Skip to content

Opinion: Academic says Ford's cuts hurting arts programs at Laurentian and its federated universities

'Already, arts programs are being pressured to cancel lower-enrolment courses,' says Mary Ann Corbiere
laurentian_cropped
Laurentian University. (Supplied)

The recent news that the University of Sudbury president would be resigning as of July 31, less than three years into her five-year term, coupled with dramatic financial cutbacks to Ontario’s post-secondary education sector, are greatly concerning for the future of education in Northern Ontario. 

How should the boards concerned address the drastic implications of these cutbacks? Laurentian University’s response — from what can be gleaned from the odd comment of members of administrations — was to revise its agreements with its federated university partners. 

This is having a disproportionate impact on Laurentian University’s arts programs. Several of these are housed at the University of Sudbury, Thorneloe University, and Huntington University, for instance: Indigenous Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, Philosophy, and French programs such as etudes Journalistiques and Folklore et ethnologie. 

These fields all support the study of arts and culture in the north. In fact, 12 of Laurentian University’s arts programs are delivered exclusively by the federated universities. 

They provide vital ethics and social justice perspectives for students in other Laurentian programs such as Radiation Therapy and Nursing, and also serve as excellent preparation for students going on to medical and law schools.

The drastic revenue losses ensuing from Ford’s and the Laurentian board’s actions put these vital components of a well-rounded university education for students in the north in serious jeopardy. 

Already, arts programs are being pressured to cancel lower-enrolment courses or to engage faculty on individual contracts to teach one course at a time instead of hiring full-time instructors. 

These cuts not only endanger students’ completion rates, they may turn students away from choosing Laurentian University over southern Ontario where they can be better assured of access to full programs of study in the arts. 

And students entering Laurentian master’s programs may now struggle to find supervisors for new research due to the decrease in the university full-time faculty complement, another belt-tightening measure favoured by university administrations. 

A separate but equally important issue is the precarious situation of those part-time faculty who must cobble together several courses so they can earn a meagre income that at best adds up to a bare minimum living wage. 

Many of these excellent faculty have the same qualifications as their full-time colleagues and could leave our Northern communities for larger universities that are more committed to the well-rounded education of future health and business professionals, teachers, and researchers.

The boards of Laurentian University and the University of Sudbury for one seem resolute in ignoring these impacts. 

If they are discussing long-term implications for the viability of the federated institutions, they do so in in-camera meetings. They are disclosing nothing to faculty and staff about what strategies they may be formulating to ensure their B.A. programs remain viable five years hence. 

In the case of the University of Sudbury, the tack being taken is to insist that departments reduce the number of on-campus courses and rely more on online offerings instead. How that tack would increase enrolment is not apparent. 

Ignored also is the pedagogical impact of ballooning class sizes in arts courses for which class discussions are critical in order for students’ engagement with course content. 

Reducing the number of courses also limits the electives that are integral to making an overall program dynamic and attractive to students. 

Faculty are left to fret outside of the boardrooms about whether the programs will be able to even offer enough courses at appropriate levels to ensure their programs’ academic integrity. 

Meanwhile, dollars are being spent on recruitment staff and glossy brochures, measures that have nothing to do with ensuring program quality. 

Despite lacking any solid basis for evaluating whether such measures have any positive impacts on program integrity, the University of Sudbury Board of Regents puts its blind faith that its administration has matters well in hand.  

The program faculty see how the administration’s misguided decisions undermine program integrity, but any concerns they express are completely ignored. 

When their faculty reps on the University of Sudbury Board of Regents try to bring those to the board’s attention, they are told to take them to administration.

They have. If they were heard, they would not be trying to bring them to the board. 

Students’ concerns are likewise ignored, as in the recent situation regarding the University of Sudbury administration’s decision to “not renew” the chaplain’s contract, a decision made without any sound justification. 

Students were concerned enough to start a petition that gathered well over 400 signatures protesting that decision. When one of the most senior faculty members requested to present the petition on behalf of the students to the board members at their June 6, 2019 meeting, that request too was refused. 

If administrations do not listen to those with intimate knowledge of program needs and the supports needed for students’ academic success, how can Laurentian and its federated partners provide the well-rounded education the North needs its professionals to have?  

Must our communities settle for a post-secondary education system that filters out people who want to study equity, philosophy, religion, political or economic issues that affect the well-being of northern communities? 

Since faculty, students and front-line staff are being kept out of these vital negotiations between the province, Laurentian University and the University of Sudbury in particular, the questions must be raised through this print forum. 

Could the boards please give a straight answer on these matters? 

Whatever transition may be necessary throughout the Ford government’s cuts to post-secondary education, they should not jeopardize the academic integrity of Laurentian’s B.A. degrees. 

That risk is best mitigated by the boards collaborating and their administrations listening to those with intimate knowledge of their programs.

Mary Ann Corbiere is an associate professor in the department of Indigenous studies at the University of Sudbury.


Comments

Verified reader

If you would like to apply to become a verified commenter, please fill out this form.