NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION OUTRAGED BY TEEPEE IN BRICKYARD

NASA Is Calling For The Removal Of Students For Sensible Drug
Policy's Shack-a-Thon Teepee

The president of the Native American Student Association sent an
e-mail to the president of Students for Sensible Drug Policy and a
representative of the Multicultural Student Affairs Wednesday to call
for the removal of SSDP's teepee in the Brickyard. The teepee was
built as a part of Habitat for Humanity's Shack-a-Thon, which began Monday.

President of NASA Cory Blankenship said the teepee is both demeaning
and offensive to native people and has asked that it be taken down or
altered immediately.

Blankenship, a senior in political science, said although the
American Indian tribes to the east did not build teepees, it is
significant to tribes on the west coast.

"It's disrespectful to our brothers and sisters to the west by people
who know nothing about our traditions," Blankenship said.

Blankenship explained that the teepee represents more than just a
shelter for these tribes. It is a symbol of their values and beliefs.

"It's not just a shack," said Blankenship. "Its involvement in the
ceremony, tradition and culture of native people make it more than
just a home."

SSDP President Morgan Troyer, a senior in applied sociology and
history, said her group meant no harm in constructing the teepee, but
instead is trying to maximize its fundraising efforts.

"We were able to get cloth donated, but not lumber," said Troyer. "If
we had taken the lumber cost out of our donations, we would have had
less to contribute, and we want to do all that we can to support Habitat."

Blankenship said his group commends SSDP's support of Habitat for
Humanity, but the teepee negatively represents the University and
could be extremely discouraging to prospective American Indian students.

"I don't think they had ill intentions," said Blankenship. "I would
just hate for prospective Native American students from out west to
see it because such a mockery of their home would undoubtedly deter
them from this school."

Troyer maintained that the situation was a complete misunderstanding
and the teepee is not intended to insult any group's beliefs.

"The teepee was constructed based on the Boy Scouts of America
manual," said Troyer. "It had nothing to do with Native Americans or
any other group."

Troyer further asserted that NASA could have handled the situation
more tactfully and she willing to meet with the group to explain her
case. She said she felt like NASA should have contacted SSDP directly
before spreading the news about its malcontent.

"It hurts us for someone to go to the paper instead of coming to us,"
said Troyer. "It's bad publicity and furthers the stereotype that
SSDP is a negligent, irresponsible group."

Multicultural Student Affairs Assistant Director Brett Locklear said
both groups have been cooperative and appear willing to work out a
compromising solution.

"What we are trying to do right now is to encourage dialogue," said Locklear.

Blankenship said that although this situation is unfortunate, he
would like to turn it into a means by which to better educate the
community about the culture of native people.

"This is an excellent opportunity to educate people about the true
nature of native homes," Blankenship said.

In the meantime, Troyer said she and her fellow club members plan on
staying true to their commitment to Habitat for Humanity until the very end.

"We are not removing our structure until Friday at noon, and we won't
stop fundraising for Habitat until Friday at noon," Troyer said.