The College of New Caledonia is holding public forums addressing over program cuts that many feel run too deep.
The college is facing a budget shortfall of $2.8 million and plans to make deep cuts to its day care and counselling services.
Dental Hygiene instructor Carol Whittmer says her program is “on the chopping block”.
“The dental hygiene program has been here 28 years, I was one of the people that started it, and the dental-assistance program has been here for 46 years,” she says.
Whittmer says nine full-time members of her faculty would be laid off at the end of this school year along with many other part-time employees.
“It’s about access for students and the dental assistance program is the only one north of Kelowna and the dental hygiene program is the only one north of the lower mainland,” she says. “To me, it’s all about the students, and how there won’t be any access for students in central and northern BC.”
Whittmer says that will have an impact on the workforce in the community, without any local dental professionals.
She says faculty was “totally blind sided ” by these cuts and was not aware the college was so far over its budget.
“We have some ideas for cost-saving measures, we had actually submitted one idea back in the fall, but we never heard back from management ,” she says. “We would like a much more open and transparent process, we would like that programs would stay open and that management works with us.”
The college maintains that the dental hygiene program will only be temporarily suspended, though Whittmer fears that it may not return if its cut.
CNC’s board of governors is delaying its decision until April 24th.
One public forum was already held Wednesday, while the next is set for Friday at 2 p.m..