Valedictorian brings studies to lif

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For the first time, the valedictory address at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College's convocation was delivered entirely in Cree by Vernon Floyd Dion Buffalo of the Samson band in Hobbema, Alberta.

The convocation ceremonies were held in Regina at the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts, where 71 students received their degrees and certificates from the college.

Dion has been a student at the SIFC since September, 1990, when he enrolled in the college's Cree Linguistics program.

He has a strong background in Cree - it was his first language and he didn't start learning English until he went to school at the age of seven.

Dion said he "got his feet wet: in linguistics at the University of Calgary where he was doing general studies and thinking about pursuing a career in law. However, he discovered the study of linguistics was "more up my alley."

Dion intends to stay at SIFC and complete his advanced Bachelor of Arts in linguistics next year.

"They have a program that is designed to suit the individual and they have better counselling services for students than I found at other places.

"The SIFC has adjusted itself to the students' needs and habits. They provide tutors and, because the people teaching here were selected for the courses they are instructing, you don't have to go far for answers."

Before studying at SIFC, Dion studied part-time at a local college, but he found that "it is tough to get an education when you are taking one course at a time. There are too many side attractions wwith night school or part-time studies. You can't concentrate because of the responsibilities of having a job and providing for your family.

"Full-time studies are the way to go."

Dion plans to continue on after he completes his advanced B.A. and take the newly developed Masters program in linguistics at SIFC.

According to linguistics department head Bent Galloway, "Language and culture are the two most important things for the college. Linguistics facilitates the teaching of language."

The new Masters program will give students a variety of classes in linguistics, the history of linguistics and curriculum design, and will allow students to concentrate on particular Indian languages.

Dion hopes to complete his Masters so he can teach Cree at the college or university level, a career for which Galloway said Dion has natural abilities.

"One day, I came into a class that I was teaching and Floyd was already doing a lecture on morphology (the structure of words) for the students.

"He's a good teacher, and he is also a self-starter who will do more than is asked

of him," Galloway said.

Still, there are many challenges involved in keeping Indian languages alive, said Dion.

"It is hard to keep the Cree language with all of the competition from television and other different media. We get impacts from all directions. And if you lose your language, you lost an important part of your culture, too."