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SIU Director of Government Affairs to serve as Senate chief of staff SARAH SCHNEIDER Daily Egyptian After seven years as the executive director of governmental and public affairs at SIU, Dave Gross is going back to the Illinois Senate. Gross will begin his role Jan. 1 as chief of staff to Senate President John Cullerton, replacing Andy Manar who Gross said will be running for an elected office.
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Gross said because he started his career in the Senate and worked there for 20 years, he looks forward to going back. “In a lot of ways it feels like going back home,� he said. As chief of staff he will work with a professional staff of about 50 people who analyze legislation and present to members who serve on various committees. “The majority of the responsibility is to make sure the staff interacts with
the leadership team and they help with setting an agenda for the Senate president,� Gross said. Gross said one thing that sticks out from his time at SIU is the success with the Capital Bill that provided the university system with almost $200 million to build major facilities on the Carbondale, Edwardsville and Springfield campuses. Please see GROSS | 3
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Public view of natives' identity not reality LAUREN DUNCAN Daily Egyptian How Americans view native people may affect how they see themselves. As a part of Native American Heritage Month, Cornel Pewewardy, director of Indigenous Nation Studies at Portland State University, spoke in the Student Center Monday on how the public perceives native people. Through educating leaders in schools, Pewewardy said false identities of indigenous people may be reduced. “Too many people have the idea that we are only in the past, and you can walk past us on campus and never know who you’re looking at,� said Nichole Boyd, president of the Native American Student Organization. “I tell people 'I didn’t show up in my buck skin and feathers today, so it’s not my fault you can’t recognize who and what I am’." Pewewardy said because the education and development of natives may be affected by the ways others identify Native Americans, people should work to break down what he describes as a “dysconscious,� or the way people’s views are not associated with reality. “When you’re in higher education, you have to dispel a lot of myths, archetypes that have been portrayed,� he said. One way the public can better understand natives, Pewewardy said, is to disprove images meant to represent indigenous peoples. Through images such as mascots for sports teams and those found in movies like Pocahontas, native people's identity has been shaped, he said. The story of Pocahontas as portrayed by Disney, he said, was not correct but was changed from the tale passed down through generations to appeal more to the audience. Pewewardy said he has worked to eliminate such images with attempts to ban Native American mascots from the NCAA. He said his interest to eliminate the mascots began when he was the principal of a school for native children who, on a field trip to a
GENNA ORD | DAILY EGYPTIAN
Sierra Dolwick, a sophomore from Woodlawn, Tenn. studying theater, stitches a beading pattern Tuesday at the Student Center during a lazy-stitching tutorial put on by the Native American Student Organization. Nichole Boyd, president Washington Red Skins' game, passed people tailgating who were dressed to look native and thus affected the students view of themselves. Because of what the students saw, Pewewardy said, their self-esteem was affected. “One of the first lessons you know that’s a generator of academic performance is high self-esteem. But if you beat up somebody’s self-esteem and make them feel less than,
of the Registered Student Organization, said the style of beading is traditional and still in use today, unlike more stereotypical crafts associated with Native Americans such as dream catchers.
make them feel bad about who they are, more than likely they’re not going to do well academically,� he said. What Pewewardy described as the Indian image of native people has not only shaped the idea some non-natives hold of Native Americans, but how indigenous people view themselves, he said. “The Indian image is burnt into the
American psyche ... the native people subscribe to these, then they have bought into power control over somebody else’s explanation, and so they haven’t gone into their own analysis to understand who they are — they’re given somebody else’s,� Pewewardy said. Please see NATIVE | 3
University College dean to tackle student retention SARAH SCHNEIDER Daily Egyptian Almost a semester after the University College was fully implemented, Mark Amos was named Associate Provost and Dean for the student support model. The model was first established with the restructuring of the division of Student Affairs in December to pull together units and services on campus to enhance student success and offer support during their first year. The model, used by other universities across the country such as Illinois State University, was approved by the SIU Board of Trustees executive board Feb. 14 and ratified by the entire board April 14. Amos, an associate professor of
English and director of Saluki First Year, said the college puts Saluki First Year, Core Curriculum, University Honors, Learning Support Services, New Student Programs, Career Services, Premajor Advisement, the Center for Academic Success, First Scholars and Student Support Services all under one organizational structure. More than 30 percent of freshmen in 2009 did not return for their sophomore year, according to Institutional Research and Studies, therefore the retention rate was 68.9 percent. Provost John Nicklow said University College will be used as a key tool for increasing the retention rate. “A key element in increasing
student success rates is retention, particularly through the first year of college,� he said. “We’ve already had some small gains in this area, and with the evolution of the University College and Dr. Amos’ appointment, I expect more.� Amos said in his new position he is responsible for planning the budget, providing leadership for the direction of the college and developing and leading research projects. Nicklow said Amos was chosen because of his knowledge regarding first and second year students and said he understands the vision of the University College. Amos said he hopes to reach the full potential of the college by launching a success course
required for all incoming students in fall 2012 and develop a peer mentorship program for first-year students. He said he will also expand the depth of student support structures and programs, and enhance the effectiveness of advisement early in students’ careers. “Dr. Amos, and others in the leadership team, are committed to improving student success and student service," Nicklow said. "We will monitor relevant metrics accordingly to make sure we are making desired educational gains.�
Sarah Schneider can be reached at sschneider@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 255.
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Mark Amos, an associate professor of English and director of Saluki First Year, has been named Associate Provost and Dean for the University College, which was designed to enhance success in students' first year at the university.