Contemporary issues surrounding Native Americans in higher education were the focus this weekend of a symposium sponsored by the Native American Student Coalition.
Organizers of the conference, "Talking Drums: Native America Now," said they hoped to raise awareness on campus and begin a discussion about a Native-American studies program at Duke and surrounding universities, said NASC Treasurer Kelly Fayard.
One central focus of discussion was the difficulty in recruiting Native-American students to universities.
"[It is important to] think about ways... to work with high schools and middle schools... to bring kids to college campuses who are Native American," said Charles Thompson, assistant director of the Center for Documentary Studies, who attended the symposium. "We have to help them imagine themselves as potential college students."
Symposium participants also discussed the overall climate for Native Americans at universities. Malinda Maynor, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said universities should create a more comfortable atmosphere for Native Americans.
"We need to make the whole institution wake up and adjust itself to the Native-American issues there, and to make them realize the Native-American concept and importance of home that students bring," she said.
Although NASC officials deemed this year's symposium a success, Fayard and NASC Co-President Anna Denson said they were concerned for the club's future membership and visibility on campus. Two of NASC's most active members, they will both graduate this year, leaving the group without experienced leadership.
"It took me about a year to figure out who to see and what to do, especially with money issues," Fayard said. "With no overlap, it will be hard for the new kids to figure it out too, and we won't be here to tell them what we already know."
Fayard said she hoped Orin Starn, associate professor of cultural anthropology, would be able to follow up on the symposium's goals.
"I think that Orin has gotten a lot of ideas, and he'll be able to implement them a lot better than we will be able to since we're leaving so soon," she said.
Fayard said the group has grown in the last year and includes under 30 members. She said she was pleased with the discussions' turnout, about six to seven students.
"The people who did come came to participate," Fayard said.
"People were aware that this was going on, so even if they didn't come and participate, they were aware that there was a symposium that addressed Native issues on campus," she added.
Denson added that the Southern Sun native drumming exhibition in Crowell Quadrangle Saturday attracted at least 24 students, not including those who paused to listen while passing through the quad.
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