University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Monday, February 20, 2017
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Campus groups work to assist native students
Blank to fund Our Wisconsin program
Recently, in an effort to make UW-Madison a welcoming place for students like Nelis, Associated Students of Madison passed legislation requiring council meetings to begin with a recognition that the university sits on indigenous land. According to ASM Equity & Inclusion Committee Chair Ali Khan, a non-native student suggested the legislation to ASM. Khan then used his connections with Wunk Sheek to bring the voices of native students into the conversation. “I suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, because I felt like we were speaking on behalf of native issues when we didn’t really have that perspective in the room when creating the legislation,” Khan said. According to Khan, bringing in this perspective made the legislation stronger and more effective. Wunk Sheek helped ASM amend it to call on the university to recognize Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day, and install a plaque on the Bascom Hill statue of Abraham Lincoln, recognizing his role in the systematic oppression of native people.
Along with science, literature and foreign language, first-year students at UW-Madison will have an opportunity to also study inclusion, diversity and equity through an inclusion program to launch Fall 2017. Chancellor Rebecca Blank approved full-funding from her office for the Our Wisconsin programs. The workshops will engage students in conversations about identities, and go further in depth of the advantages and disadvantages of various groups, according to Our Wisconsin Student Coordinator Katrina Morrison. “The main point is to show students that we can all be of different identities and come from all these different backgrounds and still coexist,” Morrison said. Students will get an idea of the workshops in the summer at Student Orientation, Advising and Registration, where will they will learn about Our Wisconsin inclusion framework. Then, within the first two weeks of classes, full workshops will be offered in campus residence halls. It will not be formally required, but will be framed as an expectation. The group sessions will be led by two student-facilitators, along with one faculty or staff member, but will focus on discussions among participants. “We’re really interested in the people in the room sharing their stories and experiences with each other because that’s what’s going to be most impactful,” Morrison said. “It’s not going to be lecture-based at all, it’s going to be all about conversation.” Morrison proposed framework for mandatory diversity training while she served as an Associated Students of Madison intern in the winter of 2015, after UW BlackOut suggested a similar program for the UW System. It was approved by UW-Madison administration for a pilot run in Fall 2016, which tested the program with residents of Sellery, Cole, Leopold and Sullivan residence halls. The pilot Our Wisconsin program was split into two workshops that equated to four and a half hours, but will be one three-hour session in the fall. Morrison said the topics discussed will remain the same. She said she hopes these needed conversations will transform the campus climate. “The goal is inclusion and acceptance for all people, regardless of how they may identify,” Morrison said. “I want this school to be a place for everyone—not just those with privileged identities.”
Story by Luisa de Vogel Balancing the newfound energy of city life with academics proved challenging for Emily Nelis, a student who came to UW-Madison after growing up on an Indian reservation in northern Wisconsin. Now a leader in the Native American community on campus, finding a community of other native students helped combat the initial culture shock. Her experiences are not unique; many native students struggle when adjusting to life on the UW-Madison campus. The Native American student organization Wunk Sheek, of which she is now co-president, helped her find a family on campus. “Wunk Sheek was and still is my little hub to be who I am without sacrificing anything ... I could talk about something from the res, I could talk about powwows, I could talk about ceremonies,” Nelis said. “Wunk Sheek was and is my biggest support system on this campus.”
By Sammy Gibbons THE DAILY CARDINAL
MORGAN WINSTON/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Student legislation asked for a plaque on Bascom to recognize Abraham Lincoln’s role in the oppression of native peoples. “We realized that there was a lot more [to do] than just recognizing Indigenous People’s Day to better the lives of Native American students on this campus,” Khan said. While groups like Wunk Sheek and ASM work to elevate the voices of native students, UW-Madison should do more to support the Native community, according to Khan.
The American Indian Studies department is not properly funded, Khan added. He also worries that Wunk Sheek will lose funding if allocable segregated fees become optional. Recently, UW-Madison has worked to reach out to native populations. Nichole Boyd, the American
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‘Cognitive Dissonance’ in university prompts ASM legislation By Nina Bertelsen THE DAILY CARDINAL
OWEN DESAI/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Representative Tyriek Mack proposed legislation urging officials to back-up diversity and inclusion rhetoric with action on campus.
A “cognitive dissonance” exists between UW-Madison’s rhetoric and actions on diversity and campus inclusion according to Tyriek Mack, a representative for the Associated Students of Madison. Mack introduced legislation entitled “Cognitive Dissonance” at a Student Council meeting this Wednesday that specifically asked four things in order to make university more accessible to students of color: • a task force be created to assess feasibility of test-optional and geographic-weight in admissions • committee-recommended changes be made to the admission process • reparations, in the form of full and free access to higher education, for systemic denial of black people— including undocumented and currently or formerly incarcerated people • a 10 percent increase in generic need-based financial aid from the UW Foundation Mack said that cognitive dissonance exists at UW-Madison because the university claims they value diversity and inclusion, but only 2
percent of students are black. White supremacy is not only perpetuated by people’s viewpoints and interactions, explained Mack, but by factors like economics and lack of access. He said, “If the university has rhetoric around diversity and inclusion they should have some actions that reflect that.” UW-Madison spokesperson Meredith McGlone said that UW-Madison has done more than just talk about diversity and inclusion, but has increased the proportion of students of color from 11 to 15 percent and have also made increasing need-based aid a priority. Mack stressed the Committee for Undergraduate Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid released a report in 2013 that matched the legislation’s recommendation, with the exception of reparations. “[UW-Madison has] all these resources to make a difference,” said Mack. “The Wisconsin Idea is supposed to make this whole state a better place. But when you look at who has access to the Wisconsin Idea, it’s not the poorest people in this state, it’s not people of color.”
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”