I go to school in Billings, Montana. In case you weren’t aware, Montana is home to seven Indian reservations and the state-recognized Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Despite having a large Native American population, my school does not offer Native American Studies program. However, this does not mean that they are uninterested in the culture or people. Earlier in the semester I happened to be asked to be a part of a group that helps start up the club for the Native American students on campus. Because of this, I asked those involved to give their thoughts about this up and coming club on my school’s campus.
Dr. Julie Biecken is the sociology professor at my school. She has a Substance Prevention class that visits the Crow Reservation regularly. Dr. Biecken shared that our school’s president, “Dr. Bob Wilmouth and other administration members suggested starting a Native American student group. RMC administrators would like to improve the recruitment and retention of Native American students, in part by establishing articulation agreements with tribal colleges as well as working with the students currently on Rocky's campus.”
During new student orientation a small meeting was held for the new Native American students. Dr. Beicken and another professor, Jacqueline Dundas, were at the meeting; as well as several of the new Native American students, and an upperclassmen as well as myself. This meeting laid the foundation for what is now being called, Native American Student Alliance (NASA). After the new student orientation meeting the two professors, other upperclassmen, and I began to meet almost weekly to discuss ideas of where to lead Rocky’s Native American students.
As professor Dundas stated during one meeting, “We want the students to know that we are here for them. We want them to know that they have support.”
Support and encouragement is vital for any college student and it something that these students will have an abundance of. As the meetings progressed communications professor Long-Hammond, and Dr. Ward joined in on the meetings. Another student who joined in on the meetings was junior, Cori Pretty Weasel.
Pretty Weasel is enthusiastic about this future club and believes that it is highly important. “Personally, I think it's important to have a group like this to support each other. College life in general is hard but I think even harder because you are Native. I know for me, not a lot of my community or family is college educated so there's a disconnect there because not a lot of people understand the sacrifice of getting your degree, actually doing well, and getting good grades. I also feel like it would be great for this group to come together and not only support each other to help graduate but I think in turn it will help set a standard to graduate, that a lot of time isn't present in our communities. It perfectly fine for a lot of Natives to drop out of college and return home with no goals in sight. No offense to those that have done that but it would be great to help avoid that. I think you are more so a product of your expectations than your environment and I think this club can help mold those expectations.”
Discussion continued about what steps needed to be made in order to get the alliance started. One step the faculty members believed needed to be taken was finding a place on campus for students. The faculty members took action and now the up and coming club has an office located in the basement of Morledge-Kimball Hall. The office will serve as a space for students to meet with one another, complete homework, or to just hangout.
Another step that needed to be taken was bringing all the Native American students together to talk about how they would like to benefit from the club. It was then decided that a student mixer would be held in the Great Hall to bring everyone together. The faculty members involved, and both president Wilmouth and vice president of academics, Dr. Stephen Germic attended to hear the students share. One student that attended was a sophomore named Melanie Racine. She believed that one of the most important things that was needed was to get all of the Native American students to get to know each other more personally in order to establish a community. Racine felt this is necessary considering that many Native American students come from small communities. Going from a reservation to a city like Billings can a great culture shock.
From this discussion, the art professor Jim Baken began to share what he envisions for the Native American students and for the college in relation to Native American culture. He hopes in due time that there can be a few Native American culture classes offered at Rocky, more specifically a Native American language class. Baken would also like to bring in Native American artists from the community to share their work and stories with students. The possibility of collaborating with a neighboring college for their annual pow-wow was also mentioned.
Having a group like this on campus is not only beneficial for the students but for the community as well. Dr. Biecken stated, “There are many benefits of this group, which are not exclusive to Native American students by any means. Fostering a community of Native American students will provide them with resources that will improve their experiences here at Rocky. Sociology has demonstrated that people perform better and are healthier and happier when they have strong social support and are embedded in a community. For some Native American students, connecting with others who have similar experiences to them will be a positive thing. For the Rocky community on the whole, increased diversity and inclusivity will benefit the students, faculty, and staff alike. Native Americans make up a significant portion of the Montana population and Rocky should be a welcoming place for this group of students while also offering non-Native Americans the opportunity to learn from people with different experiences from their own.”
Faculty and students will continue to meet and brainstorm potential activities and events for the club. As far as the club is concerned, once it is fully established both Native American and non-Native American students will be able to come together. During the meetings students will be able to discuss what is going on in the Native American community and hopefully have the opportunity to listen to Native American guest speakers. A lot of excitement and support is surrounding the club. Those involved are optimistic of the club’s future.
