November 16, 2004

The Unknown Minority: Native American Students Straddle Two Worlds

Stewart Lowry, the then freshman in biomedical engineering, dances in the men’s fancy during the annual Native American powwow. (Photo: Rob Bradley)

“We are the unknown minority,” Lisa Smith (BAPSY ’04), a Seneca Indian, stated as she described some of the challenges Native American students face at NC State University.

It is true that their numbers on campus are small. There are only about 200 self-identified Native American students here, although NC State has the second largest enrollment of Native Americans in the University of North Carolina system, surpassed only by UNC-Pembroke. Most of the students are Lumbees who come from Robeson and adjoining counties in North Carolina. Other represented tribes include Haliwa-Saponi, Waccamaw-Siouan, Coharie, Sappony and Cherokee. However, their small numbers on campus do not explain the lack of understanding that these students often meet when they reveal that they are Native Americans.

Nichol Brewer, a Lumbee Indian and a junior in biochemistry, and Nina Chavis, also a Lumbee Indian and a senior in chemical engineering, would like the campus community to have a better understanding of Native Americans. Chavis believes that a Native American studies course offered on campus would help inform the community about Native American cultures.

Alisa Hunt-Lowery (MSIE ’04) identifies with Brewer and Chavis. She knows what it is like to be a Native American undergraduate on campus because she attended NC State during the ’90s and received her B.S. in textile engineering in 1998. She also assisted Native American students and other minorities when she served as assistant director of minorities for the College of Engineering. “The Native Americans in North Carolina come from rural communities,” Hunt-Lowery said. “They don’t have a lot of interaction with people outside of their race. Coming to a large university like NC State is a culture shock. Native American students who come here are not used to explaining who they are, why they look like they do and why they talk the way they do. Those are some of the biggest issues, and those issues can become hurdles. Cultural differences can lead to social differences.”

Alisa Hunt-Lowery (MSIE ’04) knows what it is like to be a Native American undergraduate on campus. (Photo: Kathi McBlief)

Cultural differences can sometimes affect classroom success. “Our students have a sense of humility,” said Brett Locklear, assistant director for Native American and Hispanic student affairs in the Department of Multicultural Student Affairs at NC State and a Lumbee Indian. “They simply don’t challenge or participate in classes, and Native American students seldom ask for help. Professors can take that as a sign of laziness or lack of preparedness.” Locklear also noted that it is considered a sign of disrespect for a Native American to look directly into someone’s eyes. According to Locklear, “We have a cultural dissonance. If you don’t understand it, then you work as best as you can to figure it out. If you still don’t understand it, then you go to another student, but you never go to a professor.”

In fact, Locklear knows firsthand that these students care very much, especially about issues that matter to them, such as their heritage. One way these students get to share their heritage with others is through an annual powwow sponsored by the Native American Student Association (NASA), the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and the Department of Multicultural Student Affairs at NC State. Powwows are social gatherings of American Indians from many tribes featuring drum music and dances that hark back to traditional summer gatherings of Plains tribes during the first half of the 19th century. The annual NC State powwow is held the first weekend in April. In 2004, when the Lumbee tribe decided to move its spring powwow to the same weekend as NC State’s, which would have drawn participants away from the smaller NC State event, the students found out and immediately sent out emails to Lumbee powwow officials. Within two hours, the Lumbee tribe had agreed to change their date. According to Locklear, the student’s victory made them realize that they could successfully articulate their issues to bring about change.

In spring 2004 Brett Locklear, assistant director for Native American and Hispanic student affairs in the Department of Multicultural Student Affairs at NC State, and several Native American Students from AISES and NASA shared their experiences as Native Americans. Seated (l to r) are Danielle Chavis, Brett Locklear and Lisa Smith. Standing (l to r) are Amy Dial, Quintin Hunt, Lynn Harris, Nichol Brewer, Brad Lowery, Matt Hunt, David Hunt, Nina Chavis, Marcus Hunt and Ashley Lowery. (Photo: Kathi McBlief)

Many of the students have worked diligently to promote awareness of their culture and advance the cause of Native Americans. One shining example is Shelly Strickland, a 2004 graduate in biomedical and biological engineering and the first Native American Park Scholar at NC State. A Lumbee Indian, Strickland won the College of Engineering Outstanding Senior Award for Citizenship and Service in spring 2004. As vice president of NC State’s NASA, she established a program for Native American youth in the Triangle to help them develop cultural awareness and leadership skills. Other community service included helping the homeless and volunteering at urgent care facilities and health clinics. In addition to her community work, her academic honors at NC State were numerous: she won the Udall and E.J. Tyson Memorial Scholarships, was a National Collegiate scholar and was inducted into the Gamma Beta Phi, the Golden Key and Phi Eta Sigma societies. Strickland, who is also the 2003-04 Miss Indian North Carolina, recently entered medical school at East Carolina University.

Another Park Scholar, Cory Blankenship, a sophomore in political science, decided to start a Native American Resource Center during his freshman year. A Cherokee Indian, Blankenship wanted students to have access to books, film and other media about Native Americans, so he started a group to garner support from alumni and friends to promote the history and culture of Native Peoples at NC State.

Perseverance of Native American students helped lead to the creation of the position of assistant director for Native American and Hispanic student affairs in the Department of Multicultural Affairs. Locklear said that, for a number of years, Native American students had pushed for an additional staff person to handle some of the special issues facing Native Americans on campus.

Hunt-Lowery was one of the students pushing for such a staff position. As a senior, she worked in the Division of Student Affairs. Her job that year was to create a report that explored the feasibility of changing the then-Department of African-American Student Affairs to the Department of Multicultural Student Affairs. In 2001 through the persistence of the Native American students and the leadership of Dr. Tracey Ray, director of multicultural student affairs, a new staff position was created, which Locklear now holds.

Locklear and Hunt-Lowery both agreed that Native Americans derive such perseverance from family and culture. Hunt-Lowery said, “We’re very determined to be successful, and we are willing to work hard.”

With an attitude of resolve for success, this unknown minority will not remain unknown for long, at least if these students have anything to say about it.

— mcblief —

Media contact:
Kathi McBlief, (919) 515-2283, kathi_mcblief@ncsu.edu

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