Page 15 November 2008

NATIONAL

UPEI Cadre

Saskatchewan dishes out $2M to save First Nations University

Government bailout to deal with ‘acute financial situation,’ Students’ Union says it’s not enough

By Wendy Gillis (CUP)

SASKATOON (CUP) — As a student at the First Na- tions University of Canada, Thomas Roussin is worried about more than papers and exams — he’s afraid of los- ing the very institution many have worked so hard to es- tablish.

“There is a fear in the whole community there,” said Roussin, VP of communica- tion for First Nations Uni- versity of Canada Students' Association.

“The persistence of all the people who have worked for this could be wasted. We fear the loss of our profes-

sors — who are like rock stars .

in their fields — due to cutbacks.”

First Nations University, which is located on three campuses in Saskatchewan and based out of Regina, attained university in 2003, changing its name from Saskatchewan Indian Federated College. _ Since then, it has encoun- tered many severe financial and administrative difficul- ties, all of them jeopardizing the academic pursuits of the students.

In 2005, several univer- sity officials were fired or resigned following an audit of the school’s financial re- cords, which were thrown into question when two em- ployees were accused of de- frauding the university. Janet Kurtz, a former ac- counting officer, and Wes Stevenson, a former vice- president of administration,

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are charged with defrauding the university of more than $5,000 each.

In 2007, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada put First Nations University on probation after it alleged there was political interference by the Federa- tion of Saskatchewan Indian Nations — a body represent- ing the First Nations groups in the province.

The probation has since been revoked.

Its most recent financial problem was revealed last month when the university announced it had a deficit of more than $1 million.

The university has been seeking aid from both pro- vincial and federal govern- ments since its first deficit in 2005. This year, the fed- eral government withdrew

First Nations University of Canada press conference. Matt Yim - The Carillon

$550,000 of its annual fund- ing to the university.

Because of the ongoing financial difficulties, the provincial government an- nounced this month they will provide just under $2 million to the university.

“We were alerted at a meet- ing, in late July, that they were in an acute financial situation, and were ap- proaching dire straits,” said Rob Norris, Saskatchewan’s minister for advanced edu- cation, in an interview last week.

“We decided that, in the in- terest of assuring students’ success, and in closing the education gap in this prov- ince, we needed to provide some relief.”

Norris says $1.1 million will go towards helping the university pay for a collec-

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tive bargaining agreement with its faculty from 2005 to present.

Another $500,000 will go towards operating costs — money that will only be re- ceived on a “conditional and incremental” basis.

“There will be a series of thresholds to overcome,” said Norris.

Those include having an advisory committee com- prised of several government and university players, and conducting an external op- erational review, which will cost about $400,000.

There will also be external consultation through gov- ernment and university ad- ministration, Norris says, adding that all this is to help ensure the money will be well spent.

For Roussin, the provincial

government’s aid comes as a relief, but he says it won’t help him relax about the uni- versity’s future, its students’ futures.

“This is such a great place, and it’s a miracle that many of us have made it to univer- sity,” he said.

“This money is good, it will help keep the university go- ing, but it’s been a long time coming and it’s not enough,” he said.

Roussin .claims. other First Nations universities in Cana- da have been neglected, and they need more attention, not only from government, but from the public in general.

“Tt seems like this money is just patching up the situa- tion, but it’s not covering up the wound. There is a hole that needs to be filled under there,” he said.