Study probes experiences of Indigenous grads

Brandon Murdock recalled thinking in 2020 that, despite his struggling academic performance, he had “a solid case” to remain enrolled at the University of Winnipeg.

Murdock was mistaken — it didn’t matter that he’d missed a voluntary course withdrawal date because he’d been overwhelmed with grief amid a wave of COVID-19-related deaths in Fisher River Cree Nation, the 31-year-old said.

There was little slack for a student who had already been suspended once before. His arts degree program, which he began in 2012, was initially put on hold in 2015 because his attendance, grades and motivation suffered during a family health crisis.

Murdock shared those challenges, among others he’s faced as a first-generation university student who grew up in foster care, as part of a recent study about the experiences of Indigenous and racialized Grade 12 graduates in Winnipeg.

“Post-secondary institutions can be quite rigid with their rules and I think there needs to be an understanding — and some flexibility — that a linear path isn’t what’s going to work for everybody,” lead researcher Janet Nowatzki said.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives published her findings, as well as recommendations to better support students from under-represented populations to complete post-secondary programs, this week.

The think tank partnered with the Community Education Development Association — where Nowatzki is an in-house researcher — to investigate what influences post-secondary education access and completion.

All of the 27 research participants were alumni of CEDA’s flagship after-school program, which primarily serves Indigenous and newcomer students in North End and surrounding neighbourhoods. Pathways to Education provides free tutoring, mentoring and non-academic support to students in Grades 8 to 12.

Backed by U of W’s Research Ethics Board, Nowatzki’s research team conducted interviews and sharing circles between from 2022 to 2024.

The majority of participants identified as Indigenous. Seven of them were newcomers.

Nine respondents had no experience with post-secondary education before or during the three-year study. Each of them cited financial constraints.

Researchers found intergenerational trauma, mental-health challenges, caregiving responsibilities and institutional racism were other common barriers to enrolment and completion of higher education.

Asked about effective supports, students identified band funding and scholarships, encouragement from family members, Indigenous student spaces and assistance with academic navigation via CEDA, as well as post-secondary Access offices and other on-campus advisers.

The newly released report, co-authored by Nowatzki and researcher Fadi Ennab, includes four overarching calls to action based on participants’ input.

It calls for the creation of more bursaries for Indigenous and racialized students to cover tuition and housing-related expenses and ensure on-campus mental-health services are grounded in Indigenous world views and cultural practices.

Another recommendation specifically targets school leaders, urging them to hire more Indigenous faculty members, integrate Indigenous curriculum and take other steps to decolonize their campuses.

The final one calls for the extension of educational support beyond Grade 12 to assist incoming post-secondary students with “system navigation.”

“In high school there were all these wrap-around supports,” said Mars Ballantyne, who graduated from Children of the Earth High School in 2018. “Going to post-secondary, it was a new world.”

Ballantyne, 25, said she abandoned a certificate program at Red River College Polytechnic because she felt unsupported and “out of place” as an Anishinaabe and Cree woman. It was a stark contrast to the support she received at CEDA throughout high school, she said.

Three study participants — Ballantyne, Murdock and Daniyal Chaudhry, a 23-year-old who is studying computer science at the University of Manitoba — discussed their experiences at a report launch at CEDA’s offices Tuesday.

Chaudhry spoke about how low morale in the inner-city, owing to the prevalence of homelessness, crime and other social challenges, negatively affects student motivation.

The St. John’s High School grad described himself as “one of the luckier ones” because he secured a full-ride scholarship to pursue post-secondary education in 2020 via the Schroeder Foundation.

As for Murdock, who’s become a father since he last attended U of W, he remains determined to complete the degree program he began about 14 years ago.

The 31-year-old said he wants to be a role model for his son “to let him know he can set those goals (for himself) if he wants to go to university.”

He is in the process of proving to U of W administration that he’s prepared to resume his studies.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca