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University of Utah opens Native Ascent House for Indigenous students
Built World Salt Lake City, UT localA Native-focused living-learning community debuts on Officer's Circle, a first for Utah and the region
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Overview
Updated 1 hour agoEleven Indigenous students now live in Native Ascent House, a red-brick residential facility on the University of Utah's Officer's Circle geared to Native American students. It is the first Native-focused living-learning community in Utah and the surrounding region.
The house caps a four-year program built to pair academic support with cultural connection. It operates despite a 2024 Utah law restricting identity-based university programming, protected by a carve-out tied to the university's accord with the Ute Indian Tribe, since tribes hold federally recognized sovereign status.
Why it matters
Utah restricts identity-based campus programs, yet tribal sovereignty let the University of Utah open the region's first Native residential community — a model others may copy.
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Key Indicators
11
Inaugural residents of Native Ascent House
Native Ascent Scholars living in the residential community on Officer's Circle.
~1%
University of Utah students who identify as Native American
Share of the student body, per program manager Tashina Barber.
First in state
First Native-focused living-learning community in Utah and the region
The university describes the house as a first for Utah and surrounding states.
4 years
Program development time
Native Ascent grew from a small student cohort to a residential house.
Related Media
University of Utah opens Native Ascent House, a Native-focused living-learning community – @theU
Native Ascent House ribbon cutting Thursday, Sept. 3 – @theU
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People Involved
TB
Tashina Barber
Program manager, Center for Native Excellence and Tribal Engagement
Leads the Native Ascent program
CD
Cliftene Duncan
Native Ascent Scholar, second-year student
Resident of Native Ascent House
TG
Tavamawisi Groves
Native Ascent Scholar, junior
Resident of Native Ascent House
Lori McDonald
Vice president of student affairs, University of Utah
University administrator overseeing student programs
Organizations Involved
University of Utah
Public research university
Host of Native Ascent House
Salt Lake City's flagship public research university, home to the Center for Native Excellence and Tribal Engagement.
Center for Native Excellence and Tribal Engagement
University center
Oversees the Native Ascent program
University of Utah center supporting Native American and Alaska Native students, staff and faculty.
Ute Indian Tribe
Federally recognized sovereign tribe
Accord with the university underpins the HB261 carve-out
Sovereign tribe based in Fort Duchesne, Utah; its accord with the University of Utah shields tribal programs from HB261 restrictions.
Utah Legislature
State legislature
Passed HB261 in 2024
Passed House Bill 261 restricting identity-based university programming, with a carve-out for tribal programs.
Timeline
September 2022 September 2026
5 events
Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date
-
University formally unveils Native Ascent House
Today MilestoneUniversity of Utah publicly marks the opening of the Native-focused living-learning community with news coverage.
-
Ribbon cutting and open house
CeremonyCommunity gathers at Officer's Circle, House 608, to introduce Native Ascent House to campus.
-
Native Ascent House welcomes residents
MilestoneThe residential facility on Officer's Circle begins housing Native Ascent Scholars.
-
Utah enacts HB261
LawUtah passes HB261 restricting identity-based university programming, with a carve-out for tribal programs.
-
Native Ascent Scholars Program launches
Program launchThe University of Utah starts a small student cohort focused on cultural connection, leadership and community.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
November 1968 – March 1969
San Francisco State ethnic studies strike (1968–1969)
Black students and Third World Liberation Front allies struck San Francisco State for five months, joining with faculty to demand an ethnic studies program. They won the first School of Ethnic Studies in the United States.
Then
The strike established ethnic studies at SF State and sparked similar programs at universities nationwide.
Now
Identity-based academic programs and cultural centers became standard fixtures at American universities.
Why this matters now
Native Ascent House is part of that lineage — campus programs built around students' cultural identities. It now operates in a state that restricts such programming, with tribal sovereignty as its shield.
November 1969 – June 1971
Alcatraz occupation (1969–1971)
Native American activists, many of them students, occupied Alcatraz Island for 19 months to demand tribal self-determination and reclaim land under treaty rights. The action drew national attention.
Then
The occupation ended without a land transfer but catalyzed Native American studies programs and support services at universities.
Now
It helped shift federal policy toward tribal self-determination and inspired a generation of Native student organizing.
Why this matters now
Like the activists who pushed universities to serve Native students, today's Native Ascent Scholars are building culturally grounded communities inside a mainstream university.
January 1975
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (1975)
Congress passed a law giving tribes authority to contract and manage federal programs serving their communities, including education. It marked a decisive shift from federal control toward tribal control.
Then
Tribes gained direct management of schools, health services and social programs on their lands.
Now
The act cemented tribes' legal standing as sovereign governments rather than mere racial groups.
Why this matters now
That sovereign standing is the legal basis for the HB261 carve-out. Because tribes are sovereign nations, Utah's restriction on race-based campus programs does not apply to Native Ascent House.