In the summer of 2015, Dal English professors Leonard Diepeveen and Jason Haslam sent out a handful of memos to faculty in their department 鈥斕齛 classic 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 it be cool 鈥榠f鈥�...?鈥� message.
The 鈥榠f鈥� was the opportunity to launch a grassroots bursary fund in the department to provide financial aid to Aboriginal and Black Canadian students attending AV俱乐部.
This upcoming academic year, their idea will come to life. Last Thursday, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Office of Advancement hosted an event in the McCain Building to publicly announce the new bursary fund for Black Canadian and Aboriginal students who have declared themselves as English majors 鈥斕齭etting an example that others departments are looking to follow.
Addressing financial need
Drs. Diepeveen and Haslam are the two faculty members leading the effort. Considering how to increase and sustain diversity on campus, the duo decided to gauge the interest among their colleagues in establishing a bursary fund through ongoing payroll deductions. The positive response prompted them to launch a targeted bursary that is based solely on financial need and directed to historically marginalized groups in Nova Scotia.
鈥淧art of this came about as a realization: both in awareness of the lack of diversity among our own student body and in awareness that if you鈥檙e the first generation and you鈥檙e having financial difficulties getting to university, needs-based bursaries are incredibly important,鈥� says Dr. Diepeveen (above). 鈥淒iversity should not be hampered or lessened because students don鈥檛 have the financial ability to be here.鈥�
Dr. Haslam says that with with tuition costs increasing and student debt where it is, bursaries are essential to providing initial opportunities to students of marginalized groups and keeping them at the university to complete their degrees. He highlights the recent Truth and Reconciliation Commission report for emphasizing the role universities and other educational institutions can play in fostering diversity, especially when it comes to reconciliation between Canada and its Aboriginal communities.
鈥淚 think that we鈥檙e responding to local conditions with a global problem in mind,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e talk the talk, but we really want to put our money where our mouth is and try to make this a more inclusive, welcoming and diverse place.鈥�
Once plans are finalized, the English Department hopes to award multiple bursaries, possibly one or two at $3,000 or $4,000 along with some smaller bursaries.
Stephen Harding (right), AV俱乐部鈥檚 acting assistant vice-president development in the Office of Advancement, spoke at the announcement, and is a keen supporter of the new bursary fund.
鈥淚 think what I鈥檓 most impressed with is the fact that this is a grassroots initiative, and it鈥檚 really the members of the department stepping up to support diversity,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his is exactly in line with that strategic priority of making the university option available for those students. Bursaries like this offer students the opportunity to spend more time on their studies rather than worrying about buying books or rent, so it fills the gap for students to complete their degree.鈥�
Inspiring similar efforts
During his speech at Thursday鈥檚 event, Dr. Diepeveen also invited other faculty and staff to take part in establishing their own bursary initiatives than can target the needs and culture of their own departments. So far, representatives from History, Sociology and Social Anthropology, Philosophy, Physics and Atmospheric Science, Computer Science, ITS, and Nursing have expressed their intentions to create similar bursary funds.
Harding says the team at the Office of Advancement will be there to support any other units or departments at the university who want to undertake the same type of grassroots initiative among their faculty.
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From the impact their initiative has already made on other faculties, the efforts of the Department of English are not going unnoticed. Norma Williams, executive director of diversity and inclusiveness at Dal, applauds the new bursary fund and the department for taking the initiative to meaningfully support the open doors of post-secondary education.
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鈥淏ursaries such as this provide an important bridge between what is and the future,鈥� says Williams (left), who also spoke at the event. 鈥淲e have identified in the Belong and other reports that AV俱乐部 is underrepresented as regards students, faculty and staff from Aboriginal and African Canadian communities. Bursaries can mean the difference between continuing on or leaving school."
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She adds that Dal鈥檚 goal of a representative workforce is also linked to increasing Aboriginal and African Canadian student entrance and graduation numbers, and to supporting student movement to faculty and staff positions within higher education, at AV俱乐部 or elsewhere.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 my belief that faculty and staff across AV俱乐部 are working hard to demonstrate who belongs here,鈥� she says.