Indian Ed course may become new requirement

Students attending the University of Montana and other colleges in the Montana University System may be required to take an American Indian studies course if they want to transfer to another university in the state.

The Board of Regents discussed a proposal at their meetings in the UC this week that would make American Indian studies part of its general education core, which are courses a student must complete to transfer credits from one university in Montana to another.

“This is one piece in a great big puzzle that is Indian Education For All,” Regent Janine Pease said.

Montana constitutional law requires that students in Montana public schools study American Indian heritage.  Board Chair Lynn Morrison-Hamilton said the proposal is the Regents’ response to extending Montana constitutional law to higher education.

The Regents on Thursday voted in favor of a resolution that would require education majors in Montana to take a course in American Indian heritage and culture in order to graduate. The resolution also requires that all colleges under the Montana University System offer at least one class in American Indian studies.

The University of Montana already requires that its education majors take a course from the Native American studies department.

But while UM has a large Native American studies department, other colleges in the state have few or no existing classes to offer in tribal culture, which, Regents say, is a concern.

Pease said that while she is in favor of requiring education majors to study Montana tribes, she is concerned that current Native American studies programs in some Montana universities do not have the resources or faculty to handle the increased number of students in their classes.

Another concern is that education majors already have their schedules full of required courses and will have difficulty fitting in an additional required class.

“Schools of education will have to balance what they have prescribed for their students,” Pease said. “Now they have one more base to cover.”

Regent member Roger Barber said he expects that in March the Board will approve the resolution requiring transfer students to take an American Indian studies course.
He said that aside from honoring the Montana constitution, the Regents believe American Indian education is important for teaching students about the community in which they live.

Barber said that the course could come from a variety of departments including anthropology, history and even mathematics as long as the content is focused on American Indians.

According to the proposal, funding for any new courses and faculty to meet the new requirements must come from a university’s existing funds.

Dave Beck, a UM Native American studies professor, said that many smaller public colleges in Montana do not have large American Indian studies programs, and because of this the bar for the requirement needs to be set low.

Beck is a proponent of having a Native American culture course become a graduation requirement for all students.

“Anybody who lives in Montana should have an understanding of the unique relationship tribes have with the state and the U.S. government,” Beck said.

But, he admits, under current conditions, forcing all students to take a Native American course would not be feasible at UM because the University lacks the necessary funding and faculty.

“It would put a tremendous burden on the system,” Beck said.

There are seven federally recognized American Indian reservations in Montana today that include the tribes of Blackfeet, Chippewa Cree, Salish, Kootenai, Crow, Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, Sioux and Northern Cheyenne.