EMMA PIRHALA / MANAGING EDITOR

One of the first things students hear when they enter USD is not the alma mater song or how to use their meal plans. During the start of classes and OLÉ! Weekend, Toreros are greeted  with numerous speeches. Nearly all of them include a land acknowledgment, recognizing the significance of the tribal lands that Alcalá Park resides  on. The Kumeyaay   Nation inhabited not only the land that USD claimed, but also thousands of miles spanning from today’s Escondido to Ensenada. 

Now, it is important to note that I am a white woman, with no personal connection to the indigenous community.  In conversations with members of indigenous communities, I have learned the importance of acknowledging and celebrating native cultures.

The culture, traditions and stories of the Kumeyaay people continue to have a significant impact on our society and University, and remain a vibrant federally-recognized tribe. Despite the wave of land acknowledgements and sermons about USD’s core values, the University falls  short in celebrating their culture by failing to cancel classes on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. 

Each year, Indigenous Peoples’ Day falls on the second Monday in October. In a generational move, many opted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day rather than Columbus Day, which occurs on the same day. Advocates of Indigenous Peoples’ Day  rightly  argued   that   the horrific acts of Christopher Columbus warranted a change.

During his conquest of the Carribean, Columbus actively ordered the enslavement, massacre and rape of indigenous peoples. Many of these actions were disguised through the principles of religious superiority and self-righteousness – ­missionaries that sent to  convert the so-called heathen natives in a God, Glory, Gold campaign. And all of this occurred prior to the creation of the United States, which has repeatedly massacred and isolated indigenous populations throughout our almost   250-year history. 

Despite this, Indigenous Peoples’ Day is still not recognized as a federal holiday — and USD can help change that by celebrating and canceling classes and work. 

The University’s mission, vision and values promote Catholic social teachings of human dignity and care for the common home. These principles go hand-in-hand with the arguments for celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day. 

USD’s Assistant Director of Media Relation Steven Covella commented on behalf of USD. 

“USD must balance adjusted class schedules and holidays with the need to meet minimum instructional hour requirements to comply with accreditation standards and the unique schedules of some of our programs,” Covella said. “The University has explored options to incorporate no-class        holidays into the schedule, but none of the proposals proved viable while still meeting the requirements for instructional hours, which can vary by program.”

Located on the north side of campus, the Kumeyaay Garden is named after the Kumeyaay nation. David Cook/The USD Vista

Comparable universities across the nation categorize Indigenous Peoples’ Day as an administrative holiday, resulting in canceled classes. Santa Clara University (SCU) and the University of San Francisco — both Catholic institutions — have canceled classes on Oct. 13. Last year, SCU named Indigenous Peoples’ Day as an administrative holiday and instead opted to host celebratory and educational events promoting indigenous heritage and  culture. 

The decision came from an Associated Student Government resolution that was passed two years prior to the release of the article. In a 2024 interview to The Santa Clara – SCU’s student-run newspaper, Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Ray Plaza explained the process of integrating the resolution and the barriers that the school had  to break  through. 

“I had looked at how other Jesuit schools were managing the holiday,” Plaza said. “We   had to jump through all these hoops, because it dealt with the academic calendar and the number of days we  could  have    off. It took a while, but we got here.” 

The difficulties of scheduling are not foreign to USD. However, by reducing one day from intersession, the University could trade a day of vacation for a day of remembrance and reconciliation. Cutting into  break time is also not new to University officials, who have routinely condensed final exam study days and spring break. Therefore, the barriers that USD would have to cross are not too significant to serve as a legitimate excuse.

In a society where diversity is under attack, USD has the opportunity to present themselves as a changemaker by recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day. By doing so, the University could provide students with meaningful educational experiences that would further fortify their mission, vision and values. 

The failure to do so as of now continues to contribute to prejudice and othering that has been pursued against native populations for far too long.

Indigenous celebrations contribute to the long-lasting USD culture of honoring native tribes. Photo courtesy of @quinn.anya/flickr