Post by Okwes on May 30, 2006 15:29:45 GMT -5
Protecting academic freedom
Anne Kyle
Leader-Post
Friday, May 19, 2006
The University of Regina Faculty Association's defence fund got a
$100,000 cash injection from the national group representing Canada's
university and college teachers.
The faculty association said the donation, the first of its kind given
by the Canadian Association of University Teachers' (CAUT) Academic
Freedom Fund, will be used in its fight to protect academic freedom at
the First Nations University of Canada.
"Academics across Canada want to help our colleagues at First Nations
University who have been facing unprecedented interference in the
operation of their fine institution,'' said CAUT treasurer John Baker,
who presented the cheque to association president Dorothy Lane on
Thursday at a Regina news conference.
"We think it is vitally important for the future of the First Nations
University that the academic freedom and other rights of faculty and the
rights of students and staff be respected.''
The First Nations University has been embroiled in controversy since
February of 2005 over a number of staff firings and subsequent
resignations in protest over alleged political interference in the
operation of the university by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian
Nations (FSIN) and FSIN vice-chief Morley Watson, who chairs the
university's board of governor.
However, Watson questions the motives of Thursday's announcement saying
a small group of faculty and staff are trying to divert attention from
the real issue at the heart of the university's problems -- financial
irregularities and mismanagement which led to the suspension and firing
of two senior administrators.
"I guess it is very interesting that they would focus on academic
freedom being violated when actually only two out of 32 grievances filed
are even closely related to academic freedom and both still have to go
to arbitration. So their allegations of interference in academic freedom
has never been proven,'' he said.
Lane said CAUT's donation will help pay the association's "skyrocketing"
legal bills. The association has already spent $160,000 in legal fees
associated with First Nations University grievances and arbitrations. A
total of 32 grievances have been filed since Feb. 17, 2005, -- 14 of
which are still outstanding.
"Also we have ongoing issues around academic freedom and fair and
transparent processes. We are prepared to do anything we can to ensure
the university is put back on the path it was on before February of
2005," Lane said.
Faculty member Blair Stonechild said it is important CAUT takes a stand
and commits financial resources to support the association's fight for
academic freedom.
"I don't think much has changed since this whole thing has begun," said
Stonechild, who filed a grievance alleging his academic freedom was
curtailed when he was denied the right to speak at a national conference
on aboriginal education.
While Watson would not discuss the specifics of the grievances, he
stressed the university's collective agreement with the faculty
association supports academic freedom.
"And we continue to support academic freedom," he said.
CAUT established the Academic Freedom Fund in 2001 to aid in the defence
of academic freedom. The fund is a "catastrophic insurance" plan to
guarantee sufficient resources for any local association when a case
takes extraordinary resources, Baker said.
Anne Kyle
Leader-Post
Friday, May 19, 2006
The University of Regina Faculty Association's defence fund got a
$100,000 cash injection from the national group representing Canada's
university and college teachers.
The faculty association said the donation, the first of its kind given
by the Canadian Association of University Teachers' (CAUT) Academic
Freedom Fund, will be used in its fight to protect academic freedom at
the First Nations University of Canada.
"Academics across Canada want to help our colleagues at First Nations
University who have been facing unprecedented interference in the
operation of their fine institution,'' said CAUT treasurer John Baker,
who presented the cheque to association president Dorothy Lane on
Thursday at a Regina news conference.
"We think it is vitally important for the future of the First Nations
University that the academic freedom and other rights of faculty and the
rights of students and staff be respected.''
The First Nations University has been embroiled in controversy since
February of 2005 over a number of staff firings and subsequent
resignations in protest over alleged political interference in the
operation of the university by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian
Nations (FSIN) and FSIN vice-chief Morley Watson, who chairs the
university's board of governor.
However, Watson questions the motives of Thursday's announcement saying
a small group of faculty and staff are trying to divert attention from
the real issue at the heart of the university's problems -- financial
irregularities and mismanagement which led to the suspension and firing
of two senior administrators.
"I guess it is very interesting that they would focus on academic
freedom being violated when actually only two out of 32 grievances filed
are even closely related to academic freedom and both still have to go
to arbitration. So their allegations of interference in academic freedom
has never been proven,'' he said.
Lane said CAUT's donation will help pay the association's "skyrocketing"
legal bills. The association has already spent $160,000 in legal fees
associated with First Nations University grievances and arbitrations. A
total of 32 grievances have been filed since Feb. 17, 2005, -- 14 of
which are still outstanding.
"Also we have ongoing issues around academic freedom and fair and
transparent processes. We are prepared to do anything we can to ensure
the university is put back on the path it was on before February of
2005," Lane said.
Faculty member Blair Stonechild said it is important CAUT takes a stand
and commits financial resources to support the association's fight for
academic freedom.
"I don't think much has changed since this whole thing has begun," said
Stonechild, who filed a grievance alleging his academic freedom was
curtailed when he was denied the right to speak at a national conference
on aboriginal education.
While Watson would not discuss the specifics of the grievances, he
stressed the university's collective agreement with the faculty
association supports academic freedom.
"And we continue to support academic freedom," he said.
CAUT established the Academic Freedom Fund in 2001 to aid in the defence
of academic freedom. The fund is a "catastrophic insurance" plan to
guarantee sufficient resources for any local association when a case
takes extraordinary resources, Baker said.