Thank you very much.
On the transitional programs, we have a program called the aboriginal first year experience program as well as the math and science enrichment program at the University of Saskatchewan. Both programs are meant to give students the basic arts and science classes. It is the stuff they would take no matter which discipline, which college, they go to.
The classes are a lot smaller. They build a sense of community among the students, because they're used to a smaller classroom. Whether they're in their community in high school or are from a rural setting, it's a smaller classroom. They're not overwhelmed by taking biology with 120 to 200 other students. Also, it's easier to ask questions. If they don't know anything, then everybody else looks like that. They understand the content.
There are extra tutorials set aside so that the students can better absorb the content. As well, in our programming we provide monies for extra tutoring outside those tutorials, in case they can't make it, for whatever reason.
There is an English class offered over the summer. What they do is apply, and then they take the class. They get the reading and writing skills, which are critical for being able to do any other papers. It's a slower pace, a more relaxed pace, and they're meeting other individuals who will be taking university classes. So they're already building that community before university starts, before the September rush.
You asked about the discrepancy between the definitions of “full-time student”. I think the reason for that difference is that it's now a competition for funding dollars. When I went to school, there was just me. In that nursing class, there was just me. I was the only Indian in that class. Now there are 32 in Saskatoon, 32 in Regina, and 40 in Prince Albert. That's a lot. That's a lot of competition for those dollars, and I think that's part of the reason. A lot of people are falling through the cracks. There's no question there.
In regard to the space, we have dedicated student lounges for our aboriginal nursing students. It gives them an opportunity to just unwind and come together.
It is an intensive group, and they break them up into smaller groups and they're not all together. It's a smaller group, so that's good, but sometimes someone is the only aboriginal in a smaller group. The lounge gives them an opportunity to come together, talk to each other, and debrief. They can articulate the common problems they're having, or better yet, they can help each other out. They'll share notes and share assignments. The second-year students will help the first-year students navigate their way through, as well, when we're not there. It gives them a sense of belonging. They build a nice community, and that carries them through the four years.
I just had a conversation with one of my students. She was confronted by a non-aboriginal nursing student who said that there was a controversy going on about the aboriginal students. She said that they had heard that the aboriginal students have their own space and that none of the non-aboriginal students are allowed to enter. I'm not sure where that information got circulated. They had also heard that the aboriginal students have special luncheons, and the information that's shared they're not allowed to share with the rest of the students. That's completely false. All we're doing at those luncheons is having a third-year student come in to talk to the second-year students to tell them how to ease the transition into third year.
Right now, how it is in Saskatchewan is that you take first and second year at one campus, and you take third and fourth year at another campus. So there's fragmentation. When you transition into third year, that student said, this is the best way to do it. They can tell you that when your teachers say to read the cardiology and neurology notes before September starts, do it, because they expect you to have read them by September; it's common knowledge.