UA passes resolution to support Native Americans

At the Undergraduate Assembly’s shortest meeting of the semester — less than an hour — the group passed a resolution to support Native American students.

At the meeting, members also discussed recent board turnovers of student organizations like the Asian-Pacific Student Coalition and the Muslim Student Association.

The Resolution to Support Native American Communities at Penn was the focus of the evening.

Members of Six Directions, a group devoted to raising awareness of Native American issues, said Native Americans are underrepresented at Penn — the community is the smallest of all the Ivy League schools, they said.

They went on to say that Penn has been taking greater steps to increase recruitment efforts in Native American communities. Penn has recently hired Tina Pierce-Fragoso, a regional director connected with New Jersey’s Lenape community.

A grant was also given to the Office of Admissions to enhance recruitment in Native American communities.

The resolution urges the Office of Admissions to continue efforts to recruit Native American students and asks the University to designate an adviser experienced in handling the cultural and academic concerns of these students.

One question raised was whether a UA resolution is really the best way to help Six Directions get what they want from the University as described in the proposal.

The authors of the proposal responded by saying that a strong undergraduate backing is important when discussing Native American issues with the Office of Admissions, which is why this resolution was brought to the UA.

The resolution passed 28 to one with two abstentions.

At the meeting, UA Chairman and College junior Alec Webley also cited the University Council’s next open forum on Dec. 9 as a great way to bring issues to the attention of senior University administrators.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.