As the number of Indigenous students and faculty increases, universities have a moral obligation to provide environments that prioritize respect, understanding, and ethical relationships, write Jennifer Brant (University of Toronto) and Frank Deer (University of Manitoba). Brant and Deer stress that cultural safety is crucial, especially in required classes covering Indigenous history and culture. The authors cite findings from their research indicating that both Indigenous students and Indigenous instructors can find these required courses difficult and potentially triggering due to the course content and because many of the non-Indigenous students in the courses have little to no background in Indigenous studies. The authors write that commitments to reconciliation must come with changes that ensure Indigenous students are welcomed and celebrated on campus. Indigenous students must have a learning environment in which they are “respected, safe and free to express their cultural identities without discrimination,” they conclude.
