FNUC decides not to opt out

Despite having commissioned a report on "the pros and cons of membership" in the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) on April 27, the board of directors of the First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) decided they will not go it alone.

The decision was revealed during the spring legislative assembly of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) in Prince Albert on May 30. The AUCC had imposed a June 14 deadline on FNUC to provide proof that reforms recommended by a task force last year would be implemented.

The report commissioned by the board was leaked to the media days before the start of the legislative session and caused a storm of controversy since it looked like the board was looking for a way to not have to follow the AUCC's rules.

But if FNUC had pulled out, it would have risked seeing its funding and academic prestige reduced dramatically. Saskatchewan Advanced Education Minister Pat Atkinson said funding might be cut if the school was not recognized by AUCC. And degrees granted by FNUC would be downgraded if the school was not a member of the organization.

Once the contents of the report, compiled by Little Pine First Nation researcher Dr. Shauneen Peete, were made public, the AUCC issued a press release taking issue with several of the assertions made in the report.

"AUCC ... wishes to set the public record straight with respect to the report's misrepresentation of the association's interest in Aboriginal higher education issues," the release stated.

The report's contention that there is a complete lack of mention of topics associated with advocacy for Aboriginal/First Nations/Indigenous issues in higher education by AUCC was dismissed as "categorically false."

"In 2002, AUCC released a background paper on Aboriginal access to education and later the same year developed an action plan for the association as part of the federal government's Innovation Strategy consultations. The action plan included a recognition of the importance of enhancing participation of Aboriginal students in higher education," the report stated.

AUCC added that it had submitted a brief to the House of the Commons Standing Committee on Finance in 2005 that called for "enhanced student financial aid targeted to Aboriginal students in order to provide the student outreach and support services that are necessary to significantly increase the participation and attainment rates of Aboriginal Canadians."

Several university employees were fired and many others left in protest of what was called political interference in the administration of FNUC early in 2005. A task force was struck which recommended sweeping changes to the university's governance and to the make up of the 32-person board, which was seen as too large and made up of too many politicians.

On May 30, FSIN Vice-chief Morley Watson revealed that the board would be reduced to 19 members. Watson will continue on as chair of the board but won't have a vote in board decisions unless his vote is needed to break a tie.