Author: The Record
Published December 11, 2023

Bishop’s Principal assures community future is bright at 180th anniversary celebration

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

“We’re going to be okay!” Bishop’s University (BU) Principal Sébastien Lebel-Grenier assured the BU community during a speech at the university’s Dec. 8 celebration of its 180th anniversary; the statement was made in the face of Quebec government proposed tuition hikes that he has termed an “existential threat” to BU.

Between noon and 1 p.m., members of the BU community came together and enjoyed hot chocolate and purple-frosted cupcakes before BU Student Representative Council President Sophia Stacey, Odanak Chief Richard O’Bomsawin, and Lebel-Grenier took turns addressing the gathering. To round off the event, purple gloves were handed out with ‘main dans la main’ and ‘hand in hand’ written on them, a small choir of BU community members sang, and the crowd formed a large ‘180’ in BU’s Quad to be captured by a camera-sporting drone hovering overhead.

Following a land acknowledgement, Stacey introduced O’Bomsawin. “Times have changed and education has changed,” he said. When his people walked the land, education was not in buildings and in schools; the land itself was their education. “The land taught us everything we needed to know.”

Education was a right of passage – neither book, nor story, nor history. Though the world and education system are now different, the land is still here and is your oldest teacher. More can be learned from the land than schools, he insisted.

He thanked everyone for “sharing the land” with his people. “We’ll always walk hand in hand with you.” He emphasized that peace and friendships conquer all and he hopes that, together, the school will survive another 180 years.

Stacey took the stage. One word kept coming back to her as she reflected on BU’s 180 years of existence: community. None of BU’s many accomplishments would have been possible without the tens of thousands of people that “walked the halls before us”. BU has weathered many storms and adapted to meet the needs of each new era. The recent proposed tuition hikes are only the most recent big challenge.

Let us raise the bar for the aspirations of BU, she said, and maintain BU as a lighthouse for inspiration, a catalyst for change, and place with a sense of purpose and belonging. “May the flame of education burn brightly for another 180 years.”

Finally, Lebel-Grenier addressed the crowd, first thanking O’Bomsawin and Stacey for speaking at the event.

BU has been through “thick and thin” and is again demonstrating its perseverance, determination and unity, he said. Challenging times bring clarity and this one is no different, bringing to the fore important truths about BU.

He stressed that institutions create, support and propel communities. BU has been central to the Eastern Townships anglophone community, but also the diverse anglophone communities of Quebec.

Lebel-Grenier thinks BU is stronger because of its diversity, noting its student body is made up of anglophone and francophone Quebecers, out-of-province Canadian students and those from around the world. The same goes for BU’s staff, he added.

It has recently been demonstrated that BU matters to the local community. On Oct. 31, regional community leaders gathered at BU in a show of support that highlights the essential part BU plays in the area. They all refuse to see BU as a threat to the French language. This display of solidarity, he said, resonated with students and staff and gave them confidence in BU’s future. “We owe them a round of applause.”

He wished he could convey the government’s final decision on the tuition crisis, which he was previously confident he would be able to do, but the decision has “yet again” been delayed, probably for another week. “I’ll keep you informed.”

BU is in constant communication with the government, who continues to maintain BU is not a threat to the French language, and BU will be benefitting from special measures that will allow it to persist “in continuity with its rich history”. “In other words, we are going to be okay,” he said, to applause and hoots of approval.

BU was founded in 1843 to offer a “sound liberal education on reasonable terms”, Lebel-Grenier continued. Its curriculum encompassed the classics, in the original Latin and Greek, ancient history, theology, philosophy, and mathematics. While BU’s curriculum has evolved, it still has the same mission. “We should all be proud of the work being done here.”

The BU model challenges students to be autonomous, think critically, communicate effectively, and be curious life-long learners. Those who contributed to BU’s evolution must be acknowledged, for it is on the foundation they built that BU can look to the next 180 years with optimism. “Happy celebrations!”

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