FNUC Students Protest Westerlund Departure

FNUC Students Protest Westerlund Departure

Wednesday, December 09, 2009 at 11:07

 

 

Students at the First Nations University of Canada are speaking out about the recent termination of a senior financial official.

 

Last week, Murray Westerlund was either fired or left after mutually agreeing to do so with the university, depending on who you ask.

 

Cadmus Delorme speaks for FNUC’s students’ association.

 

Delorme says students need to be sitting at the table with the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, the province and the university’s senior management when they try to deal with this recent development.

 

“Everybody tries to make it sound so good — you know, ‘We’re doing this for the students. This is for the students.’ Well, they have no student representative at that level, and we say, ‘If you are trying to say that this is all done for the students, then we want a seat. We want our concerns to be heard,'” he says.

 

Delorme says letters have been sent to the three parties, and so far FSIN Chief Guy Lonechild has responded, saying he’d like to hear from the students.

 

Delorme is encouraged by that.

 

He says students heard Westerlund was let go without cause, which concerns them.

 

He wonders how the university will find someone as qualified and good at their job as Westerlund.