U
      of
      A
      Wants
      More
      Native
      Students
     
     
      by
      Matthew
      Lawrence
      y
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Edmonton
      (CUP)--
      The
      University
      of
      Alberta
      has
      adopted
      a
      new
     
     
      policy
      to
      increase
      aboriginal
      student
      participation
      and
      increase
     
     
      the
      level
      of
      awareness
      of
      native
      culture
      on
      campus.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Natives
      make
      up
      about
      5
      per
      cent
      of
      Alberta’s
      population,
      but
     
     
      there
      are
      only
      129
      native
      students
      out
      of
      the
      U
      of
      A’s
      30,000
     
     
      students,
      said
      Dexter
      Young,
      past
      president
      of
      the
      Aboriginal
     
     
      Students
      council.
      That’s
      less
      than
      one
      half
      of
      one
      per
      cent.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "We
      see
      no
      parity
      there,
      so
      our
      overall
      goal
      in
      the
      policy
      will
      be
     
     
      to
      reach
      that
      parity
      be
      the
      turn
      of
      the
      century.
      we’re
      expecting
     
     
      a
      ten-fold
      increase
      in
      the
      number
      of
      native
      students,"
      Young
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      new
      policy--which
      becomes
      part
      of
      the
      university’s
     
     
      constitution--will
      expand
      and
      improve
      a
      year-long
      program
      offered
     
     
      to
      natives
      who
      want
      to
      enter
      the
      university.
      It
      also
      calls
      for
      a
     
     
      native
      student
      centre
      that
      would
      provide
      tutoring,
      counseling.
      p
      and
     
     
      a
      community
      outreach
      program.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Reinhild
      Boehm,
      director
      of
      native
      student
      services,
      said
     
     
      increasing
      native
      student
      enrolment
      is
      important,
      especially
      since
     
     
      the
      U
      of
      A
      increased
      its
      entrance.
      requirements.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      stricter
      guidelines
      will
      make
      it
      more
      difficult
      for
      anybody
      to
     
     
      get
      into
      university,
      Boehm
      said,
      but
      it
      will
      make
      it
      especially
      hard
     
     
      for
      natives.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      According
      to
      the
      1986
      census,
      only
      five
      per
      cent
      of
      natives
     
     
      graduate
      for
      high
      school,
      making
      strict
      admission
      requirements
      a
     
     
      barrier.
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "(The
      university)
      went
      from
      a
      65
      to
      a
      70
      per
      cent
      entrance
     
    
   
   
    
     
      requirement,"
      Boehm
      said.
      "Because
      of
      this
      tightening,
      we
      have
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      seen
      a
      drop
      in
      native
      students."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      way
      the
      university
      can
      ensure
      an
      increase
      in
      native
     
     
      participation
      is
      through
      the
      use
      of
      quotas,
      he
      said.
      Quotas
      are
     
     
      not
      mentioned
      in
      the
      policy,
      but
      it
      does
      state
      the
      university
     
     
      should
      "improve
      access
      to
      all
      faculties.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "The
      U
      of
      A
      is
      going
      to
      a
      quota
      system
      in
      arts
      and
      sciences
      next
     
    
   
   
    
     
      year
      and
      I
      think
      it’s
      important
      that
      there
      are
      some
      places
      set
     
     
      aside
      for
      native
      students,"
      Boehm
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Young,
      who
      sat
      on
      the
      committee
      that
      drafted
      the
      policy,
      said
     
     
      quotas
      should
      be
      used
      in
      all
      faculties.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "We
      would
      like
      to
      see
      all
      faculties
      open
      their
      doors
      by
      keeping
     
     
      some
      seats
      open
      for
      native
      students."
      Native
      students
      would
      still
     
     
      have
      to
      fulfil
      the
      same
      entrance
      requirements
      as
      other
      students,
     
     
      he
      said.
      Young
      said
      he
      is
      pleased
      the
      policy
      is
      now
      part
      of
      the
     
     
      U
      of
      A’s
      constitution.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "In
      other
      universities
      there
      are
      native
      studies
      programs,
      but
      none
     
     
      that
      are
      incorporated
      into
      the
      constitution.
      I
      think
      of
      it
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
      constitutional
      protection
      because
      the
      university
      is
      obliged
      to
      fulfil
      _
     
    
   
   
    
     
      its
      commitment
      to
      native
      studies."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      native
      student
      centre
      is
      also
      a
      necessary
      addition
      to
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      university,
      Boehm
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "The
      aboriginal
      student
      centre
      would
      have
      a
      cultural
      focus
      and
     
     
      be
      a
      living
      link
      between
      the
      community
      and
      the
      university.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Universities
      have
      a
      habit
      of
      housing
      beautiful
      artifacts
      of
      native
     
     
      culture,
      but
      they’ve
      been
      sitting
      in
      the
      basement
      for
      the
      past
      10
     
     
      years
      in
      really
      cramped
      corners,"
      he
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Boehm
      said
      an
      increase
      in
      the
      native
      student
      population
      benefits
     
     
      the
      whole
      community.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "I
      think
      it’s
      important
      to
      recognize
      that
      the
      presence
      of
      native
     
     
      students
      on
      campus
      heightens
      the
      awareness
      of
      native
      issues,
      so
     
     
      it’s
      not
      just
      a
      one-way
      route
      because
      it’s
      good
      for
      native
      people
     
     
      and
      it’s
      also
      good
      for:
      campus
      to
      have
      more
      native
      people
     
     
      participate.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      committee
      made
      up
      of
      faculty
      and
      aboriginal
      groups
     
     
      participated
      in
      the
      development
      of
      the
      policy.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Council
      Committee
      Convicts
      Student
      For
      Slurs
     
     
      (Source:
      The
      Queen’s
      Journal,
      Queen’s
      University)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kingston
      (CUP)--A
      man
      accused
      of
      leaving
      racist
      comments
      on
     
     
      another
      student’s
      answering
      machine
      was
      found
      guilty
      by
      a
     
     
      student
      council
      judicial
      committee
      Oct.
      31.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Neil
      Myers,
      a
      third-year
      commerce
      student,
      pleaded
      guilty
      to
     
     
      charges
      that
      he
      left
      intimidating
      messages
      on
      the
      answering
     
    
   
   
    
     
      machine
      of
      Atif
      Ghani
      in
      September.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      incident
      took
      place
      after
      Ghani.
      told
      Myers
      that
      he
      could
      not
     
     
      be
      a
      floor
      senior
      in
      a
      residence
      because
      he
      had
      not
      attended
      a
     
     
      training
      session.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      committee
      directed
      ‘Myers
      to:
      write
      letters
      of
      apology
      to
     
     
      Ghani
      and
      the
      community;
      to
      pay
      a
      fine
      of
      $100,
      which
      will
      go
     
     
      to
      the
      Islamic
      Society
      of
      Kingston;
      to
      volunteer
      35
      hours
      of
     
     
      community
      services;
      and
      to
      post
      a
      $300
      bond.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      They
      also
      recommended
      to
      the
      director
      of
      residences
      that
      Myers
     
     
      be
      transferred
      from
      residence.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Although
      Ghani
      _
      said
      he
      was.
      slightly.
      disappointed
      with
      the
     
     
      sanctions,
      he
      approved
      of
      the
      message
      the
      judicial
      committee
      was
     
     
      trying
      to
      send
      out.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Ideally,
      we
      would
      have
      liked
      expulsion
      from
      residence,
      but
      the
     
     
      committee
      did
      send
      a
      message
      that
      racism
      is
      not
      tolerable,”
      he
     
     
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ghani
      said
      the
      outcome
      proved
      that
      the
      student
      non-academic
     
     
      discipline
      system
      works.
      Myers
      did
      not
      wish
      to
      comment
      on
      the
     
     
      sanctions.
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “November
      22,1990
      >
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      7