If you had an American public education, you may not know that Native Americans are more than a history lesson; that in fact, they were here before the United States and are still here today.

After reading this, I hope you never forget it.

In the fall of 2015, 83 of the 24,111 undergraduate students at NC State were Native American, just under 1 percent of the student body.

As one of the smallest minority groups on campus, they struggle to receive recognition.

“Native people must talk twice as much and twice as loud to be heard the same as others,” said Jacob Jacobs, president of the Native American Student Association at NC State.

In September of last fall, former Student Body President Paul Nolan released a series of demands after collaborating with students of color on campus. Nolan wrote to the administration of NC State: “Student Government is releasing a series of demands aimed at increasing the support and improving the experience of our students of color.”

Not one Native American student was included in the collaboration of these demands.

At the following Student Senate meeting, members of the Native American population on campus expressed their dissent with how these demands were carried out with no representation from them.

The response of Native American students was not mentioned in Technician’s story.

This past weekend, as I traveled on an extracurricular trip to the Qualla Boundary in the western part of North Carolina, where the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians call home, I began to understand how I have been misled for many years to forget about the very people who lived on this land before settlers arrived. Later, the United States government oppressed, brutalized and attempted a massive genocide to wipe away any and all opposition.

While we often forget that this tragedy took place, at this university the descendants of those same people are still here and they demand to be heard. When your own student body president forgets to include you in a discussion on issues facing minority groups, what can you do?

“The Native students had to go through so much nonsense and backlash from others just to have our voices listened to,” said Jacobs, a senior studying chemical engineering. “Even in minority communities on campus oftentimes Native students have to do twice the work to get the same representation and seat at the table that other students have.” 

While this blunder cannot be reversed, there is plenty more that needs to be done for Native students at NC State to improve representation and recognition.   

“While we [Native students] receive support from Multicultural Student Affairs and the diversity offices in the colleges, we have been told that the assistant director for Native American Student Affairs position in MSA is being changed,” said Belton Moore, a member of the Lumbee Tribe, twice-elected NC State student senator and a sophomore studying economics. “There has also been talk of adding other populations to that position. We are worried that this will decrease the amount of support Native students receive going forward.”

This issue is especially pertinent to our campus because of the eight state-recognized tribes in North Carolina. Not only that, but North Carolina is home to the largest population of Native Americans east of the Mississippi River. All of the tribes face issues as they seek to reverse years of mistreatment and wrongs done against them, but one in particular calls for attention. The Lumbee Tribe in Robeson County has sought full federal recognition for nearly 130 years. This injustice must be reversed by our nation, a nation that proclaims freedom and equality for all. Alongside this, it would be wise for our administration to increase services offered to Native American students on campus rather than diminish the already-weak representation they do have.  

If you are wondering where to find this information and more on Native Americans in North Carolina, look no further than the UNC American Indian Center’s expansive website, or even more, visit its office on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. My apologies if you attend NC State and cannot make the drive.

Some advice for newly inducted Student Body President Jackie Gonzalez: Do not overlook Native students on campus, or suffer a legacy that is anything but diversity.