WELCOMING and SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS STUDENTS in QUEBEC UNIVERSITIES Review of Needs and Best Practices

WELCOMING AND SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS STUDENTS IN QUEBEC UNIVERSITIES Review of Needs and Best Practices

Adopted at the Student Associations’ Caucus on April 6, 2018 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities

WRITTEN BY:

Annie-Claude Vanier, contractual researcher Xavier Bessone, Coordinator of Sociopolitical Affairs Yasmine Jouhari, researcher and attaché to the CNCSR

REVISION :

Xavier Bessone, Coordinator of Sociopolitical Affairs

This document was adopted on April 6, 2018

Member Associations’ Caucus

The Quebec Student Union’s (QSU) mission is to defend the rights and interests of the student community, of its member associations, and of their members, by promoting, protecting, and ameliorating the conditions of students and those of local and international communities. The QSU represents more than 79,000 members from university campuses across Quebec. Its intention is to act as the primary interlocutor towards the different levels of government and with civil society organizations on matters related to the accessibility of higher education and the living conditions of students.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 6

INTRODUCTION ...... 8

1. LITERATURE REVIEW ...... 10 1.1 OBSTACLES 11 1.2 NEEDS AND FACTORS AFFECTING THE PURSUIT OF HIGHER EDUCATION 13 1.2.1 ECONOMIC FACTORS 14 1.2.2 FACTORS LINKED TO EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS – ACADEMIC SUPPORT NEEDS 16 1.2.3 PSYCHOSOCIAL, FAMILIAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS – THE NEED TO COUNTER ISOLATION AND RACISM 18 1.2.4 CULTURAL FACTORS – NEEDS STEMMING FROM A FEELING OF CONFLICTED LOYALTIES 20

2. RECOMMENDATIONS, REQUESTS, AND DEMANDS OF VARIOUS INDIGENOUS GROUPS ...... 21 2.1 CHANGES IN TEACHING 21 2.2 SYSTEMIC EXCLUSION AND UNDERSTANDING OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 22 2.3 FUNDING ACCESS TO A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION 23

3. ACCESS TO A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND INDIGENOUS STUDENT SUCCESS: BEST PRACTICES ...... 24 3.1 SETTING UP A GATHERING SPACE 25 3.2 HIRING INDIGENOUS CONTACT PEOPLE 25 3.3 PERMITTING SELF-IDENTIFICATION 26 3.4 ORGANIZING, ENCOURAGING, AND SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS CULTURAL ACTIVITIES 27 3.5 REVIEWING AND ADAPTING ADMISSIONS POLICY 27 3.6 TRAINING UNIVERSITY FACULTY AND STAFF 28 3.7 VALORIZING INDIGENOUS CULTURE AND PRESENCE 29 3.8 REVIEWING AVAILABLE PROGRAMS 29 3.9 MAKING INFORMATION FOR INDIGENOUS STUDENTS MORE EASILY ACCESSIBLE 30 3.10 CREATING TIES TO COMMUNITIES 31

4. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN QUEBEC UNIVERSITIES ...... 32

CONCLUSION ...... 36

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 37

April 2018 3 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Categories of Obstacles Encountered by Indigenous Students, As Described by Marguerite Loiselle (2010) ...... 12

Table 2: Factors Which Create Obstacles for Indigenous Student Success, As Described by Marguerite Loiselle (2010) ...... 14

Table 3: Number of Indigenous Students at Each Quebec University (Persons Funded by the Federal Government in 2014-2015 Only) ...... 16

Table 4: Comparison of Types of Measures in Place at Quebec Universities ...... 35

April 2018 4 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities LIST OF ACRONYMS

AUCC Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Bishop’s Bishop’s University CASA Canadian Alliance of Student Associations Concordia Concordia University FECQ Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec FNEC First Nations Education Council INAC Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada McGill McGill University PSSSP Post-Secondary Student Support Program Polytechnique École Polytechnique QSU Quebec Student Union RCAAQ Regroupement des Centres d’amitiés autochtones du Québec [Coalition of Native Friendship Centres of Quebec] RCPA Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples TRC Truth and Reconciliation Commission UdeM Université de Montréal UdeS Université de Sherbrooke UQAC Université du Québec à Chicoutimi UQAM Université du Québec à Montréal UQAR Université du Québec à Rimouski UQAT Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue UQO Université du Québec en Outaouais UQTR Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendation 1 That Quebec universities revise their programs to teach Indigenous arts, literature, culture, and realities in programs related to those disciplines.

Recommendation 2 That Quebec universities integrate training into the curricula of future service professionals which will equip them to understand and address the realities of Indigenous clients, especially for those students who will work in the service sector, such as education, health, and social services.

Recommendation 3 That Quebec universities do real work to understand the realities of Indigenous students when implementing their policies.

Recommendation 4 That student associations work to publicize access for Indigenous students to the Student Financial Aid program.

Recommendation 5 That Quebec universities develop institutional policy that favours the welcome and support of Indigenous persons at university. That this policy be based in the realities of Indigenous populations and developed in partnership with First Nations.

Recommendation 6 That Quebec universities create an accessible, vibrant, and secure gathering place on their campuses for Indigenous students, and that they publicize its existence.

Recommendation 7 That Quebec universities commit to at least one contact person, ideally Indigenous, who would be responsible for assisting Indigenous students throughout their time at university.

Recommendation 8 That Quebec universities develop a self-identification form to optimize the services offered to Indigenous students. That this form be designed based on the realities of Indigenous populations.

Recommendation 9 That Quebec universities encourage and support Indigenous initiatives and the organization of Indigenous cultural activities on campus.

Recommendation 10 That Quebec universities, in parallel with implementing a welcome and support policy for their Indigenous students, reflect critically on their admissions policies.

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Recommendation 11 That Quebec universities train faculty and staff to better equip them to welcome and support the university’s Indigenous members.

Recommendation 12 That Quebec universities incorporate within their policies a valorization and recognition of the presence and value of Indigenous students.

Recommendation 13 That Quebec universities offer programs specifically devoted to Indigenous culture, history, traditions, and issues.

Recommendation 14 That Quebec universities centralize the information relevant to Indigenous students on a single webpage, and that that centralization include publicizing resources available for welcoming and supporting Indigenous students.

Recommendation 15 That Quebec universities create ties and develop partnerships with Indigenous communities, with a view to demystifying university study and mutual understanding.

April 2018 7 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities INTRODUCTION

According to the 2011 Statistics Canada census, slightly over 1.4 million Indigenous people are currently living in Canada, representing 4.3% of the Canadian population. The number of Indigenous people has grown with every census. Between 2006 and 2011, it jumped by 20.1% (Statistics Canada 2016). Within that population, nearly half are younger than 25 years old (INAC 2016a). Therefore, this is a population with high potential for entering Canadian universities and the job market. However, although the figures vary, the proportion of Indigenous people with a university diploma is well below that of the wider Canadian population (Dufour 2015, Statistics Canada 2008). This disparity stems in large part from the complex relationship which has always existed between Canada and Indigenous peoples. Historically, that relationship has been quite tumultuous and marked by numerous injustices towards Indigenous people, which society has reflected as well. One of the main problems with accessing higher education is the systemic inequality between Indigenous communities’ primary and secondary schools and those of non- Indigenous communities. Of particular relevance are the many problems caused by a chronic lack of funding and a school dropout rate four times higher than in the rest of Canada (FNEC 2009).

The Quebec Student Union (QSU) recognizes that, in order to promote Indigenous people’s access to university study and graduation, it is vitally important to create an environment that provides them with a quality primary and secondary education. Many steps must be taken towards this end, and the government would benefit from listening more closely to Canadian and Quebec Indigenous communities’ input on this subject.

However, this review cannot cover all the many problems and wide-ranging injustices which affect Indigenous education in the broadest sense. We will only address higher education for Indigenous persons, and specifically university study. Canada’s Indigenous population can gain many economic and social advantages from better education, which aids social mobility and is seen as an important tool for fighting poverty. Accordingly, many organizations have prioritized higher education for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people over the last several years. Universities Canada has been working towards that since 2015, including by requiring a large number of Canadian university officials to adhere to their principles for improving Indigenous students’ options (Universities Canada 2015) and by identifying services put in place for Indigenous persons at Canadian universities. In 2016, the Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ) began an extensive project to better understand the living and study conditions of Quebec Indigenous

April 2018 8 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities persons, and is currently working with the Quebec collegial network and Indigenous institutions to promote their access to higher education.

One of the QSU’s annual orientations for 2017-2018 is to work to produce a comprehensive survey of the measures which aim to improve the access and integration of aboriginal students into the post-secondary educational system. The term “Indigenous” was chosen by the QSU, like many other organizations, because it refers to the First Peoples and their descendants, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. In the wording of the working orientation, the term “integration” is not used in the sense of a colonialist integration of Indigenous peoples into Quebec’s higher education system. Instead, the term is used to reflect the desire of the QSU and its members to create a feeling for Indigenous persons that they belong in their university communities, that those communities are a safe place for them to live, and that they feel supported and accepted there. The term “welcome/welcoming” will be used by preference, in order to avoid any confusion. This document aims to explore best practices for promoting accessibility of higher education to Indigenous persons, and best practices for the welcome and support measures which universities should offer them. The goal is for these best practices to become commonplace among all higher education institutions, in order to promote the welcome and retention of Indigenous students. To better contextualize and introduce these best practices, a brief literature review has been included, which will allow us to better explain the obstacles Indigenous persons face in higher education. This section will also shed light on the particular needs of the Indigenous student population. A number of studies have already been made of Indigenous university students, and their conclusions allow us to focus on highly useful measures. We also solicited and included Indigenous groups’ advice on best practices to put in place in universities. Their advice is central to this document, and a driving force for our entire approach. Finally, we will give our findings from an initial study of the measures already in place in universities. The recommendations from this review could be put forward by the QSU in meetings with the Ministry of Higher Education, but should also be distributed to university administrations so they can review their local practices.

April 2018 9 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities 1. LITERATURE REVIEW

Many researchers and organizations have addressed the issue of Quebec and Canadian Indigenous students’ access to higher education and graduation. For example, in 1975, the Association of Universities and College of Canada (AUCC), today known as Universities Canada, was already calling for universities to fundamentally re-examine their institutional practices for welcoming and supporting their Indigenous students, in order to give them real opportunities to attend university and finish their studies. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples’ 1996 report came to much the same conclusion about Indigenous adult education, and emphasized the need to remove the obstacles facing Indigenous persons and provide them with tailored support as well as adequate financial aid (RCPA 1996). Despite this, nearly two decades later, the gap in post-secondary graduation rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons has not narrowed; in fact, it has widened (Dufour 2015). Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) examined what reconciliation perspectives higher education could bring Indigenous peoples. In 2012 the TRC recommended, among other things, that the federal government “develop with Aboriginal groups a joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians” and asked them “to provide adequate funding to end the backlog of First Nations students seeking a post-secondary education” (TRC 2012). Universities Canada made Indigenous education one of their priorities in 2015, and published a report on the importance of Indigenous access to the post-secondary system and on the different elements to put in place within that system to facilitate their perseverance. The organization also carried out a review of the services offered within its university network, and published thirteen principles and five commitments on the subject (Universities Canada 2015).

Over the years, a number of studies have specifically addressed the obstacles that Indigenous students experience, and have focused on potential support measures. These studies are important because they were based on consultation with Indigenous students, who spoke about the difficulties they experienced in their academic career and what helped them to persevere. Notable examples of these studies include Thierry Rodon (2008) at Université Laval, Marguerite Loiselle (2010) at UQAT, Jo-Anni Joncas (2013) at UQAC, Emmanuelle Dufour (2015) at Université de Montréal, and Léa Lefebvre-Radelli and Laurent Jérôme (2017) at UQAM.

We will begin by briefly presenting the overall context in which the issue of welcoming and supporting Indigenous students should be and is considered. We will categorize several types of obstacle (historical, social, scholastic, geographic, financial, cultural, and personal), as a way to clearly and broadly delineate the domains this issue concerns. Next, we will touch on Loiselle’s

April 2018 10 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities assessment of factors influencing the attrition and retention of Indigenous students. Finally, we will discuss solutions advocated by studies undertaken with Indigenous student groups at various universities. Our goal will be to identify and enumerate possible solutions to offering a more welcoming, accessible, and successful study environment.

1.1 OBSTACLES

The reasons for Indigenous underrepresentation in the university system are complex and have many root causes. First, we must consider the various obstacles that can affect Indigenous students’ decision on whether or not to enroll in higher education, and then the obstacles they may encounter after beginning their studies. In 2005, AUCC identified seven different categories of obstacle. These categories were echoed in Loiselle’s 2010 works on the retention and success of Indigenous students at UQAT.

This general categorization of obstacles demonstrate that the underrepresentation of Indigenous students will require a multifaceted approach, i.e. one that operates on several fronts at once. Loiselle identifies these categories (see Table 1) as historical, social, scholastic, geographic, financial, cultural, and personal obstacles.

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Table 1: Categories of Obstacles Encountered by Indigenous Students, As Described by Marguerite Loiselle (2010)

• Historical obstacles derive from the federal government’s historical goal of assimilating Indigenous peoples through education, and especially through the system of Indian Residential

Schools. The negative effects of removing children from their families and communities for long periods led to a rise in violence and alcoholism, a loss of pride in oneself and one’s culture, and an abandonment of traditional spiritual practices. These obstacles to education have persisted through generations, and still affect some Indigenous students today (ONSA, 2007:48).

• Social obstacles include family responsibilities, a lack of Indigenous role models, social discrimination, unemployment, and poverty.

• Scholastic obstacles constitute the third category of obstacles. They consist of a lack of adequate preparation for the academic world; a lack of prerequisites for post-secondary education, particularly in math and science; or a lack of study skills and time management skills. Students are thus less prepared or less qualified to enroll in post-secondary institutions (see

ONSA, 2008). According to Malatest & Associates Ltd. (2002:12), this obstacle contributes to the low retention rate in colleges and universities.

• Geographic obstacles refer to the fact that many Indigenous communities are far away from the urban centres where higher education institutions are located. Moving the family and finding

adequate housing is a major and difficult change for students.

• Financial obstacles are major obstacles to participation in post-secondary study for First Nations members who reside outside reservations, who are usually referred to as “Non-Status Indians,” whereas “Status Indians” may have access to funding from their Band Council or their

school board. This information is amply confirmed by Mayes (2007). The other problem in this category concerns adult students with families, who must leave their remote community in order to be near a college or university. This entails high and often prohibitive costs for such potential

students.

• Cultural obstacles consist of the absence of Indigenous perspectives in universities, the scarcity of professional role models who are Indigenous, the lack of Indigenous control over

post-secondary education (Mendelson, 2006), and the fact that professors often have little or no knowledge of Indigenous cultures and the elements that marginalize them in institutions of

higher learning.

Loiselle, Marguerite. 2010; translated from the original.

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The obstacles listed in the table above demonstrate that the issue of Indigenous underrepresentation is fast and must be treated as such. In other words, it is not enough to think only about cultural obstacles. Universities must pay attention to other areas as well to guarantee an adequate welcome and support for Indigenous students.

After enumerating these major obstacles, Loiselle proceeds to an overview of Indigenous underrepresentation at postsecondary institutions, which will allow us to analyze best practices already in place and to propose other potential solutions.

1.2 NEEDS AND FACTORS AFFECTING THE PURSUIT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Having laid out various factors which influence student success, we will proceed to establish the needs the postsecondary system must address if it hopes to be more welcoming to Indigenous students. We will privilege solutions at can be translated into concrete actions, as free services, to make postsecondary education more accessible to the target population.

We will go into detail about the various factors that affect the attrition and retention of Indigenous students, following Loiselle’s (2010) framework. After doing so, we will examine the strategies and policies already in place at some Quebec universities.

We have focused on four factors from Loiselle’s (2010) study: economic (1), education and educational system (2), cultural (3), and psychosocial (4). These four factors clearly reveal the difficulties and systemic obstacles involved, as well as the obstacles specifically faced by many Indigenous students during their time at University. Loiselle’s analytical framework is doubly useful here. Firstly, the four factors fulfill a pragmatic requirement, which is to corroborate theoretical elements with fieldwork (such as interviews). Secondly, they allow us to develop avenues of approach to answer institutional needs and specific needs related to welcoming and supporting Indigenous students.

Table 2 is taken directly from Loiselle’s study, and identifies the factors which we will use in our analysis.

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Table 2: Factors Creating Obstacles for Indigenous Student Success, As Described by Marguerite Loiselle (2010)

• Factors linked to educational systems: 1) the feeling that their vision, values, and cultural traditions have no place in the university environment or university programs, or are barely recognized by them (Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC), 2005; Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996; Holmes, 2006; Malatest et al, 2004); 2) ill-suited and ineffective pedagogical methods (Cazin, 2005; St.-Amant, 2002); 3) rapid explanations which do not give students time to translate into their language and transfer the information into their culture (Cazin, 2005); 4) non-significant or culturally biased evaluation methods (BC Ministry of Education, 1995; Cazin, 2005; St.-Amant, 2002; Verjee, 2003); 5) course content which is not adapted to Indigenous realities (Cazin, 2005; St.-Amant, 2002); 6) a lack of prerequisites or preparation for university study (Malatest, 2004; Bourke et al, 1996; Hull, 2000; National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO), 2008); 7) inadequate or nonexistent support services (Bourke et al, 1996).

• Cultural factors: 1) Indigenous modes of learning, which are different than the models privileged by higher education institutions (Guider, 1991; St.-Amant, 2002); 2) a feeling of being torn between two value systems and of ‘betraying’ their culture by attending university (Barnhardt, 2001; Malatest, 2002).

• Economic factors: a lack of financial aid (Bourke et al, 1996; Malatest, 2004; Mayes, 2007).

• Psychosocial, familial, and environmental factors: 1) feelings of isolation and loneliness while living far from familiar surroundings, and 2) difficult experiences in educational institutions (Bourke et al, 1996; Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996; Malatest, 2004); 3) family responsibilities (Malatest, 2002; Brady, 1996); 4) racism and discrimination in the surrounding society, although not necessarily within the institutional setting, which causes embarrassment or even major problems in finding housing (Cazin, 2005; St.-Amant, 2002).

Loiselle 2010, 27

1.2.1 Economic Factors

The economic aspect of university is one of the most important significant obstacles to overcome in welcoming Indigenous students. Besides registration fees, they must face the cost of moving

April 2018 14 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities from their home regions to cities, where universities are location and where the cost of living is often much higher. In addition, they are more likely to have families to support than other Canadian students (Rodon 2008).

The current method for addressing these needs is a financial aid program specifically for Indigenous students: the Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP). These funds are often managed by school boards or First Nations band councils or, for Inuits, by designated organizations (INAC 2017). While participants in the Joncas (2013) study at Chicoutimi found that the federal funds provided to them were generally sufficient, other studies conducted among other Indigenous students have reported that the program is insufficient and, above all, insufficiently flexible (Rodon 2008; CMEC 2009; Loiselle 2010; Dufour 2015). Furthermore, only “Status Indians1” have access to the PSSSP, whose funds are allocated by band councils. An Indigenous person who is not eligible for the PSSSP but needs financial aid can apply to the AFE. While this program currently allows 22,000 Indigenous students to get a post-secondary education, its budget is not sufficient to fund everyone who wants to take advantage of it and is eligible to do so (INAC 2017). According to the Assembly of First Nations, not only is an increase badly needed in the amounts allocated to individuals, there are 36,901 persons who are currently eligible but not benefitting from the PSSSP (ACAE 2017). These demands have been echoed by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA).

A table (below) taken from Lefebvre-Radelli and Jérôme’s recent work shows the number of Indigenous students at each university who received PSSSP funding for the 2014-2015 academic year.

1 Members of eligible First Nations can enter their names at the Indian Registry and be considered “Status Indians,” in the sense and terminology used by the federal government. Per the INAC, this means “persons recognized by the federal government as registered in accordance with the Indian Act. Status Indians are eligible for a broad array of federal and provincial programs and services.” Many conditions must be met to obtain this status, notably that one must belong to a band (a recognized Indigenous community). Métis persons cannot obtain this status, and Inuits have a different type of agreement with the federal government.

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Table 3: Number of Indigenous Students at Each Quebec University (Persons Funded by the Federal Government in 2014-2015 Only)

University Name No of Students Université Laval 224 Université du Québec à Chicoutimi 169 Concordia University 98 McGill University 78 Université du Québec à Montréal 70 Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières 60 Université de Montréal 49 Université de Sherbrooke Université du Québec en Abitibi- Témiscamingue 29 Université du Québec à Rimouski 28 Télé-université 24 Université du Québec en Outaouais 15 École national d'administration publique [The University of Public Administration] 9 Bishop's University 8 École de technologie supérieure 7 École des hautes études commerciales de Montréal 4 École du Barreau 4 Polytechnique Montréal 3 Total 915 Lefevre-Radelli and Jérôme 2017, 15; with translations from the original.

A significant step forward, then, would be to expand and maximize use of this financial aid program to address the financial barriers that act as a deciding factor in the attrition or retention of Indigenous students at universities.

1.2.2 Factors Linked to Education and Educational Systems – Academic Support Needs

Many studies of Indigenous students emphasize their need for support services adapted to their particular situation (Loiselle 2010; Joncas 2013; Dufour 2015). Methodology, pedagogical framework, and the educational system represent obstacles to learning, and thus to the attrition and retention of Indigenous students.

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First, aptitudes acquired in secondary study do not always correspond to the aptitudes required by and/or necessary for university. Indigenous students are often less ready than non-Indigenous students to begin their university studies for equivalent degrees because of the secondary schools they attended. Further, pedagogical models and the educational system (cooperative versus competitive), as they exist today, can be too rigid and their demands too high. Dufour’s (2015) fieldwork reveals that the Indigenous educational system valorizes and evaluates students according to their personal development and progress, at both the individual level and the collective level.

The meritocratic system rewards performance and competition, to the detriment of traditional values of reciprocity, generosity, and leadership, while privileging an analytical and fragmented vision rather than an integrated and holistic approach. Badwound and Tierney, 1988; Martin 2005 in Dufour 2015: 136 (translated from the original) The Indigenous persons with whom Dufour spoke revealed the extent to which a system of mentors and tutors, available to students upon request, would be helpful to the Indigenous student community.

Second, language is one of the most important barriers. French is often a second or third language for young people from Indigenous communities2. The language issue has many facets. For one thing, Indigenous students may have difficulties in following course material and explanations. They may also have more difficulty reacting in class in ways that show their lack of understanding and to ask for explanations. The quality of their homework and exams may also be affected. Thus, again, the solution we recommend is mentoring or tutoring.

For some, difficulties ensue in understanding readings, synthesizing information, transferring knowledge, understanding abstract concepts, or editing. Challenges in the task of a student are often related to the student’s pace of study, motivation, and feelings of competence; to establishing a routine; to study methods; to deadlines and time frames; and to a lack of effective and efficient learning strategies. Bérubé 2015, 44 in Dufour 2015: 96 (translated from the original)

According to Dufour (2015), this type of support (mentoring and/or tutoring) has been analyzed and is currently offered by the Service Premiers Peuples [First Peoples’ Service] team at UQAT. This model of institutional action should be put in place on every campus to provide students with assistance in raising the level of their French.

2 When discussing language, Dufour is always speaking of the language in which instruction is given.

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1.2.3 Psychosocial, Familial, and Environmental Factors – The Need to Counter Isolation and Racism

Psychosocial, familial, and environmental factors are expressed in many ways, such as in identification with a university, feelings of belonging within it, culture shock, and/or racism (in the surrounding environment). The real issue here is the isolation faced by Indigenous students.

Joncas’s research (2013) indicates that many Indigenous students see their university as simply a place of study, and thus a place which serves their professional life, but not as a life environment. The functional nature of their feelings of belonging and identification do not motivate Indigenous students to participate in campus social life or to socialize with their classmates. This culture gap affects cultural references, modes of socializing, language, and many other aspects of student’s social life, requiring Indigenous students to make extra efforts of social adaptation.

Isolation is often the result of various unmet needs. The number of students from Indigenous communities on campus is extremely low, so they are not necessarily in contact with each other. Isolation is a crucial issue, both because it interferes with a person’s studies and because it has an impact on students’ psychological health.

Many strategies have been recommended for breaking this isolation. Most research on the subject emphasizes the importance of a meeting space and of the presence of elders as tutors. Having access to a physical space set aside for them allows them to meet each other, socialize together, encourage each other, and feel more comfortable.

Indigenous students meet there to work, to get involved in organizing activities, to look for support, to socialize, or just to enjoy the silence which, according to many, is rare in the non-Indigenous population. In other words, it functions as a safe haven, where they can be themselves without needing to make an effort to fit in. Dufour 2015; translated from the original

These comfort zones should not be seen as segregation or a refusal to integrate with the university setting, but rather as safe places to socialize which are necessary for adjusting to university life. Universities that have set up such meeting spaces have had positive results, helping to create a feeling of belonging at the university (Lefebvre-Radelli and Jérôme 2017). To achieve this, however, it’s not enough to simply create a place for the student population. It must be accompanied by many other measures of recognition and support, as Lise Bastien, Director General of the First Nations Education Council (FNEC), warns:

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Unfortunately, at many institutions, the designation of a “safe space” like a room or common area, is seen as sufficient for recognizing the present of First Nations people at the institution and supporting Indigenous students in their university careers and experiences. Despite the importance of such spaces for First Nations individuals, these rooms can rapidly become the same thing as a reservation: a place reserved for First Nations members inside a larger territory (here the university), outside of which other people can continue to ignore the presence of First Nations people. This measure, therefore, cannot have any real effect unless it’s accompanied and backed up by other, simultaneous measures of visibility and support for First Nations students. Lefebvre-Radelli and Jérôme 2017; translated from the original

Organizing activities and events for Indigenous students can also help break their isolation.

Another strategy, according to the Indigenous persons Dufour (2015) spoke with, would be to have contact people available on campus for Indigenous students. Universities already offer psychosocial support to their students. They do not necessarily need to duplicate these resources and create ones exclusively dedicated to Indigenous students. However, it’s important to have a contact person who can assist Indigenous students and direct them towards the proper services. From shyness or fear of stigma, many Indigenous persons do not visit their universities’ services of their own accord.

The presence of a contact person with an Indigenous background is therefore of vital importance. They can stay in contact with Indigenous students, inform them of what services are available, help them identify their own needs, and assist them in meeting those needs. Besides having one or more contact people available to a university’s Indigenous population, the presence of Indigenous Elders at a university can be enormously helpful. Elders are highly respected in Indigenous communities, and can offer a form of psychosocial support which a non-Indigenous person would have much more difficulty in providing.

Last, but not least, is the issue of the racism and/or stigma which Indigenous students can suffer at university and in Quebec society (such as when looking for housing). The situation seems to vary between regions and even between institutions. For example, “[...] while discrimination and direct racism were identified as a major problem at Val-d’Or (Cazin 2005:16), students at Université Laval in Quebec City reported less of those problems (Rodon 2008:30)” (in Lefebvre- Radelli and Jérôme 2017; translated from the original). Furthermore, that study’s participants explained that Montreal was a unique case, because of its distance from many Indigenous communities and the relative lack of media coverage of Indigenous issues. In contrast, racism was expressed more directly in some cities such as Sept-Îles, even if it was more present in the city than within educational institutions (Lefebvre-Radelli and Jérôme 2017).

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In any event, it is important for universities (including staff and non-Indigenous students) to greatly improve their awareness of Indigenous culture and issues. Culturally adapted services and activities which valorize Indigenous cultures can also represent an opening up of institutions and a recognition of First Peoples. Organizing events can also provide the opportunity to educate the rest of the university community about Indigenous culture and issues. We must not only make more of a place for Indigenous culture within our universities, but also educate and train university staff on the realities that Indigenous students live with. This will contribute to the fight against discrimination and thereby make institutions more culturally safe for their Indigenous populations.

1.2.4 Cultural Factors – Needs Stemming from a Feeling of Conflicted Loyalties

Dufour’s research (2015) among Indigenous students in Montreal found that there was often a conflict of loyalties. The Indigenous students often felt torn between their culture of origin and the university culture. They were likely to experience an ongoing feeling of “betraying” their culture.

Dufour’s work has shown that creating Indigenous Studies programs and incorporating courses on Indigenous issues, histories, and cultures can alleviate this feeling of betrayal and contribute positively to the retention or attrition of Indigenous students. Learning about their community allows them to contribute to their community.

Universities should explore these types of solutions, since offering courses on Indigenous cultures can have an impact on students’ university careers, according to AUCC recommendations and the work of Dufour (2015), Lefebvre-Radelli and Jérôme (2017), Loiselle (2010), and Joncas (2013). Having access to programs and courses on Indigenous cultures alleviates the feeling of conflicting loyalties by connecting programs to Indigenous students’ career plans. The desire to contribute to bettering their community (Loiselle 2010) by becoming a skilled and useful human resource can be a major factor in educational perseverance for Indigenous students. Indigenous Studies programs and programs oriented towards professional work in an Indigenous context are thus a useful way to motivate Indigenous students to enroll, and also to motivate those enrolled in such programs to persevere. Additionally, creating such programs and courses demonstrates a university’s willingness to include and welcome Indigenous students.

April 2018 20 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities 2. RECOMMENDATIONS, REQUESTS, AND DEMANDS OF VARIOUS INDIGENOUS GROUPS

As part of this review of best practices for welcoming and supporting the Indigenous population of Quebec universities, the QSU met with various Indigenous organizations working on this issue, particularly the First Nations Education Council (FNEC), Femmes autochtones du Québec (FAQ) [Indigenous Women of Quebec], and the Réseau des centres d’amitié autochtones du Québec (RCAAQ) [Network of Native Friendship Centers of Quebec]. Most of these organizations are national coalitions. Somewhat like QSU, therefore, they represent many other organizations. Since they come from a range of backgrounds, we had the opportunity to hear the opinions of community-based groups as well as groups representing the First Nations in various levels of government. Given that they are the experts on this subject, we wanted to make certain that our recommendations for welcoming and supporting best practices were in tune with the reality of the situation. Thus, the following sections serve as a sort of summary of our meetings with these groups. Some observations will overlap with the themes of section three. Please note that our best practice recommendations will be given primarily in section three, unless a topic was only addressed by the Indigenous coalitions.

2.1 CHANGES IN TEACHING

During our meetings with the First Nation groups, each of them expressed their desire to see university programs include Indigenous people in the curriculum, and to do so in multiple ways. According to them, programs should be culturally and academically relevant for Indigenous participants, especially in the humanities and social sciences. It is important, especially in the RCAAQ’s opinion, that the work of incorporating these subjects happen not only in existing Indigenous Studies programs, but in all programs. For example, history courses should give the First Peoples a significant role rather than an afterthought. We must review our portrayals of First Peoples, especially in textbooks. Likewise, according to the First Nations, philosophy and literature courses must give a more prominent place to their worldview and works. This would be a simple way for Indigenous persons to feel included in university programs.

As part of improving university training, the Indigenous organizations expressed to us their desire to see professions adapt to meet the realities experienced by the First Nations. They indicated the need for a more humane and sensitive approach. They, and particularly the FNEC, feel that university curricula should include a course on Indigenous peoples’ realities, particularly in the context of services for that population. For example, a medical or social work student would be

April 2018 21 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities required to take a course on Indigenous people’s experiences. These professionals would then be in a position to carry out their work with a better understanding of the issues the First Peoples face.

Recommendation 1 That Quebec universities revise their programs to teach Indigenous arts, literature, culture, and realities in programs related to those disciplines.

Recommendation 2: That Quebec universities integrate training into the curricula of future service professionals which will equip them to understand and address the realities of Indigenous clients, especially for those students who will work in the service sector, such as education, health, and social services.

2.2 SYSTEMIC EXCLUSION AND UNDERSTANDING OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Quebec universities have tended, probably unknowingly, to commit certain errors which lead to the systemic exclusion of Indigenous persons. One striking example, reported to us by an Indigenous organization, is that of a university which used an admissions questionnaire for First Peoples to self-identify. Such questionnaires are not an inherently bad idea, but in this case, the institution used the term “Indian” rather than “Indigenous.” This term, which is awkward and no longer socially acceptable, was used in the 20th century, and refers to an entirely different nationality from that of a First Nations member. “Indigenous” would have been far better, but the ideal choice for something like a self-identification questionnaire would be to include various Indigenous nations (such as Attikamek or Huron-Wendat) as options. It’s important to understand that Indigenous peoples are not a single people, but a collection of many nations residing in many different territories. The groups we met with also indicated the importance of avoiding all references to terms connected with more colonialist eras of our history. Words such as “Amerindian” or “integration” should not be used. Also, Indigenous persons’ realities should not be treated as a “problematic reality” in any university policies. All the organizations we met with criticized such situations.

Recommendation 3: That Quebec universities do real work to understand the realities of Indigenous students when implementing their policies

April 2018 22 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities

2.3 FUNDING ACCESS TO A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

As stated above, the First Nations benefit from a dedicated program for student financial aid, the PSSSP. While any program of direct individual aid can be modified, it’s not clear that these modifications would be of any real benefit to the PSSSP. Some ideas were put forward by the organizations we met with, including for AFE [student financial aid]. For many reasons, a person from an Indigenous community could have little or no access to the PSSSP. On the other hand, that is not to say that such a person would lack access to the Quebec system of loans and scholarships. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the Indigenous population seem to be unaware that they have access to the student financial aid system. According to the groups we spoke to, publicizing that information could be a simple way to help many Indigenous students with their financial situation.

Recommendation 4: That student associations work to publicize access for Indigenous students to the Student Financial Aid program.

Many other ideas were put forward during our meetings with the Indigenous coalitions. Since those ideas have also been put forward in the literature on the subject, our positions on them will be addressed in the next section.

April 2018 23 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities 3. ACCESS TO A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND INDIGENOUS STUDENT SUCCESS: BEST PRACTICES

When Universities Canada made Indigenous education one of its priorities in 2015, it created certain resources for Canadian universities and for future Indigenous students. The organization developed 13 principles and 5 measures, in collaboration with Indigenous communities. The member organizations of Universities Canada were all expected to adhere to these principles, and to engage in ongoing consideration of ways to meet their commitments and establish measures to promote Indigenous access to and success in the higher education system. However, the 13 principles were relatively vaguely written, and did not suggest very concrete actions to take. This is no doubt standard; Universities Canada probably wanted to leave plenty of room for institutions to develop their own policies. There is also a fair amount of variation among Canadian universities’ policies for welcoming and supporting Indigenous persons. While some Canadian universities have many long-established measures, others, particularly in Quebec, still have plenty of work ahead of them. Thus, it was probably necessary to make the principles as broad as possible so they could apply to all.

Thus, to the best of our knowledge, there is no list of best practices for universities. Universities Canada does suggest certain courses of action, and some studies have put out recommendations for addressing the problems they addressed. The best practices featured in this document were targeted because they seem to represent a consensus among the experts and organizations we consulted. They constitute basic and intermediate measures for improving Indigenous access to university study and for better supporting Indigenous students, in order to promote their welcome, perseverance, and success.

The FNEC Director General’s warning about setting aside a space for a university’s Indigenous population can of course be generalized to all of these best practices. Implementing only a few of these measures is likely to be highly insufficient. Universities should not seek only to set up some measures that seem easy and inexpensive, even though every effort to better support Indigenous students should be applauded. It’s important to understand that nearly all these measures are interrelated, and that implementing them demonstrates a major opening up and a culture change. It may take many years before the positive effects can be clearly measured, but implementing these best practices will certainly improve matters for Quebec university students.

April 2018 24 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities

3.1 SETTING UP A GATHERING SPACE

A gathering space should be made available to Indigenous students for all the reasons mentioned above, and largely to overcome isolation and give Indigenous persons a safe space. This does not mean only setting aside a place, but also to consolidate various services there. This should be a location where Indigenous persons can gather and socialize, where events are organized, where the contact person for Indigenous students works, etc. This place should be clearly identified, and information about it communicated to Indigenous students as soon as they begin their university career. According to FAQ, it’s easy for universities to set up this kind of initiative.

Recommendation 6 That Quebec universities create an accessible, vibrant, and secure gathering place on their campuses for Indigenous students, and that they publicize its existence.

3.2 HIRING INDIGENOUS CONTACT PEOPLE

It’s very important for Indigenous students to be able to benefit from personalized advising and mentoring from a person who understands their situation. According to the First Nations, this is currently too often reliant on an enthusiastic individual, such as a faculty advisor who’s interested in their situation, rather than on any real institutional policy. Because of this, universities should ideally hire an Indigenous person to take on that task. It’s important for one person to have an initial contact with new Indigenous students, remain available to answer their questions, and help to coordinate projects or events. This person does not necessarily need to be a psychosocial worker; they could simply direct students in need to the appropriate services. Without such a person, an Indigenous student might never ask for help, because of shyness or fear of stigma from university staff. Also, this person could be a valuable resource for the university as well, in terms of assessing the impact of the university’s measures and staying in touch with the needs of the Indigenous student population.

Recommendation 7 That Quebec universities commit to at least one contact person, ideally Indigenous, who would be responsible for assisting Indigenous students throughout their time at university.

April 2018 25 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities

3.3 PERMITTING SELF-IDENTIFICATION

Every university can inquire with INAC to learn which of their students are receiving financial aid from the PSSSP, and thus can get a general idea of the number of Indigenous students enrolled in any of their programs. However, not all Indigenous persons receive PSSSP funding, whether because of a lack of available funds or because of ineligibility. Such students certainly have their own specific needs, and should be supported by their educational institutions. As discussed above, it’s extremely possible that they will not ask for help on their own initiative. Permitting Indigenous students to self-identify allows the university to not only have a better idea of their Indigenous student population, but also to communicate with these students and offer them personalized assistance. For these reasons, it should be possible for a person to self-identify as Indigenous while applying to university or at any other time in their university career. Indeed, the studies mentioned earlier state that many Indigenous people choose not to identify themselves for fear of stigmatization. By allowing them to self-identify at any time, a university increases the chances that they will make themselves known to the appropriate services. As stated in section 2, it is important that a self-identification questionnaire take First Peoples’ realities into consideration. Thus it’s important to include identification by nation when making the questionnaire.

Self-identification forms should also always spell out why this information is being gathered. For example, they should explain that this will allow an Indigenous contact person to reach out to students to offer them personalized assistance and that they will receive information which is especially relevant to them, such as information about specific events or various services specifically available to them. In other words, care should be taken so that self-identification is not seen as potentially stigmatizing.

April 2018 26 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities

3.4 ORGANIZING, ENCOURAGING, AND SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS CULTURAL

ACTIVITIES

Dufour’s research (2015) and our meetings with various Indigenous coalitions showed the extent of the positive impact that cultural security can have on an Indigenous student’s university career. When a university supports events associated with Indigenous culture, it contributes to community awareness and creates a more welcoming environment for Indigenous persons. Furthermore, these events are opportunities for the university’s Indigenous community members to meet each other and to have important and valuable conversations. There are many types of potential activity: pow wows, creative workshops, communal meals, reading circles, conferences, etc. They are often organized by an Indigenous coalition present in the majority of universities, and should ideally be supported by staff members, especially the Indigenous contact person. It’s important for these type of events to be facilitated by university administrations, such as with logistical and/or financial help.

Recommendation 9 That Quebec universities encourage and support Indigenous initiatives and the organization of Indigenous cultural activities on campus.

3.5 REVIEWING AND ADAPTING ADMISSIONS POLICY

There are still too few Indigenous professionals, and even fewer among them have a university degree. Indigenous communities need qualified people in different domains to improve members’ living conditions and foster general economic growth. Meeting society’s needs is part of the university system’s mission, and Indigenous communities have many needs which could be partly met by a greater number of qualified workers from Indigenous backgrounds.

In Canadian universities, there are not many admissions processes targeted at this issue (FAÉCUM 2016). The best known of those few is Dr. Stanley Vollant’s initiative in Quebec medicine schools: four places are reserved for Indigenous students with an R score of at least 27. Dr. Vollant was the first Indigenous surgeon in Quebec, and was admitted to medical school thanks to the discretionary power of the associate dean at the time (Lefebvre-Radelli and Jérôme 2017). Another rare case is Université de Sherbrook, which established a process in 2017 to facilitate Indigenous students’ access to law school (Radio-Canada 2017).

April 2018 27 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities

We mentioned above that Indigenous students in Quebec can incur learning deficits caused by problems in the primary and secondary school systems of Indigenous communities. Indigenous applicants therefore find themselves at a disadvantage compared to non-Indigenous applicants. Quebec universities should demonstrate greater openness towards Indigenous applicants to help them bridge the gap between the number of Indigenous and non-Indigenous university graduates. One of the greatest reasons why universities have hesitated to carry out this accommodation is probably concern for the retention and success of admitted students. After all, aren’t admission criteria based on the workload and difficulty of the programs in question? Lefebvre-Radelli and Jérôme (2017) suggest, as in medical schools, reserving some places for Indigenous students in some quota programs. This doesn’t mean admitting anyone who applies. Instead, it means reviewing admissions criteria with an eye to facilitating Indigenous access and basing criteria on the true difficulty of the program, and not hoping to admit only the best of the best. In short, promoting Indigenous access to university study will happen through a willingness to adjust some strict policies, such as admissions policy. Other, similar measures can also be taken: admitting a person after an interview (Lefebvre-Radelli and Jérôme 2017), having a specialized service routinely review Indigenous applicants’ files after they’re refused admission (UBC 2017), adapting linguistic requirements, etc.

Recommendation 10 That Quebec universities, in parallel with implementing a welcome and support policy for their Indigenous students, reflect critically on their admissions policies.

3.6 TRAINING UNIVERSITY FACULTY AND STAFF

As discussed above, Indigenous students may not know where to look for support, or may even fear stigmatization in asking for help (Dufour 2015). While having a contact person to direct them towards appropriate services certainly has a positive impact, it remains necessary for the university community to be aware of Indigenous students’ cultural differences. This helps to reduce Indigenous students’ fear of being the victims of prejudice. Since the relationship between staff, faculty, and Indigenous students is particularly important to their educational success (Joncas 2013), it’s advisable for staff to have a basic level of awareness and understanding of Indigenous persons and issues. According to the Indigenous organizations we spoke to, this could have an effect on the discrimination and racism that Indigenous persons face. It would also be ideal to try to have more representatives of Indigenous communities as faculty and staff at Quebec

April 2018 28 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities universities. This would not only give Indigenous students greater access to people who understand their situation and can serve as role models, but also demonstrates that the institution can put its inclusivity into practice.

Recommendation 11 That Quebec universities train faculty and staff to better equip them to welcome and support the university’s Indigenous members.

3.7 VALORIZING INDIGENOUS CULTURE AND PRESENCE

The practices set forth in this document are intended to help universities recognize the presence of Indigenous students on their campuses. While the number of Indigenous persons at Quebec universities may be fairly small so far, that number is expected to increase, especially if support measures are put in place. Institutional recognition could take many forms. For example, it might include policies and institutional action plans to support student success, the creation of scholarships, or campus planning. The needs of Indigenous students should be taken into account in drafting institutional documents, but also in a more symbolic recognition. Quebec universities should seek to give Indigenous culture a greater place on-campus (with art or events, for example), to valorize their Indigenous students’ success, and to recognize the existence of nearby Indigenous communities.

Recommendation 12 That Quebec universities incorporate within their policies a valorization and recognition of the presence and value of Indigenous students.

3.8 REVIEWING AVAILABLE PROGRAMS

As described above, if an Indigenous student has the option to enroll in a university program which lets them deepen their knowledge of their culture or prepares them to work professionally within their community, that can have a major effect on both the university’s enrollments and the student’s perseverance in their studies. It’s important for universities to offer programs on the culture and history of Indigenous populations, as well as programs adapted to their life experiences and environments. Here we are speaking both of programs which allow Indigenous persons to learn more about their languages, cultures, and histories, and of professionally oriented programs or tracks which train students to begin professional work in their Indigenous

April 2018 29 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities communities. Programs in Indigenous Studies, Indigenous languages, and Indigenous art are good examples, and so is creating research centres for Indigenous culture and Indigenous issues.

Universities should also work to train professionals for working within in Indigenous communities, in health, education, social services, administration, entrepreneurship, and so on. Finally, as the Indigenous coalitions stated above, universities should consider how to incorporate Indigenous history, culture, and issues within their entire curriculum. This would help to remedy the lack of awareness most non-Indigenous people possess on this subject, and help to fight racism and raise awareness.

Recommendation 13: That Quebec universities offer programs specifically devoted to Indigenous culture, history, traditions, and issues.

3.9 MAKING INFORMATION FOR INDIGENOUS STUDENTS MORE EASILY

ACCESSIBLE

Universities Canada has pointed out since the beginning that Indigenous students need to be able to find all the information relevant to them in a single place. That’s why it created a search engine, for finding out which services and accommodations were offered by all the Canadian universities affiliated with it. The studies carried out by Loiselle (2010), Joncas (2013), and especially Dufour (2015) with Indigenous university students also demonstrated this need. It is vital for all information intended for Indigenous persons (present and future) to be centralized. This is also one of the reasons why an on-campus contact person is so important, since they can provide that centralization. Each university should have a webpage dedicated to its current and future Indigenous students. That page should include information such as specific application procedures; the office number, name, and contact info of the contact person; information about Indigenous Studies programs or programs oriented towards work in Indigenous communities; upcoming Indigenous cultural events; and options for scholarships and funding. It should also guide students to relevant support services, including services that are not dedicated exclusively to Indigenous persons: the medical clinic, psychological support, the financial aid office, mentoring programs, linguistic support, residence hall information, etc.

Universities should also make arrangements for an efficient way to inform the entire university community about upcoming events related to Indigenous culture. Indigenous organizations dealing with education have particularly called for this kind of measure.

April 2018 30 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities

Recommendation 14: That Quebec universities centralize the information relevant to Indigenous students on a single webpage, and that that centralization include publicizing resources available for welcoming and supporting Indigenous students.

3.10 CREATING TIES TO COMMUNITIES

In many Indigenous communities, university study is seen as difficult and inaccessible (Loiselle 2010, Dufour 2015, Lefebvre-Radelli and Jérôme 2017). Many Indigenous youth identify the fear of failure as a major obstacle to higher education for them (Dufour 2015). In addition, many Indigenous persons still mistrust the “Québécois” educational system, because of the fear of assimilation associated with education (Loiselle 2010). This is one of the historical scars left by the long history of Residential Schools, and can be difficult to overcome. According to the Indigenous coalitions, universities should seek to create ties with their local Indigenous communities. Besides giving them better opportunity to organize Indigenous culture events on- campus, the presence of universities (and academics!) within Indigenous communities can help demystify university study. Some faculties have organized workshops for Indigenous youth, to inform them about particular domains and get them interested in university study. These initiatives are still far too rare, especially among Quebec’s francophone universities.

Recommendation 15 That Quebec universities create ties and develop partnerships with Indigenous communities, with a view to demystifying university study and mutual understanding.

April 2018 31 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities 4. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN QUEBEC UNIVERSITIES

In 2015, Universities Canada built an online directory for Indigenous students, so that they could do searches on the 78 universities in the Universities Canada network. This directory was intended to give a better understanding of which universities offered Indigenous Studies programs or programs aimed at working in Indigenous communities, as well as to provide information on the services and accommodations available to Indigenous students in each university. The goal was to consolidate key information and make it available to Canadian Indigenous persons to facilitate their access to post-secondary education. It’s tempting to see it, therefore, as a useful tool for comparing Quebec universities to each other or even to other Canadian universities, in terms of the programs and services they offer Indigenous students. However, the Universities Canada directory has an inconvenient limitation. Not everything is listed there, and some of the services touted in the directory are actually offered to the entire student body rather than specifically to Indigenous students. This can lead to confusion.

Still, it can be used to make some broad, general observations. For example, scanning the programs and services offered in universities in Canada’s western provinces shows that, in general, they have made considerable efforts to attract and accommodate Indigenous students, especially in academic support and cultural services adapted to their needs. In Quebec, the situation looks extremely different. In order to get the most accurate picture possible, we researched the student services available in Quebec’s large universities. This data was gathered in the summer of 2017.

We wanted to know what universities had already hired a contact person, and which had dedicated a space for their Indigenous population. Even among universities which did well on these two criteria, situations varied from one institution to the next. For example, McGill University and UQAC each have three employees dedicated to advising and supporting Indigenous students, whereas Université de Montréal has only one. The number and size of gathering places available to Indigenous students varied similarly.

The same variability was observed with the organization and existence of activities, events, and services related to Indigenous culture. In the universities where we saw more cultural activities (listed in green in Table 3), those activities were co-hosted by administrative units or services (student services, etc.) along with student groups. Many participants pitched in and valued holding this type of event, which is the reason we see so many of them on those campuses. Elsewhere, such as at UQAM and UQO, event organization often relied solely on the volunteer efforts of

April 2018 32 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities student groups or on marginal initiatives of a few academic units. At UQAT, for example, almost nothing is organized by the university itself, since it prefers to emphasize cultural activities organized by nearby communities.

As for financial support, we checked which universities had created scholarships specifically for Indigenous students. All Quebec universities offered counseling services and financial aid, but some only directed students towards government programs, without providing any of their own funds to support their students in continuing their studies. On the other hand, at UdeM, Université Laval, and UQAC, there are scholarship programs for rewarding academic excellence in Indigenous students.

We also surveyed which schools have Indigenous Studies programs or programs preparing students for professional work in Indigenous communities. These two possibilities are listed separately in our summary table. Finally, we tried to see which universities have maintained ties with Indigenous communities. Not surprisingly, the ones with the closest ties are the ones which are geographically closest to such communities, and which already have Indigenous Studies programs and related services. It’s difficult to qualify such ties. Institutions like UQAC, McGill, and UQAT maintain a privileged relationship with certain neighboring communities. UQAC, for example, has used its Centre des Premières Nations Nikanite [Nikanite First Nations Centre] to work directly with Indigenous communities as well as welcoming and advising Indigenous students. McGill has a similar centre, which visits Mohawk communities and welcomes Indigenous Elders. These ties are official and longstanding. Other universities have made similar efforts, but in a more marginal way, and thus they’re listed in yellow in our summary table. For example, Université de Montréal organizes mini-schools in law and medicine to familiarize some communities with these programs. Such initiatives are commendable, but they usually depend on the involvement of individual staff or students rather than a real, organized institutional commitment.

The portrait we have painted here does not claim to be rooted in a systematic scientific study, but it does aim to better orient student associations who would like to begin working towards a better welcome for Indigenous students in their universities, in connection with the list of best practices above. Many universities are now considering the issue of welcoming and supporting Indigenous students. Therefore, we expect the situation to change over time, and we hope for the better.

The table below provides a summary of the information discussed above. It reveals the measures established and planned by Quebec universities. Green squares represent the presence of a real and established institutional effort. Yellow squares mean there are no real policies in place, and

April 2018 33 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities that initiatives depend primarily on the work of individuals or faculties rather than an institutional effort. Red squares highlight the lack of any established measures.

April 2018 34 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities

Table 4: Comparison of Types of Measures in Place at Quebec Universities

Individualized Culture Connections Specific Indigenous Support Meeting (Activities, Financial With University Admissions Studies (Contact Space Events, Support Indigenous Procedures Programs Person) Services) Communities

UdeM Med. 1

Laval Med. and 1 Social Work

UQAM 1, 2 N/A

UdeS Med. and 2 Law

UQTR

UQAC 1, 2

UQO

UQAT 1, 2

UQAR N/A

McGill Med. 1, 2

Concordia 1, 2

Bishop’s N/A

Polytechniqu e

Notes: 1 = One or more Indigenous Studies programs 2 = One or more programs or tracks preparing students to work in an Indigenous context N/A = Available information was insufficient to confirm whether or not ties exist between university administration and Indigenous communities

April 2018 35 CAUCUS014-08 Welcoming and Supporting Indigenous Students in Quebec Universities

CONCLUSION

The problem of how to better welcome and support Indigenous students at universities requires a multifaceted solution. After all, there are numerous reasons explaining the low number of Indigenous students in Quebec universities. Therefore, a university that hopes to address the situation can't rely on a single measure to improve matters. It must take comprehensive and coherent actions that allow members of First Nations communities to feel at home at their university. Universities must demonstrate cultural openness, as well as the importance of supporting Indigenous students throughout their time it university. Indigenous students must be able to see the relevance of a university education and feel valued while at university. To achieve this, resources must be put in place by educational institutions to assist indigenous students, particularly through the hiring of Indigenous staff or persons attuned to Indigenous realities.

There must not be any institutional or economic barriers blocking Indigenous students from pursuing their studies. Universities must act. Very few of them have any real, concrete policies to meet the needs of this population. In developing such policies, Quebec universities must listen to respect First Nations people and their experiences. Student associations must be there to provide support and ensure that universities our avoiding mistakes and working earnestly on the issue.

Finally, all these measures must have a concrete impact on Indigenous populations. Universities will have to make an effort to inform these communities of the measures put in place. Whether it’s a gathering space, a contact person, or programs that are adapted to Indigenous students or of academic interests to them, Indigenous communities must be informed about each action the university takes.

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