On Campus

Teachers’ call for changes at First Nations U

CAUT calls for smaller board of governors, less politics

REGINA — A teachers’ group says there is only one way to save the struggling First Nations University of Canada – change the way the Regina school is run. The Canadian Association of University Teachers says the school’s board of governors needs to be smaller and less politicized.

The comment echoes changes that were recommended but never implemented in a 2005 All Chiefs’ Task Force report on appropriate governance. There have long been concerns about academic freedom and political interference from the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. James Turk, executive director of the teachers group, says the current situation isn’t sustainable, noting that faculty have left, enrolment is down and there are financial problems.

The association voted last month to censure the university because of its ongoing governance problems. —The Canadian Press

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