Mending relationships
Upon hearing about the situation, administrators from Carleton University came to assess the program. They interviewed students and faculty in order to determine what changes should be made.
Carleton then sent an email to students stating that the program would change in certain ways for its fall 2019 participants.
A portion of this email reads: “The changes for Buddhist Studies in India 2019 will impact several areas of the program, focusing on the staffing model, student support services and academic and social engagement with the local community.”
No specific changes are outlined in the email, which also notes that the same program director will remain in charge of the program.
For fall 2018 participants, circumstances improved slowly. Mending relationships between remaining students and faculty was difficult, but the students continued to support each other, and some faculty members became more helpful as time went on.
“When I felt like I was being respected and when my fellow students were being respected and our concerns were being adequately heard and responded to, that’s when I felt like I could move along with the original mission that I had for the program,” Fox said.