Dear Editor,
In the effort to recuperate a loss in funding, North Island College (NIC) has decided鈥攚ithout any consultation with its students or student union鈥攖hat the humanities department is dispensable. What does this trend tell us about the value of humanities in our current political moment?
I can share my experience of its value. As a mother of three, having these courses available in the Comox Valley has enabled me to obtain an Associate of Arts degree鈥攁nd still be home in time to cook my family dinner. Next year, I will begin regular commutes to Nanaimo to complete a Bachelor of Education. Getting this degree would have been intensely harder if I wasn鈥檛 able to complete the first two years at NIC. My family couldn鈥檛 live here, and now some NIC faculty may not be able to either.
Beyond logistics, what is the value of humanities in our community if they instill self-reflection, critical thinking, and historical understanding?
In February, I attended a discussion at NIC about polarization; the Stan Hagen Theater was filled to the brim with people eager to understand how to move forward. We discussed topics that are at the core of the humanities: history and how to learn from it, sociology and how to analyze change in society, psychology and how to effectively communicate, political science and why polarization occurs, and finally, philosophy and how to understand what we take for granted.
The problems in post-secondary are severe, but the solutions are simple. The B.C. government must re-invest in post-secondary education, by providing adequate funding and reducing tuition fees. Cutting the humanities department is a disservice to the local economy, local discourse and culture, local students, and future students鈥攊t鈥檚 a disservice to anyone who wants to call this rural community home.
骋颈濒补办补蝉鈥檒补,
Ana-Iris Luyben
NISU Community Director
