More American Indians Attend College, But Not UC Berkeley

While American Indian student enrollment at UC Berkeley remains low, the number of American Indian college students nationwide has more than doubled in the last 25 years, according to a government report released last week.

According to the U.S. Department of Education report, 35,000 American Indian students were enrolled in four-year colleges in 1976. By 2002, the number had jumped to 84,600.

The report also states that until 10 years ago, more American Indian students were enrolled in community colleges than at four-year institutions, but that is no longer the case.

At UC Berkeley, however, the number of American Indian students has remained stagnant-American Indians currently comprise less than one percent of the undergraduate population.

There were a total of 123 American Indian undergraduate students last semester, down from 207 students in 1995.

"Many of us believe that the number is too small. I think that this is an area in which we need to do more," said Richard Black, associate vice chancellor of admissions and enrollment. "Recruitment and support for the Native American community requires additional efforts here at Berkeley."

A major obstacle in attracting American Indian students to the university is higher fees, said UC Berkeley student Veronique Richardson, a member of the campus Native American Recruitment and Retention Center.

"(NARRC) has recruitment trips all over California, and we have to be real with students who want to know how to get here," Richardson said. "Tuition is sky high and retention is hard because once they're here they're in debt up to their ears."

This financial strain often compels students to attend tribe-managed universities, or discourages students from considering higher education altogether, Richardson said.

"For many students, it's easier to stay home and go to a tribal college, knowing you'll have a roof over your head," Richardson said. "Who wants to study for a final and have to worry about how to get food the next day?"

Since outreach funding is itself scarce, recruitment is also limited to California, even though other states have a much larger American Indian population, she said.

The report also notes that American Indian representation is extremely low at the faculty level, making up less than one half of a percent of full-time faculty members nationwide in 2001.

In 2004, there was just one American Indian faculty member on the UC Berkeley campus.

A lack of faculty role models at UC Berkeley has had a negative impact on the retention rates of American Indian students, Richardson said.

"Students can't see themselves in higher education if they don't have role models in their fields of interest," said Bridget Wilson, a UC Berkeley undergraduate admissions officer and member of the Acoma Pueblo tribe. "If there are no Native American faculty, they can't help make the decisions that directly affect students."

Richardson said she hopes Chancellor Robert Birgeneau's public commitment to increasing student diversity will translate into a greater American Indian presence on campus.

"I still hear statements from students like, ‘Oh, there are actually still Native Americans here?'" Richardson said. "We're only walking shadows among the student population."

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