Donations give boost to Indigenous students at Trent

Fred Wheatley, Harvey McCue funds established

Two new funds at Trent University will support Indigenous students studying at the institution.

A Trent alumnus anonymously donated $50,000 to invest between two endowment funds named after former Indigenous teachers at Trent.

“He wanted to honour his early years at Trent and the teachers appreciated,” said Julie Davis, vice-president of external relations and advancement.

Davis announced the new funds at Trent on Friday during the Annual Elders and Traditional Peoples Gathering. The 43rd event started Friday and wraps up on Sunday.

The Fred Wheatley Indigenous Student Support Fund is designed for Indigenous students who are parents of young children.

Wheatley was the first Indigenous elder at Trent and was an Ojibwe language instructor in the Indigenous studies program.

The Harvey McCue Indigenous Student Support Fund will benefit Indigenous students who’re studying to become teachers. The pupil can be enrolled in the teacher education program or the Indigenous bachelor of education program.

McCue was the first Indigenous student Trent. He later worked with Tom Symons, Trent’s first president, to establish the Indigenous studies program, and taught in the program as well.

To honour his fund, McCue intends to match the $25,000 contribution over time, Davis said.

He will receive the distinguished alumnus award from Trent on Nov. 24.

Davis also announced the completion of renovations to the Nozhem First Peoples Performance Space in Gzowski College.

Trent raised nearly $200,000 for the job, which includes new seats, a sprung floor, new signage and upgraded heat and air conditioning.

Nohzem was the first Indigenous performance space in a university in Canada. There’s only one other today.

As part of Trent’s commitment to recognize the local Michi Saagiig community, the university is renaming some of its spaces to honour the Indigenous peoples.

The Indigenous reading room at Bata Library was renamed Giizhigaatig, in honour of cedar as a sacred tree.

The moniker was chosen by local elders. “We are known as having the first, and we think the best, Indigenous education program but we want to make sure that institutionally, we’re also leaders in how we relate with our communities and support our students,” Davis said.