WHEREAS, Native American Students make up about 1% of students enrolled in higher education and experienced significantly higher, lower high school graduation rates, higher college dropout rates, and lower rates of degree completion compared to other racial and ethnic groups;
WHEREAS, Native American identity has been shaped by colonization, forced relocation, and assimilation policies that led to intermarriage with African American, Latinx, and Asian communities;
WHEREAS, According to the Pew Research Center, 61% of Native Americans identify as mixed-race, primarily combining Native and White heritage but often also including Black or Latinx ancestry (Pew Research Center, 2015); and
WHEREAS, Native American tribes are recognized as sovereign nations within the U.S., a status that does not apply to other racial or ethnic groups and this distinction affects census methods, as Native Americans are often identified by their enrollment in federally recognized tribes, directly tying population counts to tribal sovereignty (Cornell & Kalt, 1992) and California is home to 109 federally recognized Native American tribes and approximately 81 additional groups seeking federal recognition but not yet recognized; Now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges advocate for a statewide mandate for each California Community College to count all students indicating that they identify as Native American, regardless of how many other categories were selected, be counted and reported as Native American in disaggregated data;
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges acknowledge that the Vision 2030 underscores the importance of using data to drive equitable and effective policies and by improving the accuracy of Native American student representation, this proposal will empower the California Community College Chancellor’s Office to make better-informed decisions that are reflective of the true diversity within California’s community colleges; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges encourage the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to hold regular meetings with faculty and local Indigenous tribes, organizations, and student reps to discuss in-depth the data collection process, resource allocation, and targeted support initiatives to benefit Native American students and establish a feedback mechanism to gather diverse viewpoints on the implementation’s impact and effectiveness.
Reference
[1] Pew Research Center. (2015). Multiracial in America: Proud, Diverse, and Growing in Numbers.
[2]Perdue, T. (2003). "Mixed Blood" Indians: Racial Construction in the Early South.