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,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      status
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      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-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “
     
    
   
   
    
     
      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.