Canadian Association of University Teachers

 
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Saskatchewan government must ensure smooth transition for FNUniv students and staff

(February 4, 2010) CAUT is urging Saskatchewan’s Advanced Education Minister Rob Norris to ensure that students, faculty and staff from the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) can easily transition into the province’s other post-secondary institutions.

The call, made by CAUT in a letter to Norris sent this week, comes in the wake of news that the provincial government is no longer willing to fund the FNUniv because of governance problems that have plagued the institution for years.

CAUT, staff and students have long called on the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), the governing body for the university, to resolve those problems by implementing recommendations made by its own All-Chiefs’ Task Force in November 2005, – a  move the FSIN has refused to make.

The province’s decision has left the university’s future, and that of its students, faculty and staff, in limbo.

“The Saskatchewan government has a responsibility to ensure that other post-secondary institutions make room for both the students and the staff being affected,” said CAUT executive director James Turk.

“There have been commitments made to students about their programs, but nothing has been said about the faculty and staff who have spent the past five years trying to ensure a good educational experience for the students despite the troubles caused by the University’s administration and board,” he said. 

“To allow these dedicated educators to be tossed aside is both immoral and the loss of a valuable educational resource,” Turk added.

CAUT has asked for an opportunity to meet with the minister to discuss next steps.