Malaspina University College welcomes newcomers

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Resident Eder Ellen White raised her hands in a blessing and in thanks to the dancers who had entertained at the feast. "It's so beautiful when you see what the old people left behind," she told the students and instructors who had gathered in the room.

"Never forget them. This is our teaching here and you have similar traditions. You can go back home and say, 'I have seen that-and we are all similar' and that is so great."

After the blessing, approximately 300 people who had gathered for the feast heaped their plates with the food so generously provided by the third-year students in Malaspina University College's First Nations program. The Sept. 19 welcome was for the new students who had entered the program this fall and was an all-out invitation to become members of the family.

The family aspect of the First Nation's program at Nanaimo's Malaspina University College is just one of the things that it unique, said program chair Allyson Anderson; another is that the program is for and about Aboriginal people.

"There are other programs in Native studies offered in Canada," Anderson said. "However, I believe that Malaspina is unique in that we have almost a full complement of Aboriginal faculty, and the way we run our program is different from a regular university program."

Rather than choosing from a list of courses, first-year students enter the Arts 1 program, which consists of three courses that are taught by a team of three instructors who, along with the students, form a learning community. Students and instructors stay together throughout the year and form a close bond.

"I only lecture once or twice a month," Anderson said. "The rest of the time I get to be a learner and students get to be instructors. We all learn from each other-that's what is meant by the "Spirit of Learning Community."

The program enjoys a high success rate, Anderson said, with many students going on to higher education or to fulfilling careers. This year's program is at full capacity for enrolment.

Anderson said that, in her opinion, the resident Elder component of the First Nations program is its most valuable asset.

"We employ Elders to come in and teach and lecture and do seminars and talk to students. There's value in the old traditions and stories but it's more than that - they anchor this department. They provide the even keel. If you've had a bad day you can always go to the Elders-they're always there. They put everything in perspective."

Roberta Wildman, a first-year student, said that the stories she was hearing from the Elders were having a profound influence on her.

"It's making the pieces of the puzzle fit together," she said. "It's more than just the history here in this area, it's the history across Canada."

White believes it is essential for First Nations students to learn about their history and culture. And when she isn't teaching, she becomes their auntie or grandmother. "To be a resident Elder, I'm going to die happy because granny always said, 'Do not hold what you have-pass on what I'm teaching you or it would be a waste of time'."

White welcomed the students and faculty to the feast and offered up a prayer of thanksgiving. Snuneymuxw councillor Geraldine Manson also welcomed all those who had come to partake of the celebration and the abundant food.

New students and those who had graduated mingled and embraced each other. Those such as a graduate named Pudlidi were back to welcome beginning students to the family.

"I learned the importance of integrating the tradition of what we just saw with the academics," Pudlidi said.

"It's about the culture, and the culture can be academic. It's singing and dancing and family and community. The program gave me a different look at the values I put on my life. Education isn't just about reading and writing-it's about culture, the strength of the individual and the community. I definitely have a better sense of who I am."