My fellow CSP students at BGSU in particular know that I am also serving as an occasional blogger on the Bowling Green Student Development Association's (BGSDA) blog along with four other members of my cohort. I recently wrote a lengthy post for BGSDA on Maori culture and how it creates challenges for higher education in NZ (which surprised me once I looked at how detailed it was). Since I haven't delved into this area as much as I would like to yet on this blog, I wanted to provide a variation of that post here for two reasons: 1) I really liked how this post came together; and 2) I've been doing a TON of writing at work, which hasn't left much time for personal writing. So, without further ado, here's a look at Maori culture in higher education.
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| But first, a history lesson. (Bonus points and bragging rights offered if you guess who this historical figure is) |
Before we get into higher education, here's a quick background on the Maori, an important part of New Zealand culture that everyone looking at this country should know about. The Maori are the original settlers of New Zealand, hailing from eastern Polynesia and settling here roughly around 1300 CE (by the way, did I mention I've visited five museums since being here?). Over the course of time, the original settlers formed an extremely rich culture, set of beliefs, traditions, and way of life. Their buildings, crafts, clothing, and more all serve as a reflection of their rich background.
Then, European settlers arrived in New Zealand in the 1700s, and the Maori slowly began to take on characteristics of Western life. Perhaps the most important document in NZ's history is the Treaty of Waitangi. It was an agreement made between the Maori and then-Queen Victoria that broadly recognized the rights of Maori to their land and property while allowing Great Britain to establish governance over NZ. In return, the Maori became recognized as British subjects, with all the rights and privileges thereto and pertaining (I've always wanted to say that). It should be noted that since two copies of the treaty exist (one in English, one in Maori), there is debate on the exact meaning of some parts of the treaty since the two do not exactly translate to each other perfectly. Regardless, this treaty would go on to essentially serve as a backbone to the New Zealand constitution, and permanently affect the country's stance on issues of equality and access for both Maori and other marginalized groups. In higher education in NZ (known here as tertiary education), policy recommendations are expected to have sections pertaining to "Treaty Implications," meaning it must cover how this policy will help further the original purposes of the treaty. This weekend, I'll actually be heading up north to see the grounds where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed!
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| Here's an artifact (The Treaty of Waitangi) for all the anthropologists reading this blog... |
Fast-forward to today. The Maori consist of roughly 15% of NZ's population. However, they are still a marginalized group in regards to income, education, health issues, and so on. Just as first-generation college students are a group we must provide ample support for in the U.S., Maori (and Pacific) students are considered an "equity" group on campus and in need of additional support to ease their transition into the university (and at last, we've connected back to the reason I have a job this summer!).
Elves and Homophily
Now that we've got history of the way, time to turn our attention to a little term we like to call homophily, or the inclination of people to be drawn to others that are like them (Strange, 2001). For those who haven't taken a year of CSP courses, a really good example of homophily comes from the elves of Lord of the Rings. If you haven't read/seen Lord of the Rings, stop reading this post and take care of that first. Don't worry, this post will still be here when you get back.
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| Be warned: One does not simply "breeze through" Lord of the Rings. |
The elves are a group within Middle Earth whose preference is to be with their own kind and rather than interact with humans (and thereby creating a "homogenous" group according to race). It should be noted, however, that humanity did kinda drop the ball on the whole "destroy the ring" thing. Anyway, we see this on a meta-level with the elvish villages often being in secluded and hidden areas, and we see it on a personal level as Elrond (a noted leader of the elves) consistently opposes his daughter Arwen's wishes to marry a human. Although Arwen is the exception to the Elvish trend to stick together, Elrond serves as the quintessential elf who tries to convince her that a relationship with Aragorn will only end in death. But then again, I suppose everything ends in death if you wait long enough, right? But I digress. The elves' continual desire is to keep to themselves. And even after eventually working with humans to fight Sauron's forces, they choose to leave Middle Earth forever at the end of the conflict, continually preferring the company of those similar to them and weary from their interactions with the other races of Middle Earth. (Wars for magical rings are bound to make anyone cranky.)
Maori Students in Tertiary Education
The concept of homophily lies at the heart of many discussions around the university of how best to support these students in the first year. If one looks at the University of Auckland's aggregate environment (the characteristics of an environment that are derived from the collective characteristics of its inhabitants), the student body at Auckland is predominantly Caucasian (Strange, 2001). This feeds into the socially-constructed environment (the collective perceptions that reveal a certain press on the environment) that UoA is a "white" campus (Strange, 2001). Therefore, when Maori students arrive on campus, they experience instability by not having the immediate presence of similar students. Because many Maori students are sometimes one of two or three students to come from their high school to Auckland, they arrive at the university alone and have difficulty searching for groups of students with whom they can relate.
University programs such as Maori orientation and the government-funded Tuakana mentoring program are designed to enable homophily to occur and build up the Maori students as their own type of community within the greater university environment. Because these students are already a minority and many are coming from backgrounds of lower income, education, etc., it is a university priority to connect these students as early as possible to resources and support staff that can help them both ease their transition and give them the feeling that this is their university too. This also occurs within the different faculties, with each one utilizing different strategies to build systems of support around their Maori students so they can succeed in their studies.
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| This is the University's Marae, a sacred meeting place used for many special occasions in Maori culture. At Maori orientation (which takes place before the main orientation, the Maori students go through a powhiri (a Maori welcome ceremony) that officially welcomes them as part of the University of Auckland community and connects these students to the institution on a personal, cultural level. |
I got to speak with several staff members at the university's Equity Office, and they are passionate advocates of these students groups which are in need of additional support. The office described their approach to their work in this manner: their first priority is to ensure that these groups are recognized through special events and resources on campus, and then their next priority is to celebrate the presence of these groups on campus. A challenge that Vivienne (my fellow intern) and I are exploring is how do we ensure that we can also help Maori students better interact and make relationships with non-Maori students. Although having a special orientation and tutor programs are proving effective in helping to better retain these students, other constituencies on campus are hoping to find new ways to help them integrate better with the rest of the student body. Such an exposure to different peoples and cultures can be a great source of potential for developing these students, and so we are trying to find a balance between how to support Maori students exclusively as well as in a broader university context.
It's not an easy task to solve, but I'm enjoying searching for the answers!! And these aren't even all of the challenges. Although orientation and the Tuakana mentoring program help promote homophily and academic success respectively, other issues to be addressed include adjusting to the largest urban environment in NZ and cultivating the best familial support possible.
Like I said earlier this post, I'll be heading up to Northland this weekend to see where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, so I'm pretty excited, considering the treaty has such a historical significance to NZ and a strong presence in today's society. If all goes well, I also plan to head up to the northern most tip of NZ look out at the ocean! Should be fun!
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