Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 08/98) - The acting director of student services at Iqaluit's Nunavut Arctic College has been suspended with pay pending an internal investigation.

Bill Riddell said he was suspended by Nunavut Arctic College President Greg Welch last Wednesday.

Riddell believes the suspension came as a result of the college administration's suspicion that he instructed students to go to the press with details about the discontinuation of funding for Arctic College programs. Welch declined to comment on Riddell's suspension.

"As far as I understand it, they think I encouraged students to go to the press and that I went to the press," said Riddell. "They suspended me with pay for five days pending an investigation. Of all the times, this is the one time that I didn't do that."

Riddell told News/North the students acted because they care about their education.

"They've taken it upon themselves to clean up this mess. It shows what kind of leadership there is. They're not going to take any nonsense. They take their education seriously and they've taken it upon themselves to hold everyone accountable for their decisions," said Riddell.

A group of angry students met Dave Wilman, the Nunatta Campus Director, at the airport on Friday afternoon as he arrived home from Cambridge Bay. Wilman refused to tell the students anything about the cuts.

The students were expecting to confront College President Greg Welch at the airport but he had deplaned in Yellowknife.

Riddell, scheduled to go back to work Thursday, said he is waiting for a letter that specifically explains the grounds for his suspension.

"They're not going to find anything and that's why I want it in writing - exactly what I'm suspended for...," said Riddell who also functions as Arctic College's Coordinator of Justice and Wellness Programs. "That's a terrible way to operate and it's Greg Welch's responsibility."

As an employee of Nunavut Arctic College, Riddell is represented by the Union of Northern Workers.

Over the weekend, union officials confirmed that they had asked Wilman for written confirmation of Riddell's suspension but hadn't received anything to date.

The union is demanding specific reasons for the investigation and want to be involved or at the very least kept informed of the situation.

Meanwhile, amidst picket lines and rally cries, students say they feel cheated off.

"We were told Monday that our program funding was being cut and that we'd be done in three weeks," said Phoebe Sowdluapik, a Legal Studies student who has only completed four months of her two-year program.

Student Susan Idlout said the situation has been made even more confusing because the story from the officials keeps changing.

"Here they were saying they were cut but they're saying they're not cut now. I don't think it's true. They're just trying to shut us up and make us stop."

In a press release issued Friday, Nunavut Deputy Minister of Personnel, Marius Tungilik, assured the students that the team of Deputy Ministers working under the OIC would not disrupt their courses.