Scenario

Around midsemester, two students approach you after class to share a concern. During the first week of classes in the semester, student A of Indigenous ethnicity and background notices while skimming through the syllabus for their Monday class that a land acknowledgment is listed. Although in the syllabus, you never bring attention to it to the class. In student A’s Thursday class for a different course, no land acknowledgment is listed. Both students are in your Friday course. Student B of Indigenous heritage, thanks you for taking a moment to focus on the land acknowledgment section of your syllabus to bring it to the class’s attention. You spoke on the matter for only a moment that first day before moving on. Student A finds it odd that only certain classes and instructors include land acknowledgements while student B feels mildly appreciative of such acknowledgements, but as the semester goes on with the subject never coming up again, they cannot help but feel it was a bit performative. They bring these concerns to you where it is suggested you include land acknowledgements as well as provide additional resources to your students about native American history, culture, and universities around the United States’ role in continuing colonization.