Purpose

To provide an infrastructure that nourishes, protects, and connects all interactions related to Indigenous people at Oregon State University. The Commission honors and respects the sovereignty of the Tribal nations whose lands and waters OSU occupies while also addressing the needs of OSU students, faculty, and staff that are Indigenous to the Americas and Pacific Islands. Centering both is vital to the work of the Commission.

Vision

The Indigenization and decolonization of Oregon State University is necessary as a public, land-grant institution in order to restore balance on occupied lands. We serve as a sounding board and vessel for policies, practices, and procedures around Indigenous communities through actions rooted in Indigenous practices and traditions, including non-heteropatriarchal leadership models. We advocate for the growth, continuance, and futures of Indigenous people, nations, and communities in Oregon, nationally, and internationally.

History

The President’s Commission on Indigenous Affairs is a result of years of advocacy of Indigenous faculty, staff, and students. The Commission structure and organizational documents were developed by Indigenous faculty and staff before undergoing a collective feedback process with the Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws Advisory Council and Pacific Islander Task Force. The Commission was formally approved Summer 2022.

Goals

  • Ensure an institutional Native & Indigenous Strategic Plan moves forward in collaboration with university leaders, Indigenous university community members, and stakeholders (Tribal nations and Indigenous organizations)
  • Support positive institutional change to support Indigenous students, faculty, and staff
  • Promote excellence in Indigenous research and scholarship
  • Cultivate a university culture that honors and values Native and Indigenous people’s perspectives and ways of knowing

Key Actions

  • Advocacy: Call attention to and advance the needs of Indigenous students, faculty, and staff.
  • Accountability: Advocate institutionally when university action is not reaching goals and obligations to Indigenous people.
  • Continuance: Advancing a sustainable model of institutional change that meets the needs of Indigenous people.