UofA Indigenous students oppose cultural center restructuring, termination of director

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2 days ago

Julian Juan, the former director of the Native American Student Affairs Cultural & Resources Center at the University of Arizona, was terminated from his position on May 27, 2025. He sat down with The Arizona Mirror for an interview on May 28, 2025. Photo by Shondiin Silversmith | Arizona Mirror
A group of Native students at the University of Arizona say that the administration has just eliminated one of the rare spaces where they felt safe, connected and welcome on campus.
Diné student Tommey Jodie said that she depended on the Native American Student Affairs Cultural & Resource Center not only for studying but also for connecting with other Native students in a space where she could 'just be a Native person.'
' It's one of the only places on campus where I didn't have to explain who I was or why I was there,' she said. Unlike in other situations on campus, where the student body is overwhelmingly white, she said she never had to justify her existence as a Native person.
Many Indigenous UofA students shared the same sentiment.
Lakȟóta and Tohono O'odham student Winona Little Owl-Ignacio said that NASA — the acronym that Indigenous students use for the Native American Student Affairs center — has played a crucial role in her journey at the university since she transferred from Tohono O'odham Community College.
When she started in 2021, she had nowhere to live in Tucson. That changed after she met NASA Director Julian Juan, who helped her move into O'odham Ki, a living environment for Indigenous students at UofA.
'NASA saved me,' she said. 'It gave me a home at this predominantly white institution.'
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Now, Indigenous students' confidence in the safety and community that NASA provided is diminishing after the university fired the director on May 27 and announced plans to merge the center with the Office of Native American Initiatives.
' It's a blatant disrespect to student safety,' Little Owl-Ignacio said of the merger. 'They don't care about Native student safety.'
The university's move to consolidate NASA under NAI is part of its announcement to combine all cultural and resource centers into a single unit, known as the Student Culture and Engagement Hub. The merging of the cultural centers occurs amid the university's drastic shift in its DEI policies as part of its response to the Trump administration's anti-DEI policies.
'Campus Community Connections will support internal campus community groups, external community councils, and programming that fosters an environment where all communities are connected, valued and able to thrive,' Jenna Hatcher, the vice provost set to lead the initiative, said in a press release.
The university said the move is intended to strengthen support for student engagement and community collaboration across campus. The change came on the same day Juan was fired following disagreements with university administration over conflicts involving Tessa Dysart, the assistant vice provost for NAI.
Multiple Indigenous students told the Arizona Mirror that neither Dysart nor other leaders at the Office of Native American Initiatives have shown up for them or made efforts to build relationships.
As a student deeply involved with the Indigenous community at UofA, Jodie said she had never met any of the leadership from NAI or seen them attend any Indigenous student events.
'I think that really matters,' Jodie added, because if those leaders say they will represent Indigenous students, then they 'should at least know us.'
The university said in its press release that combining NASA with NAI will enhance collaboration and strengthen support for Native students, faculty, staff and tribal partners.
'This move recognizes and respects the sovereign status of tribal nations, while reflecting our ongoing commitment to student success,' Levi Esquerra, senior vice president for Native American advancement and tribal engagement, said in the announcement.
The Arizona Mirror asked the University of Arizona for an interview about NASA, as well as student concerns about the merger with NAI. The university did not respond to the interview request, but provided a written statement.
University spokesperson Mitch Zak said that Dysart, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, will work closely with other administrators to engage Native American students and support their success.
'We value and appreciate engaging with students and hearing their opinions, and there will be plenty of opportunities going forward for that,' Zak said.
Tohono O'odham graduate student Trinity Norris said that the university's actions demonstrate that it is not listening to students.
'They're making these decisions without the input of students, which makes no sense, because this is going to directly impact students and their well-being,' she said.
The University of Arizona is a land-grant university established in 1885. It is one of 52 universities across the country supported by the Morrill Act, which was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. The act utilized land that the federal government stole from tribal nations and sold to fund the universities.
As a land-grant university, UofA boasts that it actively supports Indigenous students, research and initiatives through its Indigenous-focused student programs, such as the Arizona Native Scholars Grant program, which covers tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate Indigenous students.
However, support has not always been available. Students have shared experiences of funding never fully covering tuition and fees, often leaving them with large bills and scrambling for support..
In a letter sent to UofA leadership, supporters of NASA declared that 'any attempt to eliminate NASA is a direct assault on the Native American student population as well as the Tribal Nations, which this university was founded to serve as part of its land-grant mission.'
The letter was published on May 26 after students suspected UofA would follow through with their threats to consolidate the cultural centers and they wanted to show they do not support it. The letter was signed by more than 85 Indigenous students, organizations and alums.
The students in the letter stated that as a land-grant university, UofA has a 'lasting obligation to not only recognize but serve Indigenous communities,' especially since the school continues to acknowledge this history through its land acknowledgment and recruitment of Indigenous students.
'The history of this university, as well as the greater state of Arizona university system, has long failed our Native communities and Tribal Nations,' the letter states.
Failures outlined in the letter include insufficient scholarship support, the inability to hire Native faculty and the failure to provide a space for Native students to learn and become strong citizens of their respective tribal nations.
'Despite these failures, we remain — not only are we still here, but we are here in larger numbers than at any point in the recorded history of the university,' the students wrote.
In the fall 2024 semester, there were more than 2,000 Native American students at UofA, accounting for 3.6% of the student population.
NASA was founded in 1989 and has been one of the long-standing cultural centers at UofA. However, the university has not consistently supported it, as the center faced plans for consolidation in 1993, 2016 and 2023.
The lack of university support for NASA is evident in other ways, including a lack of financial support for its major events, such as Indigenous Peoples' Day and the Spring Powwow, which are funded through sponsorships and fundraising.
NASA also hosts the Native American Convocation. Juan said his office had allocated $6,000 from the center's operating budget to host this year's event, but that amount only covered the cost of the stoles.
In previous years, Juan said that NAI covered the venue costs for the convocation. But Dysart ended that practice, and he said NAI did not provide any financial support to NASA for the convocation or support any other significant events.
Aside from the threat of consolidation, NASA has experienced high turnover for many years, including a decline in student staffing and a shortage of program coordinators.
Frequent changes in leadership at NASA means that students have been forced to rebuild trust and relationships constantly.
Before he was fired, Juan had been at NASA since 2019, and many Indigenous students credit him with helping to make it a safe space. He started as a program coordinator and later became the center's interim director in 2022, a position he held off and on until he was offered the position permanently in January 2024.
As a first-generation college student with a bachelor's and master's degree, Juan said it was a dream job to contribute to the success of Indigenous students.
Coming into NASA, he said his priority was rebuilding the relationship with students because of the lingering effects of high turnover.
' I felt a responsibility as an O'odham person at the University of Arizona to be that consistency for them,' he said. 'That's what's kept me here this whole time, seeing what these students have gone through.'
Indigenous students at UofA often have to advocate for themselves and serve as their own support system, which can lead to burnout, Juan said.
'I've seen a lot of harm to students,' he said, adding that students constantly tell him how tired they are of sharing their experiences with a university that does not listen.
When he stepped into the director's role, Juan said he became a fierce advocate for them. Even after all these obstacles, he said it's incredible to see Indigenous students succeed.
The student letter sent to the university stated that NASA is the center of campus life for all Indigenous students at UofA.
'Under Julian's leadership, there are more large- and small-scale events at the university to support our Native students and ensure our retention and graduation in the degrees we seek,' the letter stated.
UofA doctoral student William Carson, a tribal member of Ohkay Owingeh, helped put together the student letter condemning the university's decision to fire Juan and merge NASA with NAI.
Under former directors, Carson said that students did not utilize the space as often, but that changed drastically when Juan took over. NASA is located on the second floor of the Robert L. Nugent Building at UofA.
'It's a place people like to be because people feel comfortable there,' he said, because in reality, NASA is a few offices and an open commons area. ' That is entirely the result of the work that Julian has done, empowering students and making people feel wanted there.'
Carson recently defended his dissertation, which involved research with NASA, NAI, and the Office of Native American Advancement & Tribal Engagement. The results of his study showed a strong connection between Indigenous students and NASA.
Carson said that when he presented his findings to NAI and NAATE leadership, he emphasized that any outreach efforts related to Indigenous students at UofA should go through NASA.
'This is a place people trust. They trust what Julian is doing,' he said, adding that he'll never forget how dismissive Dysart and other leaders were of that information. ' They simply acted like I never mentioned NASA once in the meeting.'
NASA is the only space on campus at UofA for Indigenous students, Carson said, and now that NAI is running it, he said it's certain that some students will stop going to the center.
Little Owl-Ignacio said it makes her emotional to think about NASA after the news of the merger and Juan being fired.
She said it was amazing to see all the Indigenous students at UofA 'blossom and grow' because they were able to find a home, friends and a community within the cultural center.
The outpouring of support has deeply impacted Juan, who said it has made him emotional to see all the people who have shown up for him.
Juan said that the students who sent the letter also reached out, asking how they could support and protect him. He admitted that it was hard to hear because he felt it should be him protecting them.
'But when I saw the list of support, I was like, 'Dang, this is beautiful to see,'' he said.
Despite being among the several cultural resource center directors fired on May 27, Juan said that his dismissal was not solely a result of the university's drastic shifts in diversity, equity and inclusion policies prompted by the Trump administration's executive orders banning them. Instead, he said, it was retaliation for his ongoing advocacy for the safety of Indigenous students at the university.
Tension has been escalating between Indigenous students and university leadership over the past year. From Juan's perspective, things began to deteriorate last year, following the retirement of Karen Francis-Begay, who served as the assistant vice provost for NAI from 2020 to 2023.
Dysart took on the role of vice provost in July 2024.
Juan said the vice provost position at NAI was established in response to 'student demands and advocacy' following an incident involving former UofA President Robert C. Robbins, who made offensive comments in front of a group of Indigenous students in 2019.
Juan said the position was supposed to 'handle all the top-level stuff and to ensure students, staff and faculty are being supported.'
However, Juan said that Indigenous students began to express their concerns about Dysart the month after she started in the position.
According to Juan, one Indigenous student told him that Dysart made derogatory comments about tribal colleges and universities that made the student uncomfortable.
Dysart allegedly said that tribal colleges and universities inadequately prepare their students for the rigor of a Western university, and that it's not UofA's fault that those students don't succeed, but a failure of the institutions they transferred from.
Juan said that the student shared their concern with him because they believed those comments should not be made by someone whose job was to support Indigenous students.
And more stories about disrespectful interactions with Dysart came in from students, his staff and other employees.
Juan said he shared his concerns with his supervisor, who recommended that he raise them with the then-interim provost, Ronald Marx. Juan's biggest concern, he told Marx, was a pattern of Dysart intimidating or silencing Native women.
Marx asked to meet with the students, Juan said, but many were afraid to come forward.
'They are afraid of retaliation if they find out that they're the ones who raise concerns about her,' Juan said. 'They are afraid for their future careers as lawyers or even their academic careers.'
The university never responded to the concerns Juan shared, he said.
The most public student safety concern occurred in February during the annual Tribal Leaders Summit & Student Engagement event, when Indigenous law student Jacquelyn Francisco attempted to speak but was physically blocked from the microphone by Dysart and another school official.
After being blocked from the podium, Francisco stood in front of it and shared her experience as an Indigenous student, and told the tribal leaders in attendance how the university quietly deleted language in its official land acknowledgment — without consulting tribes and students.
After the summit, Francisco said that the university started referring to her as a 'disgruntled student' who was not invited to speak during the event and should not have been on stage.
Francisco countered that Dysart invited her to the event, and even asked if Francisco could share the details with her network. The invitation requested students to share their experiences at UofA.
Francisco, who is Diné and Jicarilla Apache, is a Navajo Nation law fellow at the university's James E. Rogers College of Law and a leader in the Indigenous student law community.
She said she had previously asked Dysart, who is a law professor, for support and advice, but said that Dysart frequently made ignorant comments that criticized Indigenous UofA students and demonstrated a clear lack of understanding of the support those students may require.
Before the conflict at the summit, Francisco said she and other Indigenous law students shared their concerns about Dysart with Marx.
The students never received any response from the university administration, and Francisco said she wasn't surprised when Dysart tried to stop her from speaking.
She said she does not believe Dysart has the best interests of students in mind and is concerned about the future of Indigenous students attending UofA.
Neither the university nor Dysart have spoken to Francisco since the incident or addressed it publicly.
Little Owl-Ignacio was at the tribal summit event in February, where she said she overheard Dysart threaten to call security on Francisco. Dysart's actions caused harm not only to Francisco, Little Owl-Ignacio said, but also to the other Indigenous students who witnessed them.
Even after students repeatedly said that they felt unsafe around Dysart, the university still chose to put NASA under her leadership.
'It completely ignores the student safety concerns and it ignores their well-being, something that NASA has always been committed to under Julian's former leadership,' Little Owl-Ignacio said. 'He made sure that the well-being of the students was always at the forefront and this decision doesn't reflect that.'
Following the confrontation at the summit, Juan said that students continued to express to him concerns about NAI and said they did not feel safe around Dysart.
Juan said he believes his advocacy for students amidst the tension between NAI and students led to his termination. The tipping point, he said, occurred during NASA's Feast Friday event in April.
Juan was in a meeting in his office while students shared a meal during the event, but he noticed multiple students looking into his office, visibly distressed.
After Juan noticed Dysart in the doorway, along with one of her coworkers and two Pascua Yaqui Council members, he apologized and asked Dysart to leave due to student safety concerns.
Juan said she responded with confusion, telling him that she did not know what he meant, even though he had sent her emails about those concerns.
She answered that it was an open campus and that she was free to go where she pleased, but that they should have a conversation about the concerns with university administrators. Juan agreed to the conversation, but insisted that she leave. She eventually did.
Juan said he then apologized to the Pascua Yaqui Council members, who stayed to see the NASA center and interact with students at the event.
At the beginning of May, Marx emailed Juan about the unwelcoming reception that Dysart received.
'The University's senior leadership, including me, has emphasized the importance of collaboration among all units that support student well-being and success,' Marx wrote in the memo. 'Such collaboration is required between NASA and the Office of Native American Initiatives.'
Marx requested that Juan write a formal apology letter to the Pascua Yaqui council members who witnessed the interaction and instructed him to arrange a meeting between NASA and NAI to begin coordination efforts.
Once Juan read the memo, he said he knew his position was at risk.
Juan said he met with Hatcher, the vice provost overseeing Campus Community Connections, to discuss these concerns and to arrange a meeting date for the two offices.
In this meeting, Juan said that Hatcher offered to allow him to bring his tribal leaders from the Tohono O'odham Nation to support him. Hatcher agreed to the meeting arrangements and requested that Juan set up the meeting.
But Juan was fired before that could happen. His termination letter said that he was being dismissed for not fulfilling his duties, including failing to write the apology letter to the Pascua Yaqui council members and meeting with NAI.
Juan said he had apologized to the council members in an email before the request, and he emailed a draft of a formal apology letter to Hatcher. When he was fired on May 27, he said he was attempting to finalize dates that worked with his tribal leader's calendars for the meeting between NAI and NASA.
He has no doubts that his termination is a clear act of retaliation for standing up for students.
'I t hurts because I want (students) to be okay and I want (students) to be safe,' Juan said. 'I'm afraid for them under this new model. I am afraid for them because the university has shown they're not going to hold this person accountable.'
Dysart has been allowed to 'physically silence a student without repercussion,' he added.
With NASA moving under NAI, Juan said that the office does not have the capacity to support Indigenous students at UofA or the emotional understanding to take their concerns seriously.
He said he wants people to know the whole story because he does not want the university to 'create their own narrative,' and he intends to challenge his termination and has provided documentation to support his case to the university's human resources office.
The Arizona Mirror reached out to Dysart and the university about student concerns and Juan's termination. Dysart did not respond. The university refused to comment on personnel matters.
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