Story updated on Oct. 29, 2013 for consistency with print edition.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, the DU Undergraduate Student Government (USG) voted unanimously to pass Resolution 12, which states that USG will recognize Indigenous People’s Day annually on the second Monday of October. The resolution further “strongly encourages” the university as a whole to include the term for the holiday on DU-affiliated calendars.
Resolution 12, authored by USG On-Campus Senator Kaitlyn Griffith, says Indigenous People’s Day is a “manifestation of inclusivity, cultural education and is a holiday observed by many on the University of Denver campus.”
The resolution calls for the adoption of Indigenous People’s Day as “a means of promoting an inclusive campus climate as well as recognizing the struggle of many to undo the communal and psychological damage done by Columbus and subsequent colonialism, imperialism and neoimperialism.”
“It places emphasis on the existence of people, as opposed to emphasis on the removal or extermination of them,” said Griffith.
The resolution further states that “[USG] strongly encourages the University of Denver, in all its totality extending from university, Greek, or athletics, to adopt Indigenous People’s Day and have this decision reflected in future calendars.”
Resolution 12 is an amended version of USG Resolution 10, which called on DU to “remove, in all its totality extending from university, Greek, or athletic calendars, any recognition of Columbus Day immediately.” The resolution proposed the alternate recognition of “Native People’s Day,” but was voted down in a majority vote by USG on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
“It is really hard for a lot, maybe even the majority, of the DU community to be open to breaking from or changing tradition,” said junior psychology major Marin Klostermeier. “But I am really happy that some of the leaders in the DU community are not letting the popular opinion get in the way pioneering an era of inclusive excellence and doing what is right by recognizing the lives of Native people.”
Resolution 12 altered Resolution 10 to recognize the holiday as “Indigenous People’s Day” within USG while removing the portion eliminating use of the name Columbus Day.
“After conversations Senator Wehe and I had with each other and other USG senators, we thought it was plausible to get the resolution passed if it was only about the recognition of Indigenous People’s Day without any mention of Columbus Day,” said Griffith.
Wehe praised USG in the decision, saying, “It’s not a controversial step. It passed unanimously, which expresses a greater vision of the USG to be more inclusive and to give honor where honor is due.”
“The resolution does not at all negate Columbus Day,” he said. “All it says is the university will recognize Indigenous People’s Day.”
Though Resolution 12 recognizes Indigenous People’s Day only within USG, Wehe said they plan on having discussions with Chancellor Robert Coombe and encouraging university-wide recognition of the holiday.
“We are a significant stakeholder at the university, so if we pass something unanimously, our president, Mike Schutte, will bring that up with the Chancellor and the Provost every week,” said Wehe. “We are putting pressure on the administration to say, ‘as a university let’s recognize Indigenous People’s Day.’”
DU alumna Olivia Hails, who graduated in 2012 with a BSBA in International Business and served as the Vice President of USG during the 2011-12 school year, disagrees.
“[USG’s] role is to reach out to those students that they represent and build and tackle an agenda from there. I find it very hard to believe that this was a majority need among the 5,500-plus undergraduate students,” she said. “The entitlement and feeling to be ‘politically correct’ in everything they do is sickening.”
Hails also said the passing of Resolution 12 takes attention away from other USG initiatives.
“This type of publicity is really unfortunate for those USG officers who are doing things that really benefit the campus and students as a whole body,” she said. “Their successes are undermined by the silly noise and attention that legislation like this has caused.”
Though the passage of Resolution 12 has seen some negative feedback among groups of DU students and alumni, Wehe said it seeks to accomplish a positive goal.
“The status quo never usually has to be defended. When the status quo doesn’t have a proper defense, people assume they can say whatever they want,” said Wehe. “I am very disappointed in our alumni for the hurtful and irrational comments posted online in relation to this resolution.”
