Friends of NSCAD is still frustrated with the school’s board of governors about its refusal to give details on Aoife Mac Namara’s dismissal. Today, August 13, the group will be rallying at the NSCAD Fountain Campus to demand the reinstatement of the former president and the firing of the board of governors.
On August 11, the NSCAD Board of governors released a statement online about the institution’s new leadership that still did not satisfy the NSCAD community’s questions.
“The NSCAD Board recognizes there have been questions raised about the conclusion of the former President’s term, as well as comments about the Board’s role in such a process. We cannot and will not get into details on decisions made regarding confidential personnel matters that rest between the Board and the President of the institution,” the statement reads, adding that “Reinstatement of the former President is not under consideration.”
Friends of NSCAD is also demanding more BIPOC representation to at least one-third of numbers on the school’s board of governors; tuition waivers for Black Canadian and Indigenous students; and the provincial government’s interference. “Because the board of governors has continually refused to explain why they have fired Aoife or responded to our criticisms of them which included a 95.6% no-confidence vote by the faculty union,” Brody Weaver, a member of Friends of NSCAD says.
Weaver also says they hope the rally puts pressure on the board and shows them that the students care about the issues at hand. “The way that they communicate with us kind of feels like they feel like we’re just causing an unnecessary stink, but really these issues are important and we need dialogue on them,” Weaver says.
Ada Denil, a fourth year student at NSCAD and a member of the school's student union, says she will be attending the rally.
She says that the fact that the faculty union voted 95% of no confidence sends a strong message. “I hope that the provincial government recognizes that they do have a responsibility to step into this situation,” she says.
Denil also says it’s an uncommon and extreme moment for NSCAD and asked members of the community to show their support for the school any way they can.