Symposium reflects on higher education

“Native Americans in Higher Education: Current Issues and Future Directions Symposium”  took place from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.

Linda Sue Warner, president of Haskell Indian Nations University, was the keynote speaker for the symposium.

Haskell boasts the representation of more than 130 federally recognized Indian nations, and many of its students have lived on Native American reservations.

Because of its unique makeup, Warner spoke of the constant barrage of obstacles facing Haskell – from prejudice to ignorance – in raising awareness for Native American problems at the university level. Recently, Warner said, Haskell played host to a “series of workshops that focus on Indian boundary schools.”

During a discussion session, students talked about a trip that Residential Programs and Services organized to Haskell in January. Many said they realized their long-held stereotypes concerning Native Americans.

“One of the most interesting moments during the trip was at a Russian language class,” said Chloe Coenen, an IU graduate student, during the discussion. “You had IU students on one side of the room and Haskell students on the other side, and suddenly someone asked, ‘So where do you live?’ A Haskell student responded, ‘Teepees,’ and our students were shocked. ... Then everyone started laughing.”

These misconceptions color Nathen Steininger’s life. Steininger, an IU junior and president of the American Indian Student Association, has often been told he’s not Native American enough because he has not been able to formally gain a card declaring himself a Native American due to paper trail issues.

“I was always told I’m Native American. ... I feel Native American,” Steininger said. “But that can be invalidated because I don’t have that card or because I don’t fit the image ... I’m just a regular college guy.”

To raise awareness about these stereotypes, part of Steininger’s mission is to fix the “break in communication between Native American population and the University.”

Terri Miles-Schuld, chairwoman of the American Indian Student Association, affirmed Steininger’s goals.

“We are giving it a new chance,” she said. “We are hopeful. Everything here is in hoping.”