Thread by @UbysseyNews

We're now hearing from Vancouver Provost Andrew Szeri on new appointments to Indigenous Strategic leadership team. Here's that new team:

And here's some of our coverage on Dr. Moss and Dr. Lightfoot's appointments... ubyssey.ca/news/ubc-appoi…

... as well as Dr. Turpel-Lafond. ubyssey.ca/news/ubc-appoi…

Lightfoot, Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs, begins her introduction by noting she's Anishinaabe from the southern side of the great lakes. "We've been there for 10,000 years. The border is very new, it's been there for 200."

Lightfoot has worked at UBC for 10 years and has worked with the United Nations on Indigenous international rights and how to implement them.

Says one of the trio's major goals will be implementing the TRC recommendations. ubyssey.ca/news/ubc-compr…

Dr. Moss says she started in biology but that she "likes people better than Petri dishes." Moved from there into nursing and specializes in American Indian aging. Then went to law school and eventually to health policy, and staffed a US Special Committee on aging.

Moss is the author of the first textbook ever on American Indian health.

Prior to UBC she's worked at Yale, McGill and Buffalo University. "Then I got calls from here, and here I am."

Dr. Turpel-Lafond says she's "had a long career" and doesn't "need to go through everything. As a lawyer she attempted to make justice more equitable for Indigenous peoples and worked extensively with children and youth. ubyssey.ca/news/ubc-appoi…

Turpel-Lafond thanks Musqueam for their welcome.

"There's a lot of promise with the [IRSHDC] Centre... I really think it's important that UBC demonstrates that leadership role."

Turpel-Lafond told The Ubyssey in September that the Centre was under-supported, but has a positive outlook at this meeting. "There's a lot of promise at UBC."

ubyssey.ca/news/irshdc-a-…

Haldane welcomes all three of them. "I feel like an underachiever now."

Stresses that "there's a lot we can share amongst each other to ensure there's success in what we do," and to "continue to build on what we need to do."

"Why aren't we meeting in your space?"

Haldane raises the article published by The Ubyssey in September, asks the committee to isolate "missed opportunities" and figure out how to fulfill the IRHSDC's mandate.

ubyssey.ca/news/irshdc-a-…

Haldane says the committee needs to be aware of what its "limitations" are, but also needs to make "recommendations on the fiscal side of things. If there's resourcing issues, we need to know."

Korenberg: Wonders if a lack of "tangible targets" — something that former IRSHDC director Linc Kesler sometimes rejected— would be helpful.

Kesler rejected setting targets for Indigenous enrolment, seeing it as ingenuine and performative.

ubyssey.ca/features/our-c…

Szeri: The 2008 Aboriginal Strategic Plan was very conscious of identifying actions.

Notes that plan didn't include targets for Indigenous faculty, staff or students— but did include other metrics.

Says Kesler argued that setting targets is "not the wisest course of action."

Szeri says the 2018 Indigenous Strategic Plan is in draft form so the new trio can examine it.

"I do think things would change. But I wouldn't like to say how exactly that might happen."

Korenberg: Hopes they have a meeting in February to discuss what changes Moss, Lightfoot and Turpel-Lafond envision in this plan.

Szeri says the plan is "one of his five goals for the year."

Gordon: When should we expect ratification of that plan?

Szeri: Was never officially ratified — was informal outreach plan by Kesler.

"Things evolve. We've evolved from one leader to a triumvirate, as you've called them."

Turpel-Lafond: Mostly "seeing how things on the ground align with the paper."

She says there are "a variety of issues" around Indigenous affairs. Says UBC is "not through the transition" of Kesler leaving.

"I think there's just been some lack of clarity... but also because the planning wasn't adequate."

"The Indigenous plan is kind of over there, and here we are." Asks where feedback is going to.

Asks about retention and enrolment, says there's a need for "very significant planning.... if you don't measure, you don't know."

Turpel Lafond: "What is UBC's relationship with the 200+ First Nations in BC?"

"Are we bringing something to community, or are we sitting back passively and letting them come to us, which is the colonial approach?"

"I feel like there's certain things that have been promised that should just delivered."

Notes that Musqueam archives haven't been supported as promised and that @PrezOno and UBC need to be serious about following through on their commitments.

"I think we have really good credibility in some areas, and I think we have zero credibility... I don't want to be dramatic, but we're not there."

Says smaller universities are leading in enrolment while UBC is stagnant. "I know it's fixable, and I know we can work on it."

"We're bunching below our weight on that."

@charlesmenzies: "It's refreshing to hear the things that you're saying." Would like to see UBC send high-level staff, faculty, governors to Indigenous communities to better respect their protocol and position.

Notes UBC used to have an Indigenous Academic Caucus, and says that if it had an autonomous position to better support Indigenous faculty.

Notes stories of Indig. faculty being "shunted" because of lack of support.

"If we're going to exercise a notion of decolonization, we need to create a path for our autonomy." Acknowledges it will be difficult.

Says Indigenous faculty feel "unwelcome" and that students "speak volumes" about the First Nations House of Learning.

Gordon: Could we have an action point out of this for when we could expect the strategic plan?

MK: There's been more Indigenous students at UBCO. Could note that model.