Oneida leader Danforth, a 1988 Social Work grad, addresses Regents

A ceremonial gift of tobacco was the first sign that something unusual was occurring at Friday’s meeting of the UW Board of Regents at UW-Stevens Point. For the first time, leaders of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council attended the Regents meeting as a group, and they talked about why American Indian enrollment keeps dropping at most UW schools (UW-Green Bay’s has largely held steady) while it’s increasing for other minority groups. Cristina Danforth, chairwoman of the Oneida tribe and a 1988 UW-Green Bay grad, shared suggestions from adding American Indian staff on campuses and easing transfer rules so that more credits earned at tribal colleges qualify, to making colleges more comfortable and affordable for American Indian students. See news coverage.