When Syracuse University’s Native Student Program opened its doors in 2006 on Euclid Avenue, across from the Women’s Building, the location was temporary.

But twelve years have passed since then.

In that time, SU has witnessed a change in leadership and the development of the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion. The workgroup established a university-wide acknowledgement of the Onondaga people, put Onondaga flags up around campus and officially recognized Oct. 8 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The university has taken symbolic steps to boost inclusion of Indigenous students here, but concrete steps toward classroom representation need to be further pursued.

“(SU) has done more than possibly any other university,” said Regina Jones, assistant director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, leading the Native Students Program.

The Promise Scholarship Program, created by former Chancellor Nancy Cantor, makes SU financially accessible for Haudenosaunee students each year. The Native Student Program has established a space for students with similar backgrounds to connect. Jones said the program has created a real community on campus for Native students, including a separate pre-orientation program.

These steps have made Nathan Abrams, a Native student from New York’s Allegany Territory, feel more comfortable here, he said.

But Native students have still found some of their peers gawking.

“It’s the novelty of meeting a ‘real Indian,’” Abrams said. “It’s surprising, given the university’s outward commitment to better serving the Native community, not to have a Native studies major.”

Abrams said it’s great other students are interested in Haudenosaunee people and culture, but it’s not his responsibility to teach. There are professionals and literature available at SU to speak to the subject. If students accessed those resources, SU would be more comfortable for Native students.

Native faculty need to be hired. Jones said this is her No. 1 priority. With more Native professors, Native studies could be expanded.

SU must allocate resources to hiring more Native faculty members. The Signature Hires Program, a university initiative that will bring in 100 new professors over the course of 5 years, presents a perfect opportunity to do so.

Looking back on this year’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day, SU should be lauded for its steps toward Native student inclusion but, in the future, pressured to bolster Native inclusivity in classrooms.

Patrick Linehan is a sophomore newspaper and online journalism, policy studies and economics major. His column runs biweekly. He can be contacted at pjlineha@syr.edu.

Published on October 16, 2018 at 7:22 pm