Aboriginal students offered funding but no free tuition

Allan Easter, a University 1 student at the University of Manitoba hopeful to get into Business and pursue an Aboriginal Governance Degree or Commerce Degree, is a First Nations person with Treaty Status, part of the Chemawawin Cree Nation, said the reserve population is not successfully informed and integrated when it comes to following academic post-secondary studies.

“Most aboriginal students who come from reserves don’t have access to such information as awards or scholarships. Other sources of funding are limited per student per capita. I didn't know anything about grants or loans. I think we need better networking and more dialogue with First Nations to ensure how the system works.”

Easter said that he gets funding from his band, who receives funding on his behalf through the Post Secondary Student Support Program. The national program gives money to First Nations communities across campus, and is allocated to students for tuition and books, as well as a monthly allowance for the cost of living.

“To apply for this funding I wrote a letter to the chief and council about my intent, I was denied and was advised to try again in the fall of 2007,” said Easter.

Easter also explained that after several times of denying his request through emails and phone calls, he finally decided to go and ask in person. Even then, he was denied. After a few days, they finally agreed to “sponsor” him.

Kerry Spence, an aboriginal student at the U of M in her second year of Human Ecology, explained that she applies to general bursaries as well as scholarships specifically geared towards aboriginal students.

“‘Other than applying for the general bursary that [ . . . ] the U of M [offers], for the funding of my education, I would rather rely on scholarships and bursaries outside of the U of M,” said Spence.

She continued, “You have to go to outer institutions, for example the Business council of Manitoba, the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation and the Foundation for the Benefits of the Aboriginal Youth.”

The Business Council of Manitoba offers, on their website, 800 awards to prospective professionals part of post-secondary programs in medicine, law, accounting, social work and other such programs.

According to Tammy V.L Harper’s thesis, “Aboriginal people make up approximately 14 per cent of the total population of Manitoba, yet they represent seven per cent of the post-secondary enrollments at the universities and six per cent of the total undergraduate student population at the University of Manitoba in 2001.”

To achieve this, U of M has added some scholarships, as well as access programs and support services. Federal and corporate scholarships and bursaries also contribute.

According to the Kali Storm, director of the U of M’s Aboriginal Student Centre, the number of aboriginal students attending post-secondary education has increased drastically.

“Funding for First Nations students has not changed since 1989 [ . . . ] the number of students that want to [attend Post-Secondary-Education] has definitely increased.”

She continued, “You would have a community of 2,000 people [ . . . ] and you have maybe two people wanting to go to school [ . . . ] now that same community might have 200 people [wanting to attend post secondary education].”

The U of M, in partnership with several governmental financial aid and awards programs, such as the “Aboriginal Bursary System” and the “Canada Student Grant Program” on a national level and the “Manitoba Métis Federation Inc.” and the ”Business Council of Manitoba are some of the agencies that provide funding to aboriginal students,” provincially.

Easter said he thinks the funding is necessary, but would be creating more efficient results if it was more publicized.

“I once heard a chief say ‘there's funding available all over the place, you just need to know where to look.’ I really believe that if aboriginal students knew where to find funding we could. I don’t think it’s easy to go about finding the proper resources. If we do find funding we have to figure out the technicalities such as qualification, entrance level experiences, grade averages, what part of the province you live in.”

In order to provide their aboriginal students with financial aid, academic institutions, such as the U of M, support aboriginal governmental programs such as the Business Council of Manitoba.

Easter also mentioned that the best way to help aboriginal students is for the provincial government to keep tuition fees low.

He continued, “[To] provide programs on First Nation reserves and actively enlist those who are interested or eligible for post secondary education. The federal government can increase funding to universities across Canada to provide more funding for all students including aboriginal students.

Patricia Valladao, the senior communications advisor for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, said all aboriginal students are eligible for the Canada Student Loans program, as well as new grants introduced this year that provide $250 or $100 per month to low- or middle-income students, respectively.

According to Easter, “there is lots of room for improvement.”

Storm also indicated that the same pressure that applies to all students affects aboriginal students as well, but aboriginal students also have to worry about the judgment they might receive from the community.

“There is a lot of pressure to succeed and if you don’t succeed, you start to struggle there is that kind of pressure [ . . . ] and if you do succeed you have pressure again because you have your community members, ‘Aw you think you better than us now.’”

Easter also stated “[With] the largest group of the aboriginal population being in Manitoba, the U of M should actively recruit eligible students from high schools across the province in rural areas, isolated areas and urban areas where most, if not all, aboriginal students get their high school diplomas.”

He continued, “The federal government can lift the two per cent cap that it imposed on the funding through the Post-Secondary Student Support Program. Aboriginal people count for more than a million people in the total population of Canada. About half are under 24 years of age and the largest group is in Manitoba. The two per cent cap that was imposed is another obstacle when we want to access funding for post-secondary.”