Native studies lacking in funds and programming

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With recent provincial cutbacks in education, it will be some time before the School of Native Studies at the University of Alberta is able to expand its four-year degree program.

Currently the program concentrates on historical, legal, political, and social studies. It does not offer the variety of Native studies courses or programs other schools in Lethbridge or Saskatchewan have.

"The School of Native Studies is definitely not set up with courses for every possible area. When the school was first set up they deemed that it would concentrate, and still does, on four general but quick specific areas; language and culture, self-government, land and resources, and community-based research," said director James Dempsey.

To begin setting up a masters program in Native studies the school needs to teach the Native studies courses on a consistent basis and to develop more courses, said Dempsey. But this requires money and resources.

"There is no way that we can stretch our human resources into that direction until we are finished with the B.A. program," he said. "Given the way the whole university budget is going with the provincial government announced I would say (changes may happen) at the earliest in three years."

Yet there are other universities that offer a high level of Native studies programs. The University of Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon, offers an extensive variety of courses with Native content. The Native Studies Department with the College of Arts and Science offers a three year degree program, four year degree program and an honors program. In the fall of 1994 they will have a regular masters program in Native studies and may offer a special case Ph.D. program.

The Native studies program in Edmonton opened in 1986 after an early 70's suggestion to establish the school. Two years later, the university recognized the degree in Native Studies. Today, although the school is an autonomous unit and has the power to create its own curriculum, it does not have the money nor the resources to do so. But Dempsey believes, the school's biggest advantage is independence.

"Our biggest advantage is that we are independent and therefore the curriculum input decision-making than runs the school is made by our school council," he said.

Students in the process of getting their degree in Native studies can also achieve a master degree through the arts faculty at the University of Alberta.

"We have two students who graduated from the School of Natives Studies and are in MA programs within the facility of Arts. We have three students who have graduated and are now in law," said Dempsey.

Nineteen students have graduated since 1992, five of whom are in postgraduate studies, 13 are employed and one unemployed. This year there are 140 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students enroled in Native studies.

Although students receive their degrees with the School of Native Studies, they would be hard pressed to find permanent full-time work there. Last year the program received money to hire one assistant professor. And preference goes to someone with a PhD or a master degree, at least.

However, having a master is not a hard and fast rule, said Dempsey.

"I doubt if you're going to find a person who could teach the Dene languages with an M.A., you just know they don't exist. If we were hard and fast on that MA well then everybody who could teach the Dene language would say 'oh, they want an MA - might as well not bother applying.' That's why we put in or equivalent work experience," explained Dempsey.