The new school year has started, and the previous suspension of Indigenous Studies has sparked criticism on campus over the university’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. As Truth and Reconciliation Day occurred on Sept. 30, many Indigenous members of the staff and students had highlighted concerns surrounding York University’s efforts towards decolonization.
These concerns have been continuously raised by students and faculty within the Indigenous Studies program, with Indigenous Studies faculty member and program coordinator Professor Brock Pitawanakwat stating that the ongoing suspension is “definitely a problem— it prevents us from recruiting new students who are applying to study at York directly from high school.” He has noticed that many students continue to have doubts and raise concerns about York’s commitment to Indigenous higher education.
Provost and Academic VP Lisa Philipps previously stated that the initial suspension stemmed from a lack of interest in the program. In addition to the decline in interest in the program, she stated that in 2023 the Auditor General used enrollment levels as a benchmark for suspending admissions:. “Programs that in total across four years for an undergraduate program have less than 50 students—- that was their, quite arbitrary, benchmark that they set up.” She did emphasize that its suspension does not equal elimination – York University is planning to reopen admissions in collaboration with faculty colleagues in the Indigenous Studies program this fall. “They have come up with a number of really interesting, promising ideas about how they would like to redesign the program, and we are reopening admissions this fall,” Philipps added.
But what of the commitments to Truth and Reconciliation? Philipps has reaffirmed York University’s commitments, stating that the university remains fully committed to “our decolonizing equity, diversity and inclusion strategy, our Indigenous framework, and to meeting and rising to the TRC Calls to Action for educational institutions.” In addition to this, York University is also committed to increasing the available hiring positions for Indigenous scholars, as well as welcoming more Indigenous students to campus by increasing the amount of available scholarships.
Despite the criticism and campus discourse, the reopening of Indigenous Studies this fall is a positive outcome for students looking to participate in the program. Students now have the option to apply for Indigenous Studies on York University’s official website, meaning these plans have officially gone into motion. Additionally, York University has acknowledged the concerns of the community, with Philipps concluding that she is “confident saying there is no loss of commitment to these areas of study and these areas of scholarship and to these colleagues.” Professor Brock Pitawanakwat has also noticed students continuing to apply, stating that he is “very grateful to them for continuing to enroll in our courses and program offerings from the certificate right through to the specialized honours degree.”
However, in the context of Truth and Reconciliation Day, some might feel more could be done to ensure Indigenous Studies remains a permanent fixture so this does not happen again.
