Students hope to see more Indigenous knowledge in courses, representation in faculty at U of M
Beyond Indigenous course requirement, students want more current material woven into their courses
Noah Crossman is proud to be Métis and carries that pride with him as co-president of the Métis University Students' Association and the Indigenous students representative on his faculty's student association at the University of Manitoba.
But Crossman, who is studying psychology, said he'd like to see more Indigenous scholars in the sciences and more Indigenous teachings in his courses, so he can weave two ways of learning together.
"But it's definitely tough and it's because from a broad perspective, science and the university in general is very colonial ... so it's hard to blend those two knowledge systems," said the third-year student, adding he's been doing the work on his own to try and make it easier.
Crossman isn't alone in his desire to see more Indigenous representation at the university.
Students in other faculties at the university CBC News spoke to said they'd like more Indigenous content in courses beyond what's offered in introductory levels, and to see themselves reflected better by those teaching that content.
Ishkode Catcheway, who is taking a master's of community health at the university, said she wants issues facing Indigenous people discussed more in depth in her course material.
"Yes, there are historical things that need to be discussed," said Catcheway, who is from Minegoziibe Anishinabe, formerly known as Pine Creek First Nation.
"But also tying it to current day, tying it to the stereotypes that we see everywhere, that's kind of where I would want things to go further," she said.
Todd Duhamel, who serves as the associate vice-president (Indigenous) research and academic at U of M, said the goal is to make sure every faculty at the university has some sort of Indigenous knowledge or teachings woven into the curriculum, adding students should never graduate from an institution without having that knowledge.
In 2021, the faculty of arts at the university began an Indigenous course requirement, meaning students need at least three credit hours of Indigenous course content in their studies to graduate with an arts degree.
Duhamel said the faculty of science is moving toward that too. Some programs like medicine, dentistry and other health professions have an Indigenous course requirement in admissions criteria, he said.
An example is the Max Rady College of Medicine, which will require applicants for the undergraduate medical education program to complete a three credit hour Indigenous course as a prerequisite as part of a new academic requirement starting fall 2025.
"We really want Indigenous knowledge to be embedded in everything that we do, it shouldn't be in one class you're done you get a checkmark, you move on and you never have to think about it again," he said.
Engagement, language matter, students say
Instructors should also have adequate training when it comes to teaching Indigenous-related content, especially around language they use in the classroom and how they engage with Indigenous students, said Catcheway.
"These professors still should be getting the bare minimum education so they don't say Indian in class," said Catcheway.
Arianna Gamblin, who has her sights set on entering the nursing program and working in her home community of Norway House Cree Nation, also said it can be hard for students when a class has Indigenous content, but it's not taught by an Indigenous person.
"It's just a lot of pan-Indigenizing people," she said. "Obviously a non-Indigenous person would think maybe 'Oh they're Indigenous they must know how to say this Indigenous word.'
"I wish the university would make an effort to Indigenize Indigenous knowledge and learning," said Gamblin.
In a statement to CBC News, the university said all faculty and staff take part in annual anti-racism training, as mandated by the provincial government. That training includes content and self-reflection on Indigenous histories, cultures, and ways of being, reconciliation and addressing anti-Indigenous racism, the statement said.
The statement also said it also offers sessions through UM Indigenous, Centre for Advancement of Teaching and Learning throughout the year for faculty, staff and students to increase their knowledge.
The university also said in its statement it will release its full anti-racism learning framework this spring.
Students hope for more faculty representation
Jory Thomas, who studies architecture and is co-president of the Métis University Students Association, said while she's happy her faculty has put in a lot of work in terms of Indigenous representation, she's always looking to see more.
"There's a lot of European people that come over and they teach here, which is great to hear that perspective," she said. "But because we are designing for the land here and buildings that are on treaty territory, I think it's important to have Indigenous input."
That's something Crossman echoed.
"I think Indigenous teachings should have come from Indigenous people, but I also think that there should be more incorporation of Indigenous teachings in the curricula," he said. "So, that's kind of two opposing ideas that I had that I hadn't really reconciled yet."
Duhamel said the university actively works to recruit Indigenous people to become scholars.
"There's a competition for these people across Canada, so every university is trying to recruit them," he said. "We try our best to be able to recruit the best and brightest professors.
"We want our students to benefit from the diverse ideas that different people bring."
Meanwhile, Crossman said he knows things take time, but also doesn't want to get complacent and wants to keep having dialogue with higher-ups at the school.
"I think we can keep doing work and I'm going to keep advocating for Indigenous students and Indigenous scholars in the faculty of science," he said.
"So we can keep trying to blend those two notes and make it more of a welcoming environment for Indigenous people in general."
