Racial slurs leave lasting impact on student

Last year during the Dakota Days parade, my son and I experienced racial slurs by a USD organization while dressed in our Native American traditional regalia. The negative actions of this organization still to this day have affected my son negatively.  Since last year, my son does not want to put on his regalia, wanted to cut his long hair and claimed that he “doesn’t want to be Indian anymore.”

In the events following the D-Days incident, I have been mistreated by many students, including persecution on social media sites and in person for my efforts to create a safe environment for all students.  Cultural sensitivity and inclusiveness is still in dire need at USD.

Although there was much attention to the D-Days incident, I have yet to hear from administration on ways they are going to deal with issues of cultural biases and racism on campus.  In an interview with the Argus Leader following the incident the dean of students claimed, “We want to make sure that it’s a student organization policy that … they could lose their organization membership. They could also lose funding.” “…there is going to be a zero tolerance policy, and it will be a much stricter policy.”

I am still waiting for the “stricter policy” to be put in place.  Last year as a Senator with Student Government Association, a draft of a policy was presented from the President’s Council on Diversity & Inclusiveness on cultural sensitivity and racism. However, nothing more has been done in these efforts.

Is cultural sensitivity and inclusiveness not in the forefront of USD’s efforts to create a safe environment for all students, especially for those who come from diverse backgrounds? What are the consequences for racial biases and racist acts toward students, other than just a slap on the wrist and told not to do it again? What about the long term effects of what my son and I experience because of these acts? Where is the justice?

—Alexis Oskolkoff, former SGA Senator for Arts and Sciences 2013-2014