Community discussing impacts on Indigenous Studies, French education at USudbury
March 17, 2021
As Laurentian University continues to work through its current situation, the community is discussing the impacts on the Université de Sudbury and the Indigenous Studies programs. CBC reports that L'Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario recently stated that it supports USudbury in becoming a French-only school, which has created concerns from some students at the institution. Page Chartrand, a major in Indigenous studies, explained that “it’s a bit of a question of uncertainty in the terms of what happens to the Indigenous studies program,” as this is the institution’s largest program and it is in English. USudbury professor Dr. Mary Ann Corbiere and former USudbury instructor Dr. Darrel Manitowabi wrote in an article for Anishinabek News that the situation risks losing the “major strides” forward that USudbury and Laurentian have made by offering Indigenous academic programming. Corbiere and Manitowabi add that if Laurentian students no longer enroll in USudbury’s Indigenous Studies courses, USudbury will not be supported through tuition transfers from Laurentian. CBC | Anishinabek News (ON)
