Tribes support USD staff who were told to remove tribal affiliations from email signatures

Two of South Dakota’s nine tribes have written letters to the South Dakota Board of Regents opposing its recent enforcement of policy 1.7.6 on communications and branding.

The policy's enforcement has led to at least two staff members at the University of South Dakota being told to take their tribal affiliations and pronouns out of their email signatures: John Little, director of Native recruitment and alumni engagement, and Megan Red Shirt-Shaw, director of Native Student Services. Little is Standing Rock Dakota, and Red Shirt-Shaw is Oglala na Sicangu Lakota.

The letters from the tribal leaders were posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, by Little on Monday. The first was sent to the SDBOR by Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Scott Herman on May 20, and the second was sent to the SDBOR by Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Chairman Clyde Estes on May 23.

In his letter, Herman states he’d like an exception to the policy on behalf of Little, a member of a federally recognized tribe, to include his tribal affiliations and pronouns in his official USD email signature block. Herman explains in the letter that honoring and respecting individuals’ cultural identities and personal pronouns is “paramount in fostering an inclusive environment within our academic institutions.”

Herman wrote that tribal affiliation holds deep significance for members of Indigenous communities, and that recognizing and respecting an individual’s pronouns is essential in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment “for all members of our community.”

“By providing the option to include pronouns in email signatures, you promote gender inclusivity and affirm the identities of transgender and nonbinary individuals,” Herman added.

More: USD employees told to remove tribal affiliations, pronouns from email signatures

Estes states in his letter that the SDBOR policy “goes against diversity, equity and inclusion,” and that allowing staff, students and other university officials to put their tribal identity in their email signature and official documents creates a path for them to make connections within tribal communities.

“We also believe honoring and respecting our cultural identities is important in continuing to foster relationships with our tribal communities and the institutions within the regental system,” Estes wrote.

Both Herman and Estes wrote in their letters that sharing tribal affiliations helps connect Indigenous people to their heritage, ancestors and community.

“We are appreciative of their support and exercise of sovereignty to challenge this policy,” Little wrote on X.

Shuree Mortenson, communication director for the SDBOR, did not respond to a request from the Argus Leader regarding the SDBOR’s response in this matter, nor did she answer why policy 1.7.6 is not up for reconsideration in Wednesday and Thursday’s SDBOR meeting when there has been considerable controversy over the matter.

How did this start?

The SDBOR passed the new policy in December to little fanfare or public attention, and it began to be enforced months after. The Argus Leader first reported the issue May 1 after Little and Red Shirt-Shaw took to social media with their accounts of the situation.

Little said on Instagram that he received an email March 13 with a written warning for including his tribal affiliation, “Standing Rock Dakota,” and his pronouns, in his email signature. He said the email stated if he didn’t remove his tribal affiliation and pronouns from his email signature, he’d face suspension from USD, “and then there would be a decision made about termination,” according to his social media post.

Red Shirt-Shaw said on Instagram that she received an email March 16 stating she was in violation of the Regents' policy for including her tribal affiliation, which she said is “Oglala na Sicangu Lakota.” If she didn’t comply, she would be issued a formal written warning from Human Resources, her post states.

Both Little and Red Shirt-Shaw stated in their social media posts that after consulting with legal services, they decided to remove their tribal affiliations and pronouns from their email signatures.

However, they have also placed that information in the body of emails they send, instead of in the signature at the bottom of an email. They were told that they wouldn't be challenged for now by USD administrators or the BOR for putting that information in the body of their email signatures.

When this happened, both Little and Red Shirt-Shaw wrote that they were “saddened” and alleged the Regents continue the erasure of Native people in the state of South Dakota with this policy enforcement.

Little stated he was also told in the written warning meeting with human resources, that if he was suspended, he wouldn’t be allowed to attend the 12th Annual Native Alumni Dinner or 50th Annual Wacipi, both public events at a public university. He added he was “deeply disappointed” in USD.

“This is an institution that I have sacrificed time and energy to support, while simultaneously they did not hesitate to provide me with a permanent written letter to my record and with the threat of termination for using my tribal affiliation and pronouns in my signature,” Little stated.

Red Shirt-Shaw said with her title as director of Native Student Services, she feels she has an ethical responsibility to claim the tribal nations that make her who she is.

“From an academic standpoint, I have always loved the field of higher education for its possibilities,” she said. “Now in pursuing a Ph.D. in the field, believing it can change if we advocate, we must continue to seek justice for the students we love the most. I hope that the BOR will consider how their policies impact staff members and amend policy 1.7.6.”

What’s the policy?

Policy 1.7.6 states that contact information, such as a signature block, is limited to:

• name;

• educational credentials or degrees earned;

• job title and name of unit;

• email addresses;

• physical and mailing addresses;

• phone number;

• web links to official institutional websites or social media platforms;

• the university logo and motto;

• and any professional disclosures.

“Pronouns” and “tribal affiliation” are not explicitly stated in the policy, but it states that other information, graphics or links are prohibited. An employee who fails to adhere to the policy could be disciplined, the policy states.

At the time, the Argus Leader had asked Mortenson how many other USD or SDBOR employees faced discipline, suspension or termination for noncompliance with the policy, and for the reasons different employees were asked to change their signatures, but Mortenson said the SDBOR doesn’t comment on “personnel matters.”

More: Why SDBOR won't share how many employees were told to change their email signatures

Now, the Argus Leader and SDBOR are in an open records appeal process to determine if they can release that information. The open records request denial has also drawn opposition and scrutiny from the Student Press Law Center and South Dakota NewsMedia Association.

The policy has faced criticism from students, including the Student Government Association at USD, which passed a resolution in February opposing it and calling for it to change so email signatures can include information like office hours, land acknowledgements, pronouns, tribal affiliations, working hours and more.

If you’re an employee at one of the six universities under the Board of Regents who’s received a warning or faced discipline because of your email signature, please reach out to education reporter Morgan Matzen at MMatzen@argusleader.com about how this change affected you and your ability to do your job.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Tribes support USD staff who had tribe affiliation censored from emails