In honor of Native American History Month, the Native American Student Association hosted a discussion on what it means to be a Native person at a predominantly white institution.
Students and UI faculty took part in the discussion and shared their experiences on campus.
A small group gathered at the UI Latino and Native American Cultural Center for the event Monday night. Speakers addressed the underrepresentation of native students on campus.
UI junior Haley Henscheid, a co-president of the student association, talked about the lack of native people among the UI student body.
“We are essentially unheard on campus because there are so few of us,” she said. “A lot of students don’t know we exist, so the issues we face are often overlooked.”
The small size of the group reflected the number of Native American students on campus. The UI has a current population of 49 students who identity as native persons, according to the Registrar’s Office.
The number has dwindled significantly from previous years such as 2011, when the population was more than 100.
UI senior Thom Johnson, a co-president of the student association, said Native students on campus seem largely anonymous.
“There needs to be a line of open communication among the UI, Native students, and organizations meant to support them. There are about 50 Native students on campus, and that’s all we know,” he said. “We don’t know who they are, what year they are, where they are from and, most importantly, how to contact them in order to get them involved with Native organizations.”
Kelly Clougher, a staff psychologist at the University Counseling Service and vice president of the Native American Council, noted the identity struggle Native people often have.
“As a biracial individual, many people don’t see me as a Native American because I don’t have the features that are often stereotyped as Native,” she said. “A lot of students have similar experiences of not being accepted at a [predominantly-white institution] as Native American because they don’t fit what is expected of one.”
Johnson’s experience echoed Clougher’s.
“Many Native students look ambiguous. I have multiple racial identities, and people often just see me as white, so when I try to advocate for Native American issues, I am delegitimized because I don’t look like a stereotypical Indian,” he said.
Tracy Peterson, a UI Latino and Native American Alumni Alliance board member, said attending a university comes with difficulties as well as opportunities.