The Gatepost Editorial: Go beyond the land acknowledgment

By The Gatepost Editorial Board

At the first All University Meeting of the academic year on Oct. 24, President Nancy Niemi announced the University is launching an initiative to reestablish an official FSU Land Acknowledgement as a part of the strategic plan. 

The rewriting and development of the land acknowledgement is led by the University’s Institutional Inclusive Excellence Committee and the Native American Land Acknowledgement Working Group, steered by Jeffrey Coleman, vice president of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement. 

An email was sent to students on Monday, Nov. 10, requesting feedback on the statement during the committee’s review process. Students can submit comments on the new land acknowledgment statement until Nov. 21. 

The committee's statement reads: “We acknowledge that the land we live, work, learn, and commune on is the original homeland of the Nipmuc tribal nations. 

“We recognize the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to this land on which we gather. 

“We commit to understanding this history, remedying its lasting impacts, and building a future free from oppression and violence.” 

The Gatepost Editorial Board would like to express its support for both the initiative to redevelop an official FSU Land Acknowledgment and for the proposed statement. 

The University and the Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) are currently recognizing and celebrating National Native American Heritage Month with an event including Taste of Culture hosted Nov. 12.

This event is the only acknowledgment of National Native American Heritage Month hosted by the University this year.

That is not OK. 

We can not only rely on the CIE and a land acknowledgment to be the way we recognize Indigenous peoples.  

The Gatepost Editorial Board encourages more gatherings to be held on campus that center on Indigenous culture and we encourage students to actively engage in their education surrounding the history of Indigenous nations in Massachusetts.

The percentage of Indigenous students and faculty on campus is lower than 1%, according to data from AY 2024-25. As a campus of mostly non-Indigenous people, we must take an initiative to educate ourselves about these nations, not just hope they come to us to do all the work. 

One way students can do that is by actively integrating Indigenous cultures in their education.

The University offers courses that, in part or entirely, focus on the study of Indigenous histories or cultures. These courses are in a number of departments, meaning students could likely take them as a part of their GenEd requirements.

With that, the educational departments at our University must make a point to regularly offer the Indigenous courses they list in academic catalogue. 

Courses like GEOG 180 Native Americans: The Original Injustice on American Soil, HSTY 303 Native American History, and ANTH 243 Indigenous Cultures of North America sound wonderful and are sure to be deeply educational courses - but if they are only offered every couple of years or aren’t able to be taken by students outside of their departments, it is hard for students to seek them out and actually enroll. 

Another way students can take an active role in engaging with Indigenous culture is through their own clubs. Clubs like History Club, Volunteering Club, and the Student Government Association could host events centered around Indigenous groups, while still being connected to their clubs goals. 

The History Club could host a table in McCarthy educating students about Indigenous history. The Volunteering Club could coordinate with Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness to encourage students to support the Indigenous communities closest to them. The Student Government Association could host a panel with members from Indigenous nation tribes to speak with the campus community. 

We stand behind the reestablishing of the FSU Land Acknowledgement and recognize that it is an important goal achieved by the University. However, this effort should only be the start of what our campus does in order to remedy the lasting impacts of the marginalization of Indigenous peoples. 

We are excited to see how the University will continue to offer resources and knowledge to our community about this land and the tribes it belongs to and we hope it will be continued outside of Native American Heritage Month.