网曝吃瓜

网曝吃瓜 is proudly located on Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral territory of the Mi鈥檏maq People is the territorial recognition that appears with increasing frequency on 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 campus and in its communications with stakeholders.

In 2015, Canada鈥檚 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report issued a challenge to Canadian universities to make themselves more accessible to indigenous students and to find new ways engage more directly with First Nations communities. On March 6, 2018, 网曝吃瓜 President Dr. Peter Ricketts released 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 decolonization strategy, opening new doors for indigenous students and scholars and new opportunities for collaboration with neigbouring Mi鈥檏maq communities and their leaders.

The strategy released by Ricketts follows recommendation made by the President鈥檚 Advisory Council (PAC) on Decolonization which was created by former 网曝吃瓜 President Ray Ivany in 2016.  The Council included faculty, staff, and students from 网曝吃瓜, as well as community members drawn from Nova Scotia鈥檚 Mi鈥檏maq communities. Chaired by Dean of Arts Dr. Jeff Hennessy and Aboriginal Student Advisor Dr. Donna Hurlburt, the Council submitted its final report in December 2017 and produced a handbook entitled Working with Indigenous Peoples at 网曝吃瓜 鈥� Handbook and Protocols which has proven to be a valuable tool to increase understanding of Indigenous cultures and knowledge on campus. It contains important information about protocols, services, and Indigenous student and community supports on campus.

The Council鈥檚 final report contained 15 short, medium, and long term actionable recommendations which Ricketts accepted either completely or their intent and direction.

鈥淚 want to commend the PAC for bringing forward recommendations that both respond directly to the TRC and reflect 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 commitment to inclusiveness and community engagement.鈥� said Ricketts. 鈥淯niversities in Canada have a unique opportunity to build the bridges necessary to transform the way Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities work together to respond to our common challenges. 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 goal is to improve the level of support we provide to Indigenous students, broaden cultural understanding across campus and within academic disciplines, and deepen our already strong connection to neighbouring First Nations communities.鈥�

The PAC recommendations include short-term actions that will be implemented almost immediately to longer term actions that will require changes to curriculum and Board and Senate governance. They are summarized below.

1. Community Engagement: A community engagement plan will be developed to establish meaningful dialogue with neighbouring First Nations communities, Province-wide organizations representing Indigenous Peoples, 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 Indigenous students. This will be led by the PAC and will include a survey to gather data on current campus practices and levels of knowledge and engagement.
2. President鈥檚 Advisory Council: The current PAC will be replaced by a permanent formal body comprised of internal and external members. Before the current PAC is dissolved, it will create terms of reference for the new body similar to those that govern the role and function of Aboriginal Education Councils that are commonly found on many university campuses across Canada.
3. Environmental Scan: Related to the first two recommendations, the PAC will complete an environmental scan of current student support, programming and facilities to determine the priorities and goals of decolonization at 网曝吃瓜. It will also survey the initiatives and resources at other universities both in the region and nationally.
4. Indigenous Student Support: The PAC recommends that 网曝吃瓜 examine its recruitment, admission, funding, retention, outreach, enrolment rates, and general support for Indigenous students in order to build a community and enhance a system that is welcoming, supportive, and relevant for Indigenous students. It also recommends that the same analysis be applied to African Nova Scotian students. In 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 upcoming budget, the resource requirement to complete this work will be identified.
5. Advisor and Coordinator of Indigenous Affairs: The PAC recommends that a full-time position be created to combine Indigenous student advising and coordination of Indigenous affairs at 网曝吃瓜 to replace the current part-time Aboriginal Student Advisor with a dual reporting relationship to the Executive Director of Student Services (student advising) and the President of 网曝吃瓜 (coordination of Indigenous Affairs). The part-time advisor has been immediately moved to full-time and the position and support resources have been included in the 2018-19 budget. Simultaneously, the location of 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 Aboriginal Gathering Space and Resource Centre will be reviewed to ensure it meets the needs of Indigenous students.
6. Campus Literacy: All faculty, staff, and students should be given opportunities to learn about reconciliation, Indigenous peoples and specifically Mi鈥檏maw culture, treaties and treaty rights, and decolonization more broadly. This should include professional development sessions, guest speakers and facilitators, structured discussion sessions, and outreach opportunities to local Mi鈥檏maw communities. Through the Advisor and Coordinator of Indigenous Affairs, a literacy strategy will be developed and implemented.
7. Decolonization Website: A website will be developed that will serve as a central hub containing decolonization resources, the recommendations of the PAC, a list of campus events relating to decolonization, and external links to local, federal, provincial and local Indigenous organizations. It will be linked to 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 home page, the Office of the President Indigenous Affairs and other appropriate web pages.
8. Territorial Acknowledgement: Recognition of Mi鈥檏maq traditional territory is already being used voluntarily on campus, and in many university communications and at events. However, the PAC will consult with Mi鈥檏maq leaders to determine the appropriate wording both written spoken that can be formally adopted for use in campus communications and at campus events.
9. 惭补飞颈辞鈥檓颈: This annual gathering of Mi鈥檏maq community members, elders and officials, along with the 网曝吃瓜 and Wolfville communities has become an important annual or biannual event on campus. It is important that Mawio鈥檓i be formally recognize as an 网曝吃瓜 event, and that it remains as a true community activity, engaging those who have been instrumental in building it from its grass roots initiation. Starting in the 2018-19 budget year, a formal budget allocation will be assigned to the Coordinator of Indigenous Affairs to support Mawio鈥檓i.
10. Artwork and Indigenous Gifts: The 网曝吃瓜 Art Gallery retains a small collection of Mi鈥檏maq art works. These should be displayed prominently on campus with suitable explanatory texts about the artists and nature of the work. Once the permanent council replacing the PAC is established, a sub-group or circle on this issue should be tasked with developing proposals for the University regarding the collection and display of Indigenous art and artifacts.
11. Mi鈥檏maq Language Course: Reviving Indigenous languages is one of the central principles of reconciliation. In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission鈥檚 Calls to Action, the PAC recommends that 网曝吃瓜 should begin to provide introductory courses in Mi鈥檏maq for all interested students, and that this should satisfy language course requirements in Arts degrees. It may be necessary to collaborate with other institutions with similar goals or established Mi鈥檏maq language programs and 网曝吃瓜 Vice-President Academic will be tasked with leading this initiative.
12. Elder in Residence: As 网曝吃瓜 builds its capacity to support Indigenous students, faculty, and staff, the appointment of an Elder-in-Residence will be an important step forward and consistent with the increasingly common practice on university campuses across Canada. Once the PAC replacement has been established and the Advisor and Coordinator position and the associated budget to support Indigenous Affairs are in place, 网曝吃瓜 will address the Elder in Residence program as a fundraising priority through the Office of Advancement.
13. Governance: The PAC recommends that the University Senate, the Board of Governors, and the 网曝吃瓜 Student鈥檚 Union allocate standing positions for Indigenous representatives. These longer term governance change requests will be taken by the President to these bodies once success has been achieved with the much more urgent changes to Indigenous student support services and community outreach.
14. Indigenous Faculty Positions: The PAC recommend that the Academic Planning Committee of 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 Senate develop an institutional plan for the recruitment and retention of Faculty members who are Indigenous and who have expertise in Indigenous ways of knowing and learning in various subjects in all faculties. Hiring Indigenous faculty members is one of the most lasting impacts that any university can do to increase Indigenisation on campus and it must be part of an institutional strategy. The Vice-President Academic will follow up on this recommendation with the Senate APC.
15. Curriculum: Several Faculty members and Departments have already established Indigenous content and courses as part of 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 curriculum. The PAC recommends that the Senate Curriculum Policy Committee discuss a strategy for developing courses and content throughout the various subject areas across the campus, with an examination of best practices for delivering such courses/content. With a critical mass of courses, the possibility also exists for the creation of an Interdisciplinary program in Indigenous Studies. This recommendation goes hand-in-hand with the hiring of Indigenous faculty and one of the initial tasks of the council replacing the PAC will be to develop a Coordinated Indigenous Academic Strategy for 网曝吃瓜 that would be presented to the Senate for consideration. Development of this strategy will be undertaken with due care and consultation with Indigenous people and communities.