SHIRA FENYES
News Writer

Students and faculty want to see a new Aboriginal student centre at the University of Saskatchewan in the near future.

The Indigenous Students’ Council and University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union held a rally March 16 that brought students and faculty together to showcase their support for the valuable initiative.

Janelle Pewapsconias

The event featured a speaker series that described the meaning of the project, to build what will be known as the Gordon Oakes-Red Bear Student Centre between the Arts and Murray buildings. (There is already an Aboriginal Students’ Centre on campus that the proposed Gordon Oakes-Red Bear project would help to expand.)

The chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council, the president of the ISC and the president of the USSU explained the relevancy of this project at the U of S.

The centre has long been in the works, with proposals dating into the ’90s. The project has always been intended to reflect the needs of the growing number of Aboriginal students at the University of Saskatchewan.

Now, with the Gordon Oakes-Red Bear Student Centre Project Steering Committee — a group of students and university administration —behind the project, it seems to be approaching fruition.

According to ISC president John Desjarlais, the U of S holds the largest Aboriginal population of all Canadian post secondary institutions.

Desjarlais believes that the student center would “send a symbol to all students that Aboriginal education is important.”

The ISC president emphasized the need for the centre as a means for Aboriginal students to achieve a sense of community at the U of S.

“That sense of community is key in the success of building that fellowship, that sense that students can succeed here,” he explained.

USSU president Chris Stoicheff said that he believes this initiative is important both to Aboriginal students on campus as well as the university as a whole.

According to Stoicheff, this would help the university achieve its goal of increasing Aboriginal student enrollment.

“This is an institution that is inclusive and welcoming to all cultures including Aboriginal students,” said Stoicheff, who added that the centre would be a great way to demonstrate inclusivity.

So far, the U of S has recieved contributions totalling $5 million from private donors and needs to reach $15 million to move to the construction stage.

Stoicheff hopes that future student leaders will continue to lobby the government for funding and reach out to the private sector.

Desjarlais hopes to hold similar events periodically to bring a collective together to share in the progress of the project.

Correction: This article has been amended to reflect the existence of the Aboriginal Students’ Centre in 110 Marquis Hall, which the proposed Gordon Oakes-Red Bear Student Centre would expand.
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image: Shira Fenyes