Building Community at CU Denver for Indigenous Students

Posted on Nov. 28, 2024

As an aspiring equity-serving institution, the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) works every day to create an environment that is welcoming and inclusive. In particular, in the past two years, CU Denver has worked to build relationships with several Indigenous nations and take action to enhance the educational experience of the more than 500 Native American students who attend the university. These efforts included hosting a campus tour for high schoolers from the Wind River Indian Reservation, awarding CU Denver’s first Northern Arapaho Scholarship, and hosting Indigenous graduation ceremonies.

Why It Matters 

CU Denver sits on lands that were part of traditional territories and homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Ute nations. This area, where Cherry Creek and the South Platte River meet, was an epicenter for trade, information sharing, planning, community, family and ally building, and healing ceremonies for more than 45 Indigenous Nations, including the Lakota, Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Shoshone, Paiute, Zuni, Hopi, and others. CU Denver works to support our current and future students, some of whom have deep connections to this land.

Building Bridges to College 

For the past several years, Aldora White Eagle, PhD and program director for American Indian Student Services and Special Assistant for Indigenous Affairs, has worked with university senior leadership and tribal leaders to establish strong relationships that benefit students. White Eagle is an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and was raised on a reservation. Through her efforts, CU Denver and the Northern Arapaho nation signed an endowed scholarship agreement in 2023.

Since then, campus leaders have been invited and visited the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming (home to the Northern Arapaho nation).

This fall, CU Denver awarded its first Northen Arapaho Scholarship. The scholarship is a result of a maturing relationship between CU Denver and the Northern Arapaho nation. The Northern Arapaho Tribe contributed $25,000 and CU Denver matched it with the goal of growing the scholarship over time.

CU Denver also hosted a group of 16 high school students from the Wind River Indian Reservation who visited CU Denver to get an idea of what going to college means. “I love the culture here,” said 15-year-old Shaun Tabaha about the campus visit. “I would like to do counseling or psychiatry. I want to help people other than myself.”

Creating Community  

CU Denver has a long history of offering services to Indigenous students. The American Indian Student Services (AISS) on campus has served tribally enrolled students and those who identify but are not enrolled in their tribes for decades. AISS provides culturally responsive educational support, resource referrals, scholarship information, advocacy, and events. It also supports student clubs like the Native American Students Organization, founded in 1970, and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISS), founded in 1977.

In addition to offering workshops to help students with everything from time management to resume building, the center also helps coordinate events that build community, such as the Native Indigenous Graduation ceremonies. Native American students who share which tribe they belong to can attend an intimate graduation ceremony where they receive a tribal blanket, which carries great significance for the students and their families. The AISS is also responsible for events aimed at educating the broader community. That includes programs throughout the year, including a presentation by Rhyia JoyHeart about cultural appropriation, a panel discussion about immigration and Indigenous communities, and eight events and special activities in November.

Broader Understanding 

White Eagle says that more conversation and education are needed while scholarships, visits, and events are essential. She says that we must understand who came before us and the circumstances that pushed Native people from their homes. “To truly be an equity-serving institution, we must go beyond land acknowledgments and create a longer-term plan to continue and build upon past work for the benefit of the Native community,” White Eagle said.

That’s why White Eagle collaborated with Christy Heaton, PhD and assistant vice chancellor of Student Transitions & Family Engagement, and Emilie Waggoner, director of student transitions, to create a unique opportunity for first-year students this fall. A small grant from the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion helped support a trip to the Wind River Indian Reservation. A total of 25 participants visited the reservation, including 18 students, in late October. “This trip was a way to build a relationship with the original peoples of the land,” Heaton said. “By engaging in a trip with students, faculty, and staff to Wind River Indian Reservation, the students were able to take their class lectures and apply their knowledge to lived experiences with community members outside of the classroom.”

The group listened to leaders speak about the White Buffalo Recovery and the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative. They also heard personal stories. “In a university setting, we are really encouraged to discuss ideas and solutions,” said Chloe Gonzales, who is studying business and marketing at CU Denver. “However, I think it was incredibly important to listen to the stories of the experience of being Native on Wind River. … I think most of us now recognize the immense loss for the Northern Arapaho people and have a greater respect for the land we learn on and feel pressure for Tribal recognition on stolen land.”

For White Eagle, seeing students open up and really listen during the trip was deeply moving. “It was so meaningful to be able to see the students care so much about the current climate and the people on the reservation,” White Eagle said. “And they want to do more. Students have reached out to me wanting to create community and visibility for the Northern Arapaho and Indigenous peoples.”

Zenaida Kotala Gonzalez, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications, University of Colorado Denver.