By Kelsey Duncan
MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. (Take 30 News) --- The Native American Student Association is the first Native American organization on Mississippi States’ campus. The student association is bringing light to this group of Native American students on campus after never being represented on campus.
Native American Student Association president Genesis Ferris said she went to MSU administration about starting the organization.
"When I started asking administration, I was met a lot with ‘Is there a lot with is there enough students at state for this to ask for a club. To even create the Native American Association?’ So I started doing a little digging myself," Ferris said.
There is one professional staff member who identifies as American Indian or Alaskan Native, and there are a total of seven graduate students who identify as Native American or American Indian on MSU’s campus.
There are 173 Native American Indians out of 22,000 students enrolled at MSU.
Ferris said that the organization is going to be represented on the campus.
"Mississippi State is big on representation and so one of the biggest thing that they are doing for our organization is they’re putting the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians flag up in the Perry Cafeteria along with the international flags," Ferris said.
Professional staff member April Yazza said there aren’t many people who look like her here at Mississippi State.
"I am a Navajo and Zuni woman and coming to Mississippi State I was expecting a lot of interaction with other tribes as well as the Mississippi Band of Choctaw but sadly I struggled the first few months that I was here at State.”