Searching for native pride

When Charles Bonham received a frantic e-mail from the Native American People's Alliance listserv stating the possible end to the organization at UB, he felt compelled to reach out to the club for the first time.
'When I was informed that the NAPA was dissolving, I was at first deeply saddened,' said Bonham, a freshman undecided major. 'Here was an organization that sought to reach out to a community that, in my experience, often needed a unifying force to truly be recognized.'
Kristie Martin, the president of NAPA, sent that frantic but heartfelt e-mail to the 100 or so Native American students who were placed on the listserv.
'NAPA has been around since 1970 and used to be a really prosperous club with many community ties and a large influence on campus,' Martin said. 'I've tried really, really hard to spread cultural awareness about Native Americans and open membership to everyone … but I'm at a loss.'
Garnering interest among the native and non-native community has been difficult for Martin. There are many misperceptions that exist about Native Americans and Martin has been exposed to such stereotypes while attending UB.
'A guy once [asked] me, ‘You guys actually exist?' Martin said. 'A lot of people think that we are cartoon characters. It makes me feel fictionalized.'
Kristie's desperate cry to the small Native American population on campus was also heard by Steve Demchak, a graduate student in the department of American Studies. He, too, can identify with Kristie's struggle to keep her organization alive, as he is facing a similar struggle for survival.
Demchak has worked with NAPA for the past two years and took on the endeavor of forming a Native American Graduate Student Association, which was recognized by the Student Association this past November.
The process involved a lot of patience and relentless searching, according to Demchak.
'Getting any Native student to come together in some united form here at UB has been like pulling teeth,' Demchak said. 'I'm Navajo enrolled, and I had to chase down Native grad students and others to get our paperwork in to get recognized by the GSA.'
According to Martin, the university's effort to recruit Native American students has been minimal and the overall lack of outreach to the Native American community has been disappointing.
'[Our club] doesn't have the numbers that clubs like the Latin American Student Association or the Black Student Association have,' Martin said. 'It's tough trying to get those numbers.'
Martin is a Daniel Acker Scholar, the only merit-based scholarship program at UB that gives special consideration to underrepresented minority students. Martin believes that if more incentives like this were offered, especially to those students who live on reservations, the university could attract more Native American students.
'Syracuse University offers full scholarships and free housing and Cornell and Potsdam also have large Native American communities,' Martin said. 'The belief is that most Native Americans don't attend college, and [NAPA] wants to dispel that.'
According to Donald Grinde, chair of the American Studies program and a specialist in Native American research, UB cannot compete with private universities like Syracuse in the aggressive recruitment race because of the school's state status.
Grinde, however, agrees that the university could do more to make UB welcoming to Native American students.
'UB could do more to make the university a better place for these students in terms of a more diverse curriculum, a better campus climate, and more programs,' said Grinde.
Martin plans on working hard to spread awareness about NAPA and Native American culture. She has several events planned, such as panel discussions, social dances and cultural cooking lessons. Additionally, for the first time this year, her organization will hold a welcoming celebration for accepted Native American students in the fall.
'I don't want NAPA to dissolve while I'm in presidency,' Martin said. 'I want this club to succeed.'

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