Danielle Hornett

The attrition rate of minority students at institutions of higher learning continues to be a major problem. Retention of non-minority students, especially at predominately white institutions, has been dismal. Educators, concerned with the high drop-out rate, continue to look for reasons, as well as for solutions to the problem. This article will focus on one very important asset of colleges and universities that has so far been ignored - the faculty. Professors, simply by virtue of their unique positions and the type of contact they have with students, can play a significant role in retaining students.

Awareness of any problem is the obvious first step toward finding a solution. First of all, institutions must understand that Indian students, for the most part, do not want to become a part of the Anglo mainstream. That means they do not want to relinquish their Indian entities in order to be successful (Wax, 1967). At the same time, institutions of higher learning must recognize that they are basically oriented to one segment of the population - that of the White Middle Class (Clark, 1983). This places an incredible barrier to success in higher education for Indian students. An understanding that cultural and economic differences do exist between Indian students and Anglo students (Le Brasseur & Freak, 1960; Giles, 1985; Sanders, 1986) is necessary. Racism and the perpetuation of negative stereotypes of Indians must be eliminated through informed instruction if respect and appreciation for differences is to be achieved.

For faculty, this means striving to provide for student success by creating the best possible academic atmosphere. For Indian students, it means adopting an attitude of "cultural counterpoise." That is, to counter-balance two strong, opposing forces in an attempt to balance two identities: one which utilizes strategies employed by non-minority students to be successful in the Anglo community, including, but not limited to, academia; the second, which attempts to retain cultural values and traditions and maintain a sense of community.

Most of the literature on retention has concentrated on support services, minority affairs programs, or pre-college counseling. While, admittedly, these are important elements in retention of minority students, the invaluable impact of classroom faculty deserves to be examined in a new light. Teachers, due to the nature of their student contact, have long been important factors in student success or failure (Luftig, 1983; Rosenthal & Jackson, 1973). They are the persons who can most directly affect the motivation and desire of Indian students to remain in school.

Typically, faculty expect students to have certain skills when they get to the college level. If they don't see these skills, they make certain judgments about students' abilities. This may lead to low expectations which in turn leads to low student performance. In the case of American Indian students, faculty must be educated to realize there are certain basic differences in the general makeup of Indian students (Martin, 1978; Giles, 1985; Sanders, 1986). It doesn't really matter if it is due to tribal/Indian characteristics or life/personal experiences; that these differences do exist is the important concept. Demonstrated recognition of and respect for differences will send a message to the Indian population that schools and educators accept them as they are. In this type of climate, Indian students will feel good about themselves which will allow them to be less defensive, to let down barriers, and to have a more positive attitude about Anglos in general, and "the White man's education" in particular. In other words, faculty can set the standard for student success by creating an appropriate, positive, academic environment.

The following suggestions are offered as viable ways in which faculty may establish relationships with Indian students in order to facilitate their success in institutions of higher learning. Although implementation can initially be perceived as difficult, the following suggestions can be put into practice with pre-planning, regardless of the size of the institution or the number of faculty. Once universities or colleges recognizes their responsibilities to each minority student they enroll, their philosophy and services will be expanded to include the all-important aspect of an actively involved faculty. The strategies presented here will then become the end result of a process that requires a strong commitment from the entire educational system: the admissions office, college deans, orientation personnel, and any other student support service people. At each university, there are a large number of courses that are required in each program of study, along with a sufficient number of faculty, that specific professors can be identified, by each college dean, who will be an integral part of the suggested approach. It isn't required that the faculty be Indian, they only need to be student oriented, caring individuals who are open to innovative ideas that may change the normal routine of their teaching styles and classroom presentations. According to Moyer (1973), only one-half of the minority students in higher education successfully complete the first two years of college. Therefore, when concerned with retention during the freshman and sophomore years, colleges must take steps to ensure that the personnel with whom students interact are culturally aware. Once the inservice of the faculty has taken place, Indian students can be counseled into the required first-two-year classes taught by the professors who have had the sensitivity/awareness training. Once these sensitive areas of difference are recognized and understood by faculty, discomfort in working with Indian students who, frustratingly, may seem not to care if they don't "fit the mold" should be eliminated along with any prejudicial, preconceived ideas. This should then be replaced by the provision of a constructive, welcoming, learning atmosphere for students.

In addition to being in classes with culturally sensitive professors, another benefit of this "tracking" is the larger number of other Indian students in one class. This proximity and the Indian students' natural tendency to group, will assist in forming additional support for them. For maximum success, faculty must:

A) Personal experience makes racism all too real for many Indian students. Faculty must remember racism takes many forms. Blatant remarks are the most obvious, of course, while subtle, unconscious acts are numerous, and reinforce minority students' understanding that this is a "White man's world." For example, institutions' use of inappropriate predictors of success to select minority students is a form of racism. Application forms that don't ask questions about cultural experiences which would show specific skills and abilities is another example of institutional racism. The university system as a whole is seen as a maze and is not understood by many minorities. Financial aids offices, in particular, are often practitioners of racism in that minorities generally know less about how the process works than White students. The same holds true for registration and advising. Even in the late 1980s, American Indian students on today's campuses are first-generation college people with little family experience or support to draw from in their efforts to function appropriately. All of this acts to interfere with academic progress. In class, Indian students may appear disinterested or unable to do the work when, in reality, lack of interaction may be due to very real, very heavy concerns with out-of-class issues. Faculty must realize Indians can do the work if the nonacademics can be dealt with effectively.

B) Professors should be able to recognize subtle racial questions and statements put forth by themselves or others. Expectations that Indian students automatically have information about all aspects of Indian life, real or not, can put a student in an uncomfortable position. For example, depending on the degree of acculturation or whether or not they were brought up in a traditional manner, or whether or not they lived on reservations, Indians will have varying degrees of knowledge of religious rituals, treaties, the complexity of tribal sovergnity plant and animal usage, etc. Calling on students to share parts of their culture or life with others who may not understand or who may ridicule a traditional way, although well-intended by a professor, sets up a student to feel the demeaning effects of racism. Anglo educators must therefore become familiar with situations or verbal expressions which may be sensitive to students from particular cultural backgrounds.

A) Many White students gain recognition of leadership abilities by having experience as class officers or chairpersons of various student organizations. Indians and other minorities may not have had the time nor the desire for these activities. Rather, they often have more non-traditional experiences, such as within their churches, or with local youth groups outside of the educational setting, or with various other community services. Minority students may not understand how to list or otherwise show their accumulation of knowledge or skills. In addition, within the Indian community, it is unbecoming and unacceptable to draw attention to oneself (Clark, 1983; Giles, 1985). Requests for this information then puts Indian students in a compromising position. Faculty can help these students to recognize the need to demonstrate one's skills, and to understand that the skills developed through culturally relevant activities are important and legitimate. In addition, they can show these students that if they can succeed within their own culture, they can succeed elsewhere.

B) Faculty can actively encourage students to participate in department and school activities. This may help students develop a link between academic and community interests. In this way, the students can identify with both the academic institution and their community.

C) Faculty can also find ways for students to demonstrate knowledge in a non-traditional, but culturally sensitive manner; for example, by incorporating cooperative or group testing which is in harmony with Indian values (Kluckhohn & Strodtbeck, 1960; Sando, 1983).

A) Anglo students tend to have persons who provide advice and support in times of crisis while Indian students often don't have that luxury. Family support for educational crises may be lacking due to the misunderstanding by family members who have never been to college and who, therefore, may underrate the seriousness of a problem. Families may not see the end result of an educational problem as damaging to the student, or may overestimate a student's ability to deal effectively with the situation. Privacy and non-interference are traditional Indian values (Clark, 1983) and automatically put Indian students into the position of fighting emotional crises alone. This in no way reflects a lack of family caring; it simply reflects what often happens in Indian communities. This inability to identify a support person works to isolate Indian students from the mainstream. When Indian students drop out of school, they are never heard from again, while White students often have many forces in place, including family resources, to bring them back to the institution.

B) Faculty can help by recognizing the needs of students early in their college lives. It may take an Indian student a long time to approach a professor. Indians have long been taught respect for age and knowledge. Because of this, they will not know how to avail themselves of their professors' information or support, or how to develop acceptable relationships with those usually believed to be inaccessible. Professors will need to take the initiative if they sense an Indian student becoming remote or unresponsive.

A) Indian students are likely to have a "present time" orientation (Sando, 1973) and may not see the relationship between current work and ultimate goal choices. Faculty must remember that Indians probably do not operate with the same goal-setting system that majority students use, but rather, are more likely to have shorter-term goals. Therefore, using reinforcement that assumes students are aware something will benefit them in the long run won't work. Instead, professors can implement the following options in class: 1) return exams promptly, which will link performance with outcome; 2) work with students to set up goals which are easily and quickly accomplished and gradually lengthen the time between production and return; and, 3) provide clear reminders of expectations for upcoming exams or activities.

A) Success for students can often come about by the recognition and acceptance of their academic background deficiencies. Indian students may function well within their homes or communities but not in the Anglo community or educational system, and may not know why. Recognition of deficiencies must happen before self-development can occur. They may also be less clear of what is expected of them by the institution or their professors than their Anglo peers. They may not see the clear link between effort and good grades or they may not have a clear picture of effort and education as a step toward goals. White students are more likely to see good grades leading them to the next step, or as a way of moving up in the whole process.

B) Faculty can help by providing honest and realistic feedback. Professors may need to contact Indian students individually in order to provide specific information and clarify expectations. One model provided by the American Indian Student Support Office at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, involves a panel of American Indian professors on the campus to share honestly, Indian-to-Indian, the expectations faculty have for all students. In this way, the Indian students will realize that any perceived incompatibility between their own expectations and those of their Anglo professors, are not based in racism, rather are the consistent expectations of academic personnel for all students.

A) Confidence comes with experiences of learning, success, and independence. Indian students, as well as all minorities, need confidence in order to survive the educational system and eventually graduate. They need to be able to face incredible obstacles that seem to be in direct opposition to the cultural values they have learned. In addition, they must deal with racial biases and misunderstandings from their professors as well as from their peers. They have to learn to bridge culture and a White institution to be accepted and to succeed. Minorities learned long ago that Anglos have their ideas of the uselessness of minority people and minority cultures unless it fits their needs. One only needs to look at the number of Chinese or Mexican restaurants, or the number of White men and women who wear Indian jewelry or display Indian pottery or baskets in their homes. This paradox must be dealt with by each American Indian individually.

B) Faculty can play a critical role here. They need first to recognize their own prejudices and determine whether or not their expectations of students are based on specific cultural stereotypes. The "self-fulfilling prophecy" is real and can work either positively or negatively for students.

The problems faced by Indian students at institutions of higher learning will not go away by themselves. The retention and graduation rates of all minorities will continue to fall far below those of majority students until everyone involved becomes aware of, and sensitive to, cultural and racial differences and acts to eliminate the external as well as the internal barriers to education. Professors are in most advantageous positions to send positive messages to all minority people that colleges will accept them as they are, complete with differences. They are able to influence the changes that will have the maximum, most positive effect on all students.

Faculty should not concern themselves with sending out messages of "preferential treatment" to students. They only need to remember that equality of treatment does not mean equality of outcome. If American Indian students are to be reached, persons who work with them must sometimes employ different methods than used to reach White students. Faculty who are willing

employ variable methods in dealing with Indian students probably increase the likelihood that these students will stay in school due to the opportunity to express their true abilities, as do Anglo students. Professors should get to know students well enough to know when to advise and counsel a student. American Indian students need the recognition of a special faculty person who has sensitivity and awareness of cultural differences.

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