AISU gains members and awareness

Despite struggling with minimal funds, the American Indian Student Union has been able to organize more than a dozen events on the campus promoting awareness of American Indian issues.

Through collaboration with other campus departments such as the School of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Community Roots, the AISU has been able to generate interest in the struggles American Indian students face in breaking inaccurate and often hurtful stereotypes.

With virtually no budget, the AISU - created in April 2006 - has had to count on the benevolence of other businesses, such as the Hoff Theater, and cultural organizations, such as the National Museum of the American Indian, to spread AISU's message by allowing them to hold events at reduced prices.

"I am shocked that we did all these events with such little funding, and this is only our first semester," said AISU public relations officer and Monacan Indian Desiree Shelley. "We've all worked hard, but its been a struggle."

The group organized a screening of the movie In Whose Honor? on Nov. 12 and held a discussion the following week to bring awareness to the stereotypes the American Indian population faces. The film, which discusses using Native Americans as mascots in sports, generated a debate about the underlying racism these nicknames and associations provoke. More than 20 people attended the two-hour debate, including university professors.

Shelley said the use of Native American mascots in sports has a profound psychological effect on the community at large and is an important factor when discussing the negative perceptions of the American Indian population.

"There is a lack of understanding from everyone. The mascots lower the morale and self-worth of the community. We do not live in teepees or ride horses to school," added Shelley.

Shelley said that the group has had to deal with the stereotypical perceptions students have about American Indians, something she and the group have worked hard to overcome.

Deep-seated misconceptions left over from years of misrepresentation in history have been the biggest challenge for American Indian students not only on this campus but around the nation, said AISU Vice President Krystyna Landaal.

Natives have the reputation of being "lazy old drunks that don't work hard enough," but Landaal said that it is not a fair evaluation considering the way American Indians have been oppressed for centuries.

Though American Indians make up less than 1 percent of the undergraduate population, the group's membership has grown to 33 members - including representative of many indigenous groups such as the Shawnee, Navajo, and Mayan - since its founding. The group prides itself on being open to and spreading awareness of all indigenous groups from across the Americas and has spread to more than 150 members on Facebook.

Group members said they were motivated to start the AISU because of their own experiences and struggles with identity and discrimination while growing up and coming to the university.

"We are not a club of 'Indians' with inside jokes, nor are [we] a clique that only allows 'true' natives to be on the inside," said Shelley. "Part of our mission is to educate and share our culture with others, so we welcome everyone, including non-natives."

With the help of other campus groups, the AISU brought filmmaker Oscar Torres to discuss the toll of the war on the population of El Salvador, some of whom were indigenous. The group has also scheduled Gregory Hamilton to come to campus on Nov. 28 to discuss the relationship between the Indian and black communities.

Contact reporter Arelis Hernandez at hernandezdbk@gmail.com.