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MSU Indigenous community discusses grievances with administration at campus event
Kristin Arola, the director of American Indian and Indigenous Studies, is tired.
And it’s not just her. Members of the Indigenous community both on and off campus met Friday afternoon to discuss how to make Michigan State University more responsive to Native students, faculty and staff.
This meeting was just one of several events during Native American Heritage Month at MSU. The discussions that took place during the meeting reflected on the hurdles their community has faced both recently and systematically.
According to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report for the 2023-24 academic year, American Indian/Alaskan Native students make up 0.3% of the undergraduate student population at MSU. American Indian/Alaskan Native faculty and staff make up 0.5% of the population.
Last month on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Native American Indigenous Student Organization painted the Rock to commemorate the day. Shortly after completion, the Rock was painted over by MSU Turning Point, a student organization that promotes conservative values on college campuses.
Kristin said the administration’s lack of response to this was disheartening. After no initial response from them, Kristin said she and the Coalition of Racial and Ethnic Minorities wrote a letter to President Kevin Guskiewicz and the administration calling for a response addressing this action by MSU TPUSA.
Another factor is the lack of official university land acknowledgment. MSU is a land grant university, meaning that the campus as it exists now was built upon Indigenous land taken through violence-backed treaties and land seizures.
Kristin explained that MSU does not have a physical land acknowledgment, and Native students drafted versions to be placed outside of Wells Hall in People’s Park, where an Indian encampment existed at the time of the university’s founding.
She said they are at the point now where a very sanitized version of the land acknowledgment may be approved. The constant back and forths between the administration and those trying to pass a land acknowledgment feel like stall tactics to Kristin, she said.
“The Administration is open to the posting of the land acknowledgment statement,” MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant said. “Seems like there are a few options at Peoples Park and/or the new Multicultural Center. Conversations are ongoing.”
Clifton R. Wharton Jr., first Black MSU president, dies at 98
Dr. Clifton R. Wharton Jr., MSU’s first Black president and a community leader and pioneer, has died at the age of 98.
Wharton became MSU’s 14th president in 1970. During his tenure, Wharton maintained the quality of MSU’s academic programs and was known for his commitment to educating people who are economically disadvantaged, according to MSU’s legacy page.
MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz and the Board of Trustees released a joint statement Sunday on Wharton’s death and his “profound influence” on the university.
While he led MSU, the number of Rhodes Scholars increased, and two new colleges opened: the College of Urban Development and the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Wharton also oversaw the building of MSU’s first superconducting cyclotron, the creation of the MSU Foundation and the launch of its first capital campaign.
The capital campaign would eventually lead to the construction of the Clifton and Dolores Wharton Center for Performing Arts, Michigan’s largest performing arts center. In 1982, the MSU Board of Trustees named the center in honor of Wharton and his wife to honor their lasting impact and contributions to the MSU community.
Wharton’s tenure at MSU also oversaw challenges such as student protests in response to the Vietnam War, an NCAA investigation into the MSU football program and fiscal budget cuts. Despite the challenges, Wharton strived to make MSU a community for everyone, stewarding efforts to broaden educational access at MSU and end discrimination on campus.
In 1993, Wharton was chosen to serve as Deputy Secretary of State under the Bill Clinton administration, a position he held for a year.
Wharton is survived by his wife of 74 years, Delores, and his son, Bruce. Instead of flowers, Wharton’s family has established the Dr. Clifton and Delores Wharton Legacy Fund. Gifts to the fund will go toward the Wharton Center’s endowment fund for lasting support of the performing arts center.
MSU Global Festival brings cultures together in celebration
The Michigan State University international community gathered Saturday to share their cultures at the annual Global Festival.
The event, hosted by the Office for International Students and Scholars, featured performances and exhibits that spanned from all over the world. Attendees could find activities on every floor of the International Center, where the event was located.
Those on the first floor could interact with nearly 30 student organizations at their exhibits. Exhibits included tables with various items that students used to showcase their culture. Either through food, clothing or items of cultural significance, attendees could learn from these students.
Performances featured not just students, but the greater Michigan community at large. With music or dance, audiences could be exposed to a diverse set of cultures with this entertainment.
A global gift shop was put together on the third floor, where attendees could purchase all kinds of items that reflected the array of cultures present at the festival. The shop, organized by the Community Volunteers for International Programs, will use all of its proceeds to fund the education of international student spouses.
Based on original reporting by Anish Topiwala and Demonte Thomas.
