Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Oct 21/05) - Arts and cultural courses may start appearing more and more in Aurora College's calendar.

The need for such programs has been emphasized in numerous communities, according to Dennis Bevington, chair of the college's board of directors.

"It's a crucial issue," said Bevington, who acknowledged that most of the existing courses are vocational.

He and other Aurora College representatives have been travelling to seek public input on the learning institution's five-year corporate plan.

In Kakisa, they heard residents express interest in outdoor educational pursuits and related tourism opportunities, Bevington said.

In Fort Simpson, Chuck Blyth proposed a fine-arts school be created within Dehcho Hall.

The greatest challenge will be identifying funding for such courses, Maurice Evans, Aurora College's president, admitted.

The territorial government, which contributes approximately 80 per cent of the school's budget, wanted the institution to trim $500,000 from its spending this year, said Evans.

"We can get a million bucks tomorrow to dig a mining hole but to try to promote Northern arts and culture, it's difficult," he said.

Another frequent demand is for greater access in small communities. Chief David Moses said people in Wrigley are interested in online learning.

Aurora College, which has three campuses and 23 learning centres across the North, hasn't offered more than $15,000 annually to each small community since 1999, Evans conceded.

"We continue to push for additional resources for the small communities," he said, adding that working co-operatively with elementary and secondary schools is the best approach.

Sean Whelly, of the Deh Cho Business Development Centre, urged the college to consider more business skills training. Resident Pat Waugh spoke highly of the idea of a mining school. Tom Wilson said he would like to see night courses, especially for seniors.

Nola Benwell recommended a "transition" program that would allow students to continue studying and round out their skills while working.

Marion Storm, an instructor with Aurora College in Fort Simpson, said the community would benefit from a Student Success Centre. Absenteeism and tardiness is the biggest problem teachers face, she said.

Asked whether the school, in its decision making, runs the risk of trying to be everything to everybody, Bevington replied, "We'll be very practical about it."

He noted that the board of directors hopes to conclude the five-year corporate plan prior to Christmas.