We, The Duke University Native American/Indigenous Student Alliance (NAISA), ask that:

• Deans and Directors of Undergraduate Studies include Native Students in the hiring of multiple, senior Indigenous faculty who can support our organization's goals listed below
• President Vincent E. Price, Provost Sally Kornbluth, and the Dean of Trinity College work to establish a Native American and Indigenous Studies Program with Indigenous student, faculty, and staff involvement, and require all Duke University employees to undergo cultural sensitivity training through a curiculum designed and administered by Indigenous faculty and students
• The Vice President/Vice Provost of Student Affairs and Student Affairs leaders create a Native American and Indigenous Center with Native/Indigenous student, faculty and staff involvement. And in the meantime, Duke Student Affairs hires a Native American/Indigenous advisor with Indigenous student input
• The Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education meet with NAISA to discuss providing full-tuition scholarships for Indigenous students given Duke's history as being the Trinity College Cherokee Industrial School, a residential school comitted to the forced assimilation of Indigenous students, and its complex histories with Native Americans
• The President’s Office and the Office of the University Secretary meet with NAISA to discuss including Native alumni on the Board of Trustees and the creation of a Native American/Indigenous President’s Council
• The Office of Undergraduate Admissions take action to recruit and retain more Indigenous students with Native student, faculty and staff involvement

“I’m really looking at it though as an opportunity to heal above all. That is the goal here, not to shame them in any way, shape, or form but an opportunity to heal...and not by words but by actions.” 

- Myron Dewey (Paiute/Shoshone) 2019 Lehman Brady Professor at the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies

Previous open letter written to Duke:

The Urgency of Now: Duke must take action to support Native American and Indigenous students

 The Duke Native American/Indigenous Student Alliance (NAISA) is writing an open letter to Duke University. In this letter, we explain how Duke University has failed to adequately support Indigenous students. Then, we outline ways that Duke can better meet its goal of becoming an anti-racist institution. This would not only benefit Native American students at Duke but also Indigenous communities throughout North Carolina.  

     Duke University ranks as the 10th best university in the United States but lags far behind many institutions in providing support for Indigenous students. Duke does not have a Native Studies Program, an Indigenous Cultural Center, adopted land acknowledgement or other academic and financial support programs for Native students. 

     We are further alarmed because North Carolina has the largest population of Indigenous people east of the Mississippi River and is home to eight recognized Tribal Nations. Additionally, Duke once housed the Cherokee Industrial School, a residential school which aimed to eradicate Cherokee culture. Considering these facts, we believe that Duke has an even greater obligation to support Indigenous students.

      Duke University has taken little initiative to support Indigenous students. Because the university has only one Indigenous faculty member, Duke committed to hiring Indigenous professors during the 2021 spring and fall semesters. However, this process was ultimately flawed. The Dean of Trinity College rejected a prominent Indigenous professor despite the history department and the Native Cluster Hire Committee unanimously supporting her hiring. Duke administration also did not involve Native students during the hiring process, even though NAISA laid the groundwork for the Native Cluster Hire. 

     The Duke Native American/Indigenous Student Alliance is not attempting to shame Duke University. Rather, we are inviting Duke to work with Indigenous students to better meet the university’s goal of becoming an anti-racist institution. Duke University must work with Indigenous students to take action and set an example for institutions nationwide.