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A University of Ottawa student group has revived a yoga class that had been suspended amid controversy over perceived “cultural issues.”
The free weekly class, offered by the student-run Centre for Students with Disabilities and open to students both with and without disabilities, made international headlines when it was suspended in November.
Former instructor Jennifer Scharf, who was not asked to return, was initially told by student officials the suspension was due to concerns her teachings could be construed as a form of “cultural appropriation.”
A statement from Romeo Ahimakin, acting president of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, confirmed the class would eventually resume “in a way in which students are aware of where the spiritual and cultural aspects (of yoga) come from, so that these sessions are done in a respectful manner.”
On Friday, the CSD announced the weekly classes would resume this week with a new instructor, Priya Shah, who has seven months of experience teaching yoga, according to an online profile. The class is described as “yoga” in advertising.
In an interview with CBC News, Shah said she was unaware of the controversy surrounding the class, and said those who hired her made no mention of revising the previous teaching method, which Scharf had delivered, controversy-free, for the past seven years.
“When I read (about the controversy), I was kind of thinking ‘Did they hire me because I’m Indian?… ‘ There are many people in my family who practise (yoga) but I’ve never had the thought that since I’m Indian that I’m a better yoga teacher,” Shah told CBC News.
Shah declined a followup interview Monday, saying simply, “I’m going to go ahead with teaching the class and hope for the best.”
Scharf said she was happy to see the class had resumed, and hoped there would be no “negative repercussions” for the new instructor.
“My biggest concern is that the student centre did not tell (Shah) about the context of the situation,” said Scharf.
Neither the CSD nor the student federation has responded to multiple requests for comment or clarification on their position.
After the initial Postmedia report spread across social and mainstream media, with the decision to suspend the class earning widespread derision from pundits across the globe, the federation backtracked from its original position.
In a since-deleted statement on its Facebook page, the student group claimed an email exchange between Scharf and student officials, which contains the references to “cultural appropriation” cited in the Postmedia report, was “outdated” and led to “a lot of miscommunication about our program.”
In an interview in November, Ahimakin repeated the same cultural concerns cited in the email exchange.
However, the revised SFUO statement cited declining attendance as the primary reason for the suspension and subsequent program review.
Scharf acknowledged attendance was in decline early in the 2015-16 academic year, but said the drop in numbers was due to the federation’s hesitation over posting advertisements for the class. According to the email exchange, student officials were wary of including the word “yoga” on a poster advertising the class due to cultural concerns.
A proposal to remove all references to yoga and rebrand the program as a “mindful stretching” class was met with another roadblock, as student leaders could not agree on the appropriate French translation for “mindful stretching.”
The weekly class is scheduled to resume Tuesday at noon.
aedan.helmer@sunmedia.ca
查看原文...
The free weekly class, offered by the student-run Centre for Students with Disabilities and open to students both with and without disabilities, made international headlines when it was suspended in November.
Former instructor Jennifer Scharf, who was not asked to return, was initially told by student officials the suspension was due to concerns her teachings could be construed as a form of “cultural appropriation.”
A statement from Romeo Ahimakin, acting president of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa, confirmed the class would eventually resume “in a way in which students are aware of where the spiritual and cultural aspects (of yoga) come from, so that these sessions are done in a respectful manner.”
On Friday, the CSD announced the weekly classes would resume this week with a new instructor, Priya Shah, who has seven months of experience teaching yoga, according to an online profile. The class is described as “yoga” in advertising.
In an interview with CBC News, Shah said she was unaware of the controversy surrounding the class, and said those who hired her made no mention of revising the previous teaching method, which Scharf had delivered, controversy-free, for the past seven years.
“When I read (about the controversy), I was kind of thinking ‘Did they hire me because I’m Indian?… ‘ There are many people in my family who practise (yoga) but I’ve never had the thought that since I’m Indian that I’m a better yoga teacher,” Shah told CBC News.
Shah declined a followup interview Monday, saying simply, “I’m going to go ahead with teaching the class and hope for the best.”
Scharf said she was happy to see the class had resumed, and hoped there would be no “negative repercussions” for the new instructor.
“My biggest concern is that the student centre did not tell (Shah) about the context of the situation,” said Scharf.
Neither the CSD nor the student federation has responded to multiple requests for comment or clarification on their position.
After the initial Postmedia report spread across social and mainstream media, with the decision to suspend the class earning widespread derision from pundits across the globe, the federation backtracked from its original position.
In a since-deleted statement on its Facebook page, the student group claimed an email exchange between Scharf and student officials, which contains the references to “cultural appropriation” cited in the Postmedia report, was “outdated” and led to “a lot of miscommunication about our program.”
In an interview in November, Ahimakin repeated the same cultural concerns cited in the email exchange.
However, the revised SFUO statement cited declining attendance as the primary reason for the suspension and subsequent program review.
Scharf acknowledged attendance was in decline early in the 2015-16 academic year, but said the drop in numbers was due to the federation’s hesitation over posting advertisements for the class. According to the email exchange, student officials were wary of including the word “yoga” on a poster advertising the class due to cultural concerns.
A proposal to remove all references to yoga and rebrand the program as a “mindful stretching” class was met with another roadblock, as student leaders could not agree on the appropriate French translation for “mindful stretching.”
The weekly class is scheduled to resume Tuesday at noon.
aedan.helmer@sunmedia.ca
查看原文...
