The small population of American Indian students at Ohio State are working hard to make their voicesheard.

American Indian Student Services works to spread understanding and knowledge about American Indian issues and Indians in general, said Barry Landeros-Thomas, AISS coordinator. It is also concerned with supporting American Indian and Alaskan Native students on campus.

There are approximately 180 American Indian students on campus, Landeros-Thomas said. The number fluctuates because the retention rate is low – less than 50 percent.

The number of American Indian students is not included in the Diversity Plan because it is too low to make a meaningful comparison, Landeros-Thomas said. It is represented as an asterisk and a footnote.

The AISS was formed in the mid 1990s as a result of a lawsuit filed by a group of students who felt their culture was not being properly presented, Landeros-Thomas said. The U.S. Department of Education said that OSU was, in fact, discriminating and the AISS was formed.

While there were pockets of support throughout the administration, many faculty and staff thought that the number of American Indians were so few that it did not really matter, Landeros-Thomas said. Even after the mandate, there are still problems and a dire lack of understanding and knowledge, he said.

“We don’t just work with students,” Landeros-Thomas said. “We also work to educate the faculty, staff and entire campus. “I will never lack of something to do.”

According to Landeros-Thomas, some students recently approached him about a problem they had with a class they were taking. Stereotypes of American Indians such as alcoholism and casino money, were brought up in class and the professor did not challenge or reject these ideas, he said.

Landeros-Thomas said he is working on meeting with this professor to address the problem.

Last year a 17-year-old Indian boy had his teeth worked on at the OSU Dental Clinic, Landeros-Thomas said. The student who worked on his teeth referred to him as “chief” throughout the procedure, he said.

After hearing about the incident, Landeros-Thomas said he approached the dean of the college. According to Landeros-Thomas, the dean needed to have the reasons why the term “chief” is not appropriate. Chief traditionally refers to political or spiritual leaders. The dentistry student apologized to the family of the 17-year-old, he said.

It is a Hollywood stereotype that all American Indians wear feathers, headdresses and buckskins, he said. Indians are seen as one solid group, despite the fact there are more than 570 separate tribes throughout the United States and Alaska.

These stereotypes are also found in school mascots throughout the United States, Landeros-Thomas said. Ohio has 218 grade, middle and high schools, as well as universities, who use racist mascots. Last year an OSU chapter of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media was begun, he said.

The AISS is also working to preserve sacred sites and burial grounds. Ohio has some of the most extensive mound systems, he said. Places like malls and golf courses have been built on these mounds. AISS works to make sure these sites are not ruined further.

There are still remains of American Indians in private collections and the AISS would like to have all these remains returned to their respective tribes and properly buried, Landeros-Thomas said.

Renee Bartocquteh, co-president of the American Indian Council (AIC), an American Indian student group on campus, said the AIC is looking to balance social activities with social justice. In the next year they will be attending the Labor Day powwow, protesting the use of the Cleveland Indians mascot, and working on a partly related activity at the Hale Center, she said.

The Memorial Day powwow, Moon When the Ponies Shed, will be hosted by the AISS and AIC on OSU’s campus, Landeros-Thomas said. November will be Native American Heritage Month, which used to be just a week-long event. The month’s events will include lectures, musicians, art and culture exhibits.