A student from the NunatuKavut Community Council has written an open letter to the Chair of Memorial University’s Board of Regents taking exception to MUN’s Indigenous Verification Draft Policy.

The policy is being brought in to address questions and concerns raised at academic institutions across the country about people falsely claiming to be Indigenous in order to avail of programs specifically aimed at Indigenous students and researchers.

Keona Russell, who is pursuing a bachelor degree in behavioural neuroscience, says she went to MUN not to debate her identity, but to learn and grow. She says the new draft verification policy has left her shaken and feeling like her voice, and history, don’t matter.

She asks Justin Ladha whether Memorial sees the harm and the exclusion because “some of us are not Indigenous enough to count?”

MUN is accepting feedback on the draft policy until May 2nd.