Junior aims to start SU's first Native American sorority chapter

By: Mary Georger

Posted: 11/13/08

Shanelle Mohawk sits peacefully. Her chocolate-colored hair is neatly pulled back from her bronze complexion. Her dark brown eyes are focused as she passionately explains what is most important to her: her identity.

Mohawk, a junior economics and international relations major, is a Native American Seneca woman from Cattaraugus Territory. She's starting her venture to establish Syracuse University's first Native American sorority next semester. The university's Native American population has grown dramatically since SU introduced its Haudenosaunee Promise Scholarship Program in 2005 to provide financial assistance to students who are citizens of one of the six Haudenosaunee nations. November is Native American Heritage Month.

Mohawk holds out her hand and displays a tattoo of a wolf paw print on her palm. It looks as if it were colored with a black ballpoint pen. But the wolf, a clan symbol, represents Mohawk's past, present and future.

"It represents aggressiveness and forthright," Mohawk said. "I think it pertains to me because I am upfront about my opinions, I'm honest, and if I want something, I'm going to work hard to
get it."

The Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora nations compose the Haudenosaunee nations in and around New York State. Students from any of the nations are eligible for the scholarship.

Other institutions, such as Dartmouth College and Harvard University, have similar scholarship programs, said Regina Jones, assistant director of Multicultural Affairs and the Native Student Program and a member of the Oneida Nation.

"The Promise diversifies the campus and strengthens the relations between (SU) and Native Americans," Jones said. "Most importantly though is that it says that Native Americans can go to college."

There were 41 Native American undergraduates at SU in 2001, according to data from the university's Office of Institutional Research and Assessment. The year after the scholarship was introduced in 2005, there were 81 students. Today, there are 101 students, according to the office, and 105, Jones said.

National statistics are similar. The number of American Indians/Alaska Natives earning college degrees has more than doubled for each degree level since 1976, according to the United States Department of Education. In 2006, 49 percent of males and 44 percent of females within the American Indian/Alaska Native population earned a bachelor's degree, according to the department's National Center for Education Statistics.

"I've definitely noticed an increase in the amount of Native Americans on campus over the past couple of years," said Jenna Rae Gansworth, a senior political science and psychology major and Native American from the Tuscarora Nation. Gansworth said she is a supporter of a Native American sorority on campus.

"A sorority would provide Natives a familiar, supportive environment," Gansworth said. "We all come from similar backgrounds, so we can relate on a lot of levels."

The idea of establishing a Native American sorority has been discussed for a few years, Gansworth said, but Mohawk will be the first to take the initial step for recognition. She said starting a sorority now would be an opportune time, as SU has the largest Native American student population in its history, and more people would mean a larger support network for Native Americans.

Stephanie Waterman, a former SU student, conducted a study published in "The Journal of American Indian Education," discussing the college experiences of Haudenosaunee college students.

Native American students are likely to drop out of schooling when the culture of their home community is discontinuous with that of the school, according to the study.

"At the end of the day, I identify myself most with Natives," Mohawk said. "I think that female camaraderie is very important."

Though SU does not have a Native American sorority, Alpha Pi Omega is a national sorority that was started in 1994 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mohawk does not know if the SU sorority would be affiliated with the national chapter, because of the different Native values and beliefs from across the country.

Aside from mixing different Native American cultures, the sorority would aim to recruit students who don't feel they belong to one of SU's current sororities.

"There wasn't anything that appealed to me when I thought of joining a sorority," said Alison Smith, office coordinator for the Office of Student Life. Smith is largely Native and African-American, as well as Irish and Scottish. She graduated from SU in 2003, and her different ethnicities made it uncomfortable for her to join one sorority.

"Maybe the Native American sorority would have given me another option," Smith said. "I think it would be a good alternative for a student who might feel awkward in going into a sorority that is mostly one race."

Being involved with SU Greek life operations, Jones also recognizes the difficulty in starting a sorority.

"It's a huge commitment," Jones said. "Getting started is difficult in terms of getting people and money."

The process includes a meeting with the expansion committee from the Office of Student Life, an introduction package with a questionnaire, and information about the proposed organization, interested party members, a presentation and a final vote from a governing council.

Mohawk said she thinks the deadlines will be the most difficult part of the process, joking that Native Americans are very laid-back people who are not always on time.

Still, Mohawk said she's ready to make the commitment required to start a sorority.

"I refuse to believe the only thing left (of Native Americans) is a remnant of a culture and language," Mohawk said. "I realize that we are assimilated into (American) culture, but it's important to remember our customs and culture to play-up our uniqueness. It's something to be proud of."

mgeorger@syr.edu