网曝吃瓜

First of its kind

In November 2019, 网曝吃瓜 welcomed the Indigenous community to War Memorial Gymnasium, with a Mawio鈥檓i, featuring dancing, drumming, and cuisine. The celebration, also called a powwow, was organized by the Indigenous Students Society of 网曝吃瓜 to commemorate the signing of the landmark Memorandum of Understanding between Glooscap First Nation and 网曝吃瓜.

鈥淭his is a historic agreement for 网曝吃瓜 and perhaps even in Canada,鈥� says Dr. Peter Ricketts, 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 President and Vice-Chancellor. 鈥淭he fact that we have this unique partnership means that 网曝吃瓜 will be walking a path together with the Mi鈥檏maq toward truth and reconciliation.鈥�

A new approach

The MOU establishes a partnership that supports initiatives on campus important to Indigenous students and their culture with an emphasis on Mi鈥檏maq students. It also establishes a fulltime coordinator of Indigenous Affairs who reports to the chiefs and councils of the four Annapolis Valley Mi鈥檏maq communities and includes Mi鈥檏maq representatives on the Indigenous Education Advisory Committee at 网曝吃瓜.

Zabrina Whitman, who serves in the coordinator role, says the establishment of the partnership and the newly defined position comes from a desire to change.

鈥淵es, there are Indigenous students on campus, but we have to work on building those relationships a little bit more to ensure that more positive changes happen,鈥� she explains.

The partnership focuses on four areas of collaboration:

• Increase enrolment and success of Indigenous students
• Navigate on-campus and broaden community resources within First Nations communities
• Create a smooth transition for a prospective student to study and access employment opportunities
• Create partnerships with employers to enhance experiential education opportunities

Forward-thinking

Chief Sidney Peters, from the Glooscap First Nation in Hantsport, was on hand to sign the MOU and addressed the crowd, saying: 鈥淐enturies ago, our collective ancestors, representing both the Mi鈥檏maq and the Crown, signed Peace and Friendship Treaties, acknowledging the rights and culture of the Mi鈥檏maq then. I am proud of the forward-thinking my ancestors had when signing the Treaties and we are continuing and interpreting that practice in our own way through this MOU.鈥�

Mackenzie O鈥橯uinn, President of the Indigenous Students Society of 网曝吃瓜 (ISSA) says he knows how important it is to feel accepted on campus as both a student and someone of Indigenous heritage. He feels all too often students like him feel the pull to choose one or the other. This MOU, however, levels the playing field.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not to say that this is the first time there have been Indigenous students at 网曝吃瓜,鈥� O鈥橯uinn says, 鈥渂ut this is the first time that we鈥檝e had the capacity to share our culture in this way.鈥�