The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) recently announced that it is restructuring how its Native Student Services program functions, and some Alaska Native students are protesting the change. They worry the program will become less responsive to their specific needs.
Last month, UAA officials announced that starting July 1, the Native Student Services program will be renamed the Indigenous and Rural Student Center and combined with the Pride Center and the Multicultural Student Services program under one umbrella in the university’s Community and Belonging department.
“This reorganization process began at the beginning of the fiscal year, and aims to promote fiscal health and address staff capacity,” UAA Student Services Vice Chancellor Deanne Woodard said in a video announcement to students…