A group of professors, administrators and students meet yesterday.
After more than five years of little to no progress, it seems a Native American studies minor could be ready for implementation in less than two, according to members of a working group that met yesterday.
A coalition of about 14 students and faculty members, calling itself the Native American Studies Working Group, met for the second time since it was created last semester to discuss what progress has already been made in expanding Native American-focused courses at this university. With a list of Native American offerings that should be ready for the fall and other new courses already in the works, student leaders said they’ve set their sights on establishing a minor and a deadline of fall 2012.
“We’ve moved really fast in a year,” said senior classics and history major Natalia Cuadra-Saez, who has helped lead the charge for more Native American themed courses throughout her time as an undergraduate. “It’s so great that we are able to network like this and get all these people to sit down at the same table.”
After students met with former Provost Nariman Farvardin last semester, the provost’s office jumped on board with students pushing for more Native American courses, and yesterday Cuadra-Saez reported to the group the administration is working to launch a new website with resources for students interested in Native American studies, including a list of courses that students identified as having at least a 25 percent Native American focus.
American Studies Chairwoman Nancy Struna, who has worked to vet proposals for new Native American classes, helped the American Studies department designate about 10 classes that include Native American material. Struna said two additional courses are being developed with the financial support of the provost’s office.
Over the past several months, student leaders have approached deans and department chairs throughout the university, including petitioning Patricia Steele, dean of libraries, about having an online resource page geared specifically toward Native American subjects. Students have also proposed compiling a new Native American studies DVD collection through the university’s new DVD rental program, UMDVD, Cuadra-Saez said.
Several faculty members who participated in yesterday’s group meeting noted interest has been growing among their students and that they would work to incorporate a Native American focus into their own departments’ offerings.
But regardless of how many courses are offered, a minor will not be created unless Native American studies courses prove to be successful. That’s why students are leading the charge, Cuadra-Saez said.
“This is a student effort,” she said. “This wouldn’t have happened without students. It took students to get the energy up to where it is now.”
While students are optimistic a Native-American studies minor is the next step, some faculty members in the group acknowledged there is still much work to be done before it is ready to go.
“Putting a minor down on paper is the easy part,” Struna said. “Having the courses that make the minor and having them filled, that’s the challenge.”
However, Struna said given the strong support from the administration and the enthusiasm within the group, the students’ goals for this minor were well on their way to becoming a reality.
“The students have been great,” Struna said. “There’s energy here that’s at a level that should result in having this minor in a few years.”
villanueva at umdbk dot com
