Grievance Dismissal Will Help FNUC: Pratt

Grievance Dismissal Will Help FNUC: Pratt

Tuesday, November 03, 2009 at 13:37

 

 

The president of the First Nations University of Canada says a decision handed down last week will improve the university’s image.

 

Last week, arbitrators dismissed five grievances filed against the university by the University of Regina Faculty Association (URFA) in 2005.

 

The faculty association is a member of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT).

 

According to a FNUC press release, CAUT censured the university based on these grievances.

 

FNUC president Charles Pratt says the censure has impacted the university’s external relations.

 

Pratt says both the decision made last week and one made earlier this year will help fix the university’s tarnished public image.

 

“This decision, coupled with the ruling in the Dr. Blair Stonechild case, should help clear our name. This past May, it was found by the courts that (FNUC faculty member) Dr. Stonechild’s academic freedom was not violated, since the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the final appeal. And we hope this recent decision by the arbitration board finally puts to rest any concerns that arose out of the February 2005 events,” he says.

 

Dr. Stonechild’s grievance had to do with a withdrawal of his invitation to be the keynote speaker at a national symposium on post-Secondary Education Policy and Funding, organized by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations and held at FNUC in the spring of 2005.

 

Pratt says the university can now focus on expanding its programs.