Chris Brower

Former Coordinator of the Digital Media Design program at Red River College, Chris Brower is publicly celebrated by the college for his calm demeanor, off-grid lifestyle, and love of chopping wood. But while he was busy romanticizing a return to nature, students in his care — particularly Indigenous and neurodivergent ones — were experiencing academic sabotage, unaddressed discrimination, and outright dismissal.

Passive Leadership, Active Harm

According to RRC’s own 2018 feature story, Brower championed “getting away from screens,” reflecting more on his chickens and hobby farm than on educational accountability or curriculum development.

While students reported serious program flaws and discriminatory treatment, Brower remained silent — choosing professional detachment over intervention. His name appears nowhere in efforts to reform the toxic culture of the Game Development stream, despite his oversight role.

Instructors under his purview repeatedly failed to accommodate student needs, ignored abuse reports, and created a hostile environment — one Brower never publicly addressed.

What He Represents

Chris Brower is a case study in the academic figurehead: affable, outwardly progressive, and ultimately inert. His curated persona of off-grid balance distracted from the real imbalance inside the classroom — one where Indigenous students were failed, dismissed, or pushed out.

No amount of composting or chicken coops changes the fact that Brower helped oversee a department where student harm was tolerated and where the program itself was eventually buried by the institution.

Contradictory Statements from RRC Faculty

During private conversations and program-related discussions, both Tom Lepp and Chris Brower personally stated to me that Red River College’s Game Development – Programming program was making efforts to support Indigenous students, and that “initiatives” were in place to promote inclusion.

However, to date, there is no public record of a single Indigenous student graduating from or being promoted by this program. There are:

No Indigenous graduates featured on the official portfolio site
No references to Indigenous-led projects or student representation in demo reels
No visible inclusion in graduate lists, showcases, or official publications

This clear discrepancy between what was personally stated to me and what is evidenced in the program’s public record raises serious concerns about the truthfulness and accountability of those faculty claims.

Erasure Is an Admission

No public apology. No acknowledgment. No fixes. Just silence.

The disappearance of Tom Lepp’s presence and the entire program he was assigned to lead speaks louder than any press release. It’s not transparency — it’s a cover-up.

This site exists to preserve the record he and the institution tried to erase.