Visiting speaker Dakota Elliott, a member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, welcomes students, staff, and community members to the dialogue in the Multi-Cultural Center. (Sacramento State/Jessica Vernone)More photos from Native American Day
Sacramento State was proud to celebrate Native American Day on Friday, Sept. 25, with a number of activities and observances.
University Union Ballroom III was packed for an opening breakfast featuring conversation, comradeship, and a blessing. Following that, a contingent of students from Professor Annette Reed’s Ethnic Studies class, as well as from Sac State’s Educational Opportunity Program, headed downtown to the State Capitol, where a large number of representatives from Native American organizations across the state gathered for daylong ceremonies.
For those not able to attend the Capitol event, members of the campus community were invited to the Multi-Cultural Center for a noon-hour dialogue.
The Sacramento events supported the CSU's commitment to increase enrollment and graduation rates for students from Tribal Nations. You can find more information about the initiative at www.calstate.edu/
Further, the American Indian Summer Institute (AISI) has been held on the Sac State campus every year since 1998. (For more on the institute: blogs.calstate.edu/
“AISI cultivates the students’ curiosity in science while celebrating their unique heritage,” says Ricardo Torres, AISI director and Sacramento State counseling faculty member. “The assignments are tailored for Native American students so that their traditions and life experiences are applied to a scientific environment. The students walk away with a valuable lesson on the importance and relevance of science to their daily lives.”