Those who do not want to see Saskatchewan's embattled First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) close have taken political action to try to stop threatened funding cuts.
University president Shauneen Pete announced May 3 the school’s Saskatoon campus would close Aug. 31 and be put up for sale to cut costs, the latest in a series of crippling cuts.
“I think that (students') biggest worry is that the school will close completely,” said Edward Doolittle, an associate professor of mathematics at FNUC.
Earlier this year, the university suffered a major blow when the federal and provincial governments announced they were withdrawing more than $12 million in funding. There will also be cutbacks in staff and faculty at the school’s three campuses, Pete announced.
If an agreement for funding cannot be made soon, the university risks shutting down altogether, various media outlets have reported.
So far, the provincial government has reinstated its $5.2 million of the funding portion. The federal government, however, has only committed a one-time injection of $3 million through the Indian Studies Support Program (ISSP).
The government invited FNUC to apply for the remaining $4.2 million in April, according to a release by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. That application is still being reviewed by Indian and Northern Affairs.
In response to this, many affected by the cuts have taken action. As students and faculty are most directly affected by the cutbacks, they have taken on many projects to spread the message that the school needs help.
One of the ways they are doing this is through Fund First Nations University Now!, a WordPress blog which encourages people to lobby political leaders in support of FNUC.The blog is run by Doolittle, who said the blog has been getting a steady number of hits each day. A student-created YouTube video has helped increase the blog’s popularity.
Other groups that have shown their support for the university include the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), Intercultural Grandmothers Uniting (IGU), and professors from the University of Regina (U of R), which has oversight over FNUC.
What students are doing offline has also had an effect, said Doolittle.“Students have been highly active in this whole crisis. . . . They were very politically active at the beginning,” Doolittle said.
Thanks to the blog, he said, many letters have been written to members of the government, including Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Chuck Strahl.
To protest the closing of the Saskatoon campus, many of its 200 students have participated in live-ins at the school. They have also organized events including plays and a free barbeque to draw attention to the issue.
The First Nations Solidarity Walk, for which students marched the 235 kilometres from Saskatoon to Regina, also helped send the message that students wish to see action, Doolittle said.