The Ithacan Thursday, October 6, 20 11
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Volume 79, Is s u e 6
Kalen Marvin, right, from the Mohawk Nation, plays a turtle shell rattle during a dance by the Young Spirit Dancers on Saturday in DeWitt Park at the second annual First Peoples Festival.
michelle boulé/the ithacan
Native understanding by michelle boulé photo editor
Ithaca College and the surrounding community are working together to combat stereotypes through To see a slide cultural awareness events. show of the The First Peoples Festival, a First Peoples celebration of indigenous cul- Festival, visit ture, was one of several steps theithacan.org toward educating the community about broader issues. Other attempts are being made to fight negative connotations toward Native Americans through native studies,
native speakers and cultural events. Brooke Hansen, associate professor of anthropology and coordinator of the Native American Studies minor at the college, said stereotypes about Native Americans range from images of drunk or dirty Indians and noble savages to scalping warriors. Many of these stereotypes, she said, come from media such as John Wayne movies and Bugs Bunny cartoons. “Playing Indian is something really sensitive to Native Americans because for so long in this country the U.S. government tried to beat their culture out of them,” she said. “So
London program applications soar by gillian nigro contributing writer
The Ithaca College London Center is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a record number of study abroad applications. Rachel Cullenen, director of study abroad in the Office of International Programs, said more than 160 students turned in applications for the spring semester, but there are only 125 spots available. This number is based on available facilities, classroom size and ability to offer classes. Bill Sheasgreen, director of the London Center, said the center is waiting for the United Kingdom Border Agency to approve the center for a “highly trusted sponsor” status so they can allow more students to get work placement visas. Currently there are only 59 spots available for students who want to do internships or work in London. Sheasgreen said the British government is trying to
See london, page 4
Ithaca community fights to change negative stereotypes of Native Americans then to have other people lightly appropriate it, they don’t understand the deep history about how hard it was for native people to hang onto their cultures.” Jack Rossen, associate professor and chair of the anthropology department, said as Native Americans are returning to their ancestral lands, negative connotations are rising. “There are ideas that if native people come back to the homeland, people will be evicted from their houses, taxes will skyrocket, the character of the area will be ruined or there will be trailer parks, drinking in the streets
and every negative stereotype you can think of," he said. According to the 2010 census released in May, New York state’s Native American and Native Alaskan populations amount to 0.6 percent of the total population, a 29.6 percent increase from the 2000 census and the second largest rise for all demographics. Audrey Cooper, director of the Multicultural Resource Center, a cooperative extension of Cornell University, and member of
See natives, page 4
College reports most diverse freshman class in IC history by gillian smith senior writer
This year, Ithaca College is witnessing the most freshman class diversity in its history, with a larger number of African, Latino, Asian and Native American students. The 2011 freshman class is made up of 18.2 percent ALANA students, compared to 15.1 percent in 2010, 14.9 percent in 2009 and 13.4 percent in 2008. Eric Maguire, vice president for enrollment management, said in an email that this year’s freshman class has the highest percentage of ALANA students in the past four years. He said the increase is part of the IC 20/20 vision to further diversify the student population. “The current freshman class continues a steady increase in
on the green Freshman athlete comes from Hong Kong to dominate on women's golf team, page 23
our ALANA student enrollment and is the most diverse class in the college’s history by a significant margin,” Maguire said. This year’s freshman class has a total of 304 ALANA students, compared with the 2010 freshman class, which had a total of 249. In 2009, the number of ALANA students was also at 304, but that was a lower percentage of the entire student body. In 2008, there were 196. Maguire said the ALANA increase can be attributed to the higher level of diversity among college-bound students nationwide, in addition to improved recruiting techniques. Last week, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that in 2010, the national average of American minority students at four-year colleges in the United
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States, was 27 percent. “Students have countless collegiate options, and I believe we have done a good job of reaching out to high schools and communitybased organizations to recruit
Stereo-type
Beat Generation trends from the '50s influence current culture on the campus, page 13 f ind m or e. onl ine. www.t heit hacan.org
an increasingly diverse pool of applicants,” Maguire said. “We still have improvements to make, but I am confident that the path outlined in IC
See alana, page 4
In line Colorful lines and shapes define local artist's abstract work, page 15