.2 million dollars in funding to the university.
FNUC officials say if funding is not restored by next Friday, the university will close.
The U of R professors say they want to provide a symbolic and tangible show of support to FNUC students in their fight for their school.
The students began camping out at FNUC campuses in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert last week, saying they will stay there until Ottawa changes its mind.
It appears the federal government is starting to receive international criticism for its decision to pull funding from the First Nations University of Canada.
Edward Doolittle, an associate professor of mathematics at the FNUC, says letters from concerned academics in other countries are starting to pour in.
According to Doolitte, messages have come in from Sweden, Ireland, England and Germany.
Soren Holm is the general secretary for the Swedish Teachers Union.
In a letter, Holm says the decision to end funding “seems to be inconsistent with internationally recognized obligations with respect to the rights of Indigenous peoples.”
Another academic, Paul Bennett, the senior national official of the university and college union in the United Kingdom, says — quote — “We are astonished that the Federal Government announced it was cutting its $7.2-million dollar annual grant to the University as of March 31st, 2010, apparently with no prior warning and
without taking account of the positive changes made at the University.”
FNUC chief operating officer Del Anoquod says the school is grateful for the support and believes Canada’s international reputation will be devastated if the funding is not reinstated.
Meanwhile, a former northern Saskatchewan chief says he wishes the federal government would look to the past before deciding on the future of the First Nations University of Canada.
Former Prince Albert Grand Council chief Gary Merasty says it was just ten years ago that the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority was digging itself out of a similar situation to the FNUC.
Money was mishandled at SIGA, prompting lengthy investigations.
Merasty says the organization pulled through after all the stakeholders sat down and got on the same page.
He says the same effort is underway at the FNUC and the federal government needs to recognize that.
Merasty admits the problems at the FNUC were left unchecked for too long, but he says Ottawa needs to look at the progress being made before it pulls the plug.