The University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business is adding more First Nations content to its curriculum in response to a racist chant uttered by students during frosh week.
Sauder undergraduates imitated an aboriginal drum circle and chanted “White man steal our land” during the September event, which saw students separated into teams based on Disney films.
The students involved, none of whom were First Nations, were part of the “Pocahontas” group.
On Monday, Sauder dean Robert Helsley unveiled new measures designed to expand students’ understanding of First Nations issues and culture, noting that many of those involved were shocked by the outrage they caused.
“Our students were genuinely puzzled and confused,” Helsley said. “For some, this was a real awakening.”
The measures include setting up workshops with UBC’s First Nations Studies program, introducing indigenous topics into the Sauder curriculum, and redesigning orientation events for first year students.
Helsley said cultural competency is an “essential part” of training for anyone who hopes to become a leader in the business community today.
“Our students are entering a world where business leadership requires much deeper cultural intelligence, and not just in Canada,” he said.
Professor Daniel Justice, chair of the First Nations Studies program, said the chant perpetuated aboriginal stereotypes and contributed to ongoing cultural misrepresentation.
“How many indigenous people do we see in popular culture who are heroic?” Justice said. “How many indigenous people do we see in popular culture, period, who aren’t relegated to the past or who aren’t relegated to some sort of social dysfunction?”
It was especially jarring for students to sing about stolen land while standing on unceded Musqueam territory, he added.
Another Sauder frosh chant promoting sexualized violence resulted in punishment against 81 student leaders. An investigation into the offensive chant revealed it had been part of frosh tradition for several years.
