Abstract
The intrusion of corporate values and practices into university systems brought with it pressures to have Centre for Aboriginal Studies practices conform to those commonly applied to other sectors of the university. The emphasis on efficiency and production and the commercialization of educational practices inhibited the capacity of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies to provide for the social, cultural and education needs of Aboriginal people. Aboriginal leaders found themselves subject to continual pressure to comply with common university practices and directives and there was a continuing struggle to maintain Aboriginal control. Planning, development and evaluation of Aboriginal programs became integrated into standard University protocols that were increasingly applied by administrative personnel with limited understanding of the reality of Aboriginal life-worlds. The focus on Aboriginal learning styles, Aboriginal pedagogies and practical application became further diminished as programs and courses of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies became integrated into the mainstream of University administrative arrangements. The need for culturally appropriate programs was exemplified in the Statement from the Heart, where a powerful assembly of Aboriginal leaders spoke of the dimensions of their crisis and the need for "reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our country" and to have power over our own destiny."