In anticipation of an upcoming report on University founder John Evans and his involvement in the Sand Creek Massacre and territorial expansion, the University has formed a committee to assess the state of services for Native Americans on campus, and offer recommendations to the provost to remedy weaknesses.
Formally known as the Native American Outreach and Inclusion Task Force, the committee will be chaired by Patricia Telles-Irvin, vice president for student affairs and Phil Harris, vice chair of the Board of Trustees. The committee includes undergraduate students, alumni, administrators, faculty and community members, many of whom identify as Native American.
“The task force has already been meeting and is developing a plan for thoroughly examining the relevant issues and developing recommendations for the president and provost,” said Telles-Irvin in a press release. “We’re off to a good start, and I’m confident we will be able to bring some thoughtful recommendations forward.”
In late May, the John Evans Study Committee will release a report detailing Evans’s role in the Sand Creek Massacre and territorial expansion in Colorado. The report will also identify to what extent the University has gained from Evans’s wealth and how his wealth may have derived from forced removal of Native Americans in Colorado. The study committee’s findings will inform the work of the task force.
The task force will compare the University’s enrollment and support services for Native Americans to those at peer institutions, as well as consult with members of the Native American community for input. They will then release recommendations to Provost Dan Linzer. There is no given time frame for the task force to complete its work.