campus: First Nations students seek support through levy
Stephen Hui, News Editor

Citing the disparity between the percentages of the aboriginal and general population that enrol in post-secondary education, a levy has been proposed to provide an established source of funding for First Nations student resources at Simon Fraser University.

The SFU First Nations Student Association currently does not receive funding from either the university administration or Simon Fraser Student Society.

During the SFSS general elections from April 2 to 4 students will have the opportunity to cast their vote in a referendum on the proposed levy to fund the FNSA.

The question on the ballots will be: "Do you support funding the SFU First Nations Student Association at a cost of $0.75 per full-time student per semester for the purposes of community building, cultural awareness and support services. This will increase the Student Activity Fee by $0.75 per full-time student per semester."

FNSA organisers said "it is vital for peer-based services to be available that recognise the cultural perspective and position of aboriginal students."

FNSA student representative Wade Dorvault told the student society forum the funding would help increase the visibility of First Nations on campus. The subsidy would protect services for aboriginal students, said Erma Robinson, also from the FNSA.

Dorvault said there are 40 students at SFU that have identified themselves to the First Nations Resource Centre. More than 80 per cent of those are over 30 years old and most have children. He also commented on the inadequacy of the First Nations Studies program at SFU.

The Student Society approved the referendum question unanimously and voted to support a "yes" campaign.

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