Former Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor understood through her experiences in Illinois that indigenous peoples have a different perspective on life and are hospitable people, said Regina Jones, assistant director of the Native Student Program. For this reason, in 2006, Cantor helped initiate the Native Student Program and the Haudenosaunee Promise Scholarship.  

“Throughout our history of broken promises, Chancellor Cantor wanted to create a promise that would not be broken,” Jones said. “She felt that we were on ancestral land and that we should have a better relationship.” 

Since the fall of 2006, Native American Outreach Day has been an integral tool in recruiting high school junior and senior indigenous students to attend SU, Jones said. Native American Outreach Day will be held Nov. 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.  

Similar to SU’s prospective student days, high school students are given a tour, a luncheon and informational sessions. In addition, there will be a college fair in which each school will be tabling for prospective students to talk with recruiters.  

Later on, the day culminates in a student panel and senior interviews. Typically, the turnout is about 50 to 75 students, said Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy, admissions counselor and Native American liaison.  

Dana Isaacs, a sophomore selective studies major, said that as a panelist, she has noticed students resonate most with the panel since they can hear what it’s like to be an indigenous student on campus.  

Primarily the event attracts Haudenosaunee students, which as Jones explained, that are part of the confederacy of six nearby nations; however, the event is open to all indigenous students. 

Bluewolf-Kennedy said that in the past, she has traveled to New Mexico, Wisconsin, Canada and Colorado, among others, to speak to nations about SU and its programs for Native American students. 

During the day, students can gain insight into applying to SU and the indigenous-specific services and programs that will help students become successful. 

At SU, there is an estimated 320 self-identifying Native American students, a figure that includes 70 graduate students, Bluewolf-Kennedy said. This number has been in flux over the years, with it reaching 350 students at one point. 

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“It’s really nice that we work at an institution where they’re actively working towards increasing our native student population,” Bluewolf–Kennedy said. “But the thing we’re really doing, with the Promise and Honors scholarships, is nation building.” 

The Haudenosaunee Promise Scholarship is geared toward students who reside on a nation territory and offers a full scholarship. While the Honor Scholarship does not require students to live on a nation territory and covers tuition, housing or meals are not included.  

Bluewolf-Kennedy explained that these scholarships provide opportunities for students that would not otherwise be able to afford college. In her findings, most of the students receiving the scholarships are first-generation college students. 

“We’re still dealing with guidance counselors who are telling our students, ‘You’ll never go to college, go learn a trade,’’’ Jones said. “They’re pushing our kids through school just to get rid of them.”  

However, Jones views the program as a way for students to see upperclassmen and relatives that are in fact “doing it.” 

Jones added that the day is there to support students, help them with tedious paperwork and simply get accustomed. She invites students that end up attending SU to a pre-orientation to meet upperclassmen and the indigenous campus community.   

Isaacs, who transferred from Monroe Community College, has found the community in the Native Student Program building welcoming and said she is there almost daily.  

“I like it because it’s open and I feel more comfortable there because it shows it’s not just me here, that there’s more of my people,” Isaacs said.  

As Nov. 1 marks the beginning of Native American Heritage Month, there will be many events in the coming weeks. Jones was especially excited to announce that there will be an Indigenous Runway that will feature traditional fashion and newer indigenous artists. The event will be held at the Skybarn on Nov. 14. 

“It’s just the same as home, I’m the grandmother or auntie. I’m doing the same thing here that I would do with my own grandchildren,” Jones said. “It’s a family.”  

Published on October 30, 2019 at 10:32 pm