StFX, UNB improve access to higher education with programs, policies

St Francis Xavier University and the University of New Brunswick have recently announced new or expanded programs and policies that improve access to higher education for underrepresented groups. StFX’s Rankin School of Nursing will be expanding the number of prioritized seats for Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotian students. Starting in 2025, 15% of admissions to the nursing school’s programs will be prioritized for self-identified Mi’kmaq and African NS students. UNB has adopted a new policy for smudging and pipe ceremonies on campus that creates designated spaces for these cultural practices, rather than requiring special permission from security. “It’s only in the past 50 some years that we’ve been allowed to practice our ceremonies again,” explained Elder Jeannie Bartibogue, who is the Kcicihtuwinut (Knowledge Carrier-in-Residence) at UNB’s Mi’kmaq-Wolastoqey Centre. “So, we want to instill that in our students and in our young people.”