Campus tries to attract diversity

Native Americans make up the smallest portion of the University population, representing only 0.8 percent of the entire student body.

To help increase the small percentage, students and faculty at the UNC Graduate School are hosting events such as the Native American graduate student recruitment weekend in attempts to attract diversity.

Officials have held several other events this year catering to the group as part of their diversity initiative.

"By encouraging Native undergraduates to get to know our University campus and to meet current Native American graduate students, we think it will help them to understand what Carolina offers and hopefully choose to attend Chapel Hill for graduate study," said Sandra Hoeflich, associate dean for interdisciplinary education, fellowships and communication.

North Carolina has the largest Native American population east of the Mississippi River, but the group traditionally has been underrepresented at UNC, Hoeflich said.

Officials said the recruitment efforts are aimed at creating a more diverse campus population.

"We have a very welcoming community here," said Graduate School Dean Linda Dykstra. "We are hoping to attract and convince others that Carolina is a good place for Native Americans."

The Graduate School recently held a recruitment weekend for Native American students. Organizers said they aimed to give students from around the country the chance to learn what graduate studies at UNC can offer to Native Americans.

Although nine different tribes are represented at UNC, Derek Oxendine, a senior psychology major and a member of the Lumbee tribe, said it is sometimes hard to maintain his sense of culture.

"It is hard maintain a balance between the contemporary and traditional worlds that we live in," Oxendine said. "We are proportionately the smallest minority group on campus, and that makes us a minority within a minority."

Cookie Newsom, director of diversity education and research for the Office of Minority Affairs, emphasized the recruitment as a way for UNC to serve all citizens of the state.

But officials also said recruitment efforts should not be restricted to in-state students. Students from as far away as Washington and New Mexico attended the weekend.

Hoeflich reiterated the point that the addition of more Native Americans would create a more diverse community and University. "We all can benefit from a diverse culture and a diverse student body."

Jennifer Taylor, a Cherokee and a doctoral student in biology, said she left California for UNC not only for academics but also to share her culture with other students.

"We bring our culture with us when we come to Carolina, whether it is Lumbee, Cherokee, Chickasaw or any other tribe, and we share that culture with others," Taylor said.

Josh Barton, a Lumbee undergraduate student, also said Native Americans can benefit attending by UNC and strengthen the culture of its students by creating a more diverse atmosphere.

"Carolina allows us to be exposed to other cultures," he said. "It makes us as Native Americans appreciate who we are and where we come from."

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.