UW-Superior Office of Multicultural Affairs News and Events

Drop off Formal Wear for Cinderella Project

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:06:00 +0000

Teens from the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) tribe in Hayward, WI have partnered with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Gender Equity Program and First Nations Center to provide formal wear for students planning to attend the LCO Teen Valentine Dance on February 10, 2012.

The LCO teens coordinating this "Cinderella's Closet" will be visiting campus on Wednesday, February 1. You can drop off any of the below items at the YU Atrium between 11:00am and 1:30pm.

Formal or semi-formal dresses (gently used or new)
Purses
Jewelry
Shoes
Other formal attire (men's clothing is welcome, too)

You can also drop off any of these items at Old Main 230 (Office of Multicultural Affairs) before Wednesday, February 1.

3rd Annual Ojibwe Storytelling and Silent Auction Fundraiser

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:40:08 +0000

Annual American Indian Storytelling, Open Mic, Feast and a Silent Auction/Fundraiser to be held in Sawyer, MN on February 18

Ojibwe storytellers, music, a traditional feast, youth activities, 50/50 drawing and a silent auction will be held from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Saturday, February 18, at Fond du Lac Reservation's Sawyer Community Center located at 3243 Moorhead Road in Sawyer, MN. Parking is free.

The 3rd Annual "Sawyer's Dibaajimowini maawanji'idiwan" Storytelling and Silent Auction Event will feature Ojibwe storytellers telling traditional creation stories. Local and regional musicians will perform. Invited storytellers and musicians include:

National Recording Artist Keith Secola - Native American Music Award Lifetime Achievement Award Past Recipient
Jim Northrup, nationally known Anishinaabe author, poet, playwright and storyteller
David "Niib" Aubid, Anishinaabe fluent speaker and language instructor
Frank Montano, Anishinaabe musician, singer, and performer
Rick Gresczyk, fluent speaker and storyteller
13 year old Jacob Vainio, Anishinaabe musician and composer

A silent auction will include Native American artwork, books and other high-quality items. This event is free and everyone is welcome.

The Thirteen Moons program mission: Connect Fond du Lac Band members and surrounding community members to natural resources, by increasing awareness of and knowledge about traditional and other resources; To social knowledge networks, by providing new opportunities for social interaction and education in the context of traditional and other natural resources; To Ojibwe culture, by highlighting and honoring the importance of natural resources in the traditional and contemporary Ojibwe lives and livelihoods, and the skills that will allow these lives and livelihood strategies to endure.

All proceeds will go towards the Fond du Lac Reservation's 4th Annual Ojibwemowin Immersion Camp which will happen June 21 - 24 at Kiwenz Campground in Sawyer, MN. The Ojibwemowin Immersion Camp began in 2009 under the direction of Rick Gresczyk, and Jim and Pat Northrup. The camp is a multi-day opportunity for youth and adults to experience Anishinaabe culture and language on the shores of Big Lake. An estimated 145 people attended the first year and approximately 400+ people attended last summer.

DONATIONS REQUESTED:

If you would like to donate an item(s) for the silent auction, make a monetary donation to the event, and/or want to volunteer at the event please let Pat Northrup know at patnorthrup10@gmail.com or 218-878-0245. If you know of any other people, businesses and/or organizations who may want to donate a high quality item for this silent auction / fundraiser please forward this message to them. All proceeds will go towards the preservation of the Ojibwe Language and will be used for the 2011 Immersion Camp.

Chi miigwech for your consideration of this worthy effort and your support of preserving the Ojibwe language. Hope to see you all at this event.

Gidaa-aabajitoomin Anishinaabemowin ji-bimaadiziimagak Anishinaabe izhitwaawin! We are here to keep the Ojibwe language and traditions/customs alive!

Event sponsored by: This event is a partnership between the Fond du Lac Tribal College Extension Program and is in collaboration with Fond du Lac Tribal College, Fond du Lac Resource Management, and the Sawyer Adult Center. Other contributors include: Jim and Pat Northrup, and the University of Wisconsin-Superior.Media & Information Contact: Nikki Crowe at, 13 Moons Fond du Lac Tribal College Extension Program, 218-878-7148 or nikkicrowe@fdlrez.com or Pat Northrup at 218-878-0245 or patnorthrup10@gmail.com .

The 3rd Annual "Sawyer's Dibaajimowini maawanji'idiwan" Storytelling and Silent Auction Event Flyer

Game Night-Office of Multicultural Affairs

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:00:38 +0000

February 7
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Multicultural Center, Main 232

The Office of Multicultural Affairs would like to invite you to the first OMA-sponsored Multicultural Game Night!

This new event encourages students, staff, faculty members, and community members to bring a game to play during this gathering. Cultural and/or ethnic games are also encouraged to make it a fun and learning environment for participants. Snacks will be provided. Feel free to bring a guest. We are all looking forward to having a fun evening of playing games, great conversations, new friendships being made and re-connecting with each other.

If you should have any questions please contact Ivy Vainio at 715-394-8415. Hope to see you there!

This event is co-sponsored by the Black Student Union.

Game Night Poster

UW-System 2012 American Multicultural Student Leadership Conference

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:20:11 +0000

The Office of Multicultural Affairs has received information about the UW-System's 2012 American Multicultural Student Leadership Conference. This is a GREAT opportunity for all multicultural students (African American/African, American Indian, Asian American and Hispanic/Latino) and other underrepresented students from all the University of Wisconsin campuses to:

This years' theme is "ENVISION - EMPOWER - EXECUTE: Creating A Plan For Forward Motion."

Gain the experience of presenting a research or creative writing paper or visual arts artwork or poster presentation
Attend leadership workshops
Listen to national and regional keynote multicultural speakers and
The chance to meet and network with other multicultural UW-System students and staff from all over the state of Wisconsin

If you are a UW-Superior student and are interested in attending and/or presenting at this conference please review the links and student sponsorship information below and/or contact Ivy Vainio at 715-394-8415 or yvainio@uwsuper.edu.

2012 AMSLC UW-System Sponsorship Information

2nd Annual Twin Ports Multicultural College Student/Staff Gathering

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:07:42 +0000

St. Scholastica and the Office of Institutional Diversity is excited to host the 2nd Annual Twin Ports Multicultural College Student/Staff Gathering on March 6th starting at 5:30 pm.

This is for all multicultural college students, alumni, staff, faculty, and allies in the community. Please invite people via Facebook (there are some awesome pictures on the Facebook site from last year's event) or share this event page with friends. Get the word OUT!

WHAT: 2nd Annual Twin Ports Multicultural College Student/Staff Gathering

WHEN: Tuesday March 6th

WHERE: Somers Main Lounge on The College of St. Scholastica's Duluth Campus.

TIME: 5:30 pm - - ???

WHO: Students, staff, faculty and community allies.

PURPOSE: Social gathering and a chance to network with other multicultural clubs and offices from colleges in the Twin Port.

FOOD: Food Will be Provided!

'The Great Hurt: Historical Accounts of American Indian Boarding Schools'

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:38:53 +0000

The Great Hurt

Readers' Theatre by Carl Gawboy

The Twin Ports premier performance of the play will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, January 31, in the College of St. Scholastica's Mitchell Auditorium in Duluth. It is free and open to the public. (See attached flyer.)

Gawboy, a retired College of St. Scholastica American Indian Studies instructor and UW-Superior alumnus, has written a play about the American Indian boarding school experience. It is based on his graduate study of the historical records of boarding schools for American Indians from the 1880s to the 1940s.

He then produced a dramatic reading from his research materials to bring the play to a wider audience. The readers' theatre script comes from actual testimonies by Indians and staff of the boarding schools. He wrote the script in 1972.

Gawboy could find no one interested in helping him to put it on: there seemed to be little interest in boarding schools at the time. The Great Hurt sat in his desk drawer until he was asked recently if he had any material on the historical trauma that American Indians suffered in boarding schools. Now audiences are ready for his play.

The play has been performed at tribal and community colleges, theaters and the National Indian Child Welfare Conference. The response of audiences has been very positive, with the most frequent comment, "I didn't know that anything like that happened in America".

Questions should be directed to Jay Newcomb at 218.723.6552 or jnewcomb@css.edu.

Co-sponsored by CSS's Indigenous Student Alliance, Center for Just Living, Social Work Department and UW-Superior's Office of Multicultural Affairs.

Woman of Color Nominations

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:34:32 +0000

The Chancellor and the Women of Color in Education Committee invite your nominations for the University of Wisconsin-Superior's 2011-12 Outstanding Woman of Color in Education Award. Nominees may be faculty, academic staff, classified staff, students, or active community members.

One woman of color will be selected by our campus and honored at our awards ceremony in March. Her accomplishments will also be celebrated, along with those of other honorees from all of the UW-System campuses at the statewide awards ceremony in fall 2012.

Nominations must be emailed to mhwang1@uwsuper.edu as soon as possible. Include a nominating statement that summarizes the nominee's accomplishments. Be sure to address how these accomplishments meet one or more of the selection criteria below. Also state whether the nominee is a faculty or staff member, a student, or an active community member.

Selection Criteria:

Women of color who have worked in the areas of women's studies scholarship and activism, especially as they have served to improve the status and climate for women, particularly women of color.

Women of color who have advocated for women, particularly women of color.

Women of color who have consistently demonstrated their ability to rally diverse forces together to advance the agenda of women, particularly that of women of color.

Women of color who have created positive changes at your institutional level, i.e., curriculum development and infusion, receiving grants, and mentoring women.

Women of color who have demonstrated an understanding of the interplay of family and community and culture in the lives of women of color.

We appreciate your participation and look forward to celebrating with you and our honoree in March!

2010-11 Kym Young (Graduate Student) Woman of Color in Education Honorée:

Kym Young, campus leader, community activist, diversity representative, and graduate student in the Visual Arts Department, was last year's Woman of Color in Education honorée from UW-Superior. One of Ms. Young's major accomplishments on campus was leading the transformation of the struggling Black Student Union into a flourishing, inclusive, and active student organization that provides student mentoring, recruitment, and necessary cultural and diversity programming for the whole campus. As an undergraduate, Ms. Young completed a McNair Scholars Program research project on "Matriarchal Heritages in Women's Pottery: An Examination of Similarities in West African and Native American Women's Pottery Traditions." She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Art History from UW-Superior in 2003 with Magna Cum Laude honors and her Master of Arts degree in 2011. She regularly helps UW-Superior recruit prospective students by mentoring for the African American College Student for a Day Program. In the community, she has worked for five years as an employee and a volunteer advocate for Safe Haven Shelter in Duluth and the North Central Windows Project. Recently, she was the featured artist in an exhibition in Superior that included work from survivors of domestic abuse. Ms. Young is employed as a Program Coordinator with the Five Points mentoring program, part of the Mentor Duluth organization. A mother and grandmother herself, she embodies Inclusive Excellence as she mentors and advocates for youth and their families and for domestic violence survivors, both on campus and elsewhere in the Twin Ports of Superior and Duluth.

Additional - Past honorees from our campus include:

1994 - Gladyce Nahbenayash (faculty)
1995 - Gladyce Nahbenayash (faculty)
1996 - Jennifer Wiggins (student)
1997 - Nancy Merrill (instructor/staff)
1998 - Ivy Vainio (staff)/Hollace Teuber (student)/Sandra Wright (community member)
1999 - Karen Weiss (student)
2000 - Adele Bush (student)
2001 - Ivy Vainio (staff)
2002 - Marlene Hart (student)
2003 - Mary Lee Vance (staff)
2004 - Zoey Hurr (staff)
2005 - Stephanie Williams (student)
2006 - Nancy Kyle (staff)
2007 - Marsha Francis (staff)
2008 - Eri Fujieda (faculty)
2009 - Carol Stevens (community member)

Wisconsin Native American Read-In

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:42:07 +0000

Native American Read-In Poster

Wisconsin Native American Read-In Event

November 28 - 30

Anytime between 7:45 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

University of Wisconsin-Superior

Education Leadership Resource Center in Swenson Hall 2045

UW-Superior's Education Leadership Department within the Teacher Education Program has planned a "Wisconsin Native American Read-In" event focused on American Indian authors/books (see attached flyer).

There will be stacks of books at each table and sign-in sheets - and refreshments available all day. We will be concentrating on children's books so that people can easily read through one or two if they have limited time - but there are middle-level selections for those with more time.

The event is free and open to the public.

Please Contact Mary Lee-Nichols with Questions about this Event at
(715) 394-8349

African American College Student For A Day Program

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:42:32 +0000

February 8th marks the day where ten African American high school students will "shadow" African and African American UW-Superior students in a program called "College Student For A Day" program.

This program matches high school students with UW-Superior students by career interest and each pairing of students spend the day together. The mentees (high school students) will follow their mentor (UW-Superior student) to their classes, have lunch in the cafeteria and get a personalized tour of the campus. An Admission Recruiter will also meet with the students at the end of the day.

This program gives the high school student a sense of what it is like to be a college student and is guided by their mentor, and Multicultural Affairs staff, about things such as the importance of financial aid, on-campus housing, disciplines discussion, and much more.

The high school student participants will be sophomores, juniors and seniors from Superior Senior High School and Central High School in Duluth.

Office of Multicultural Affairs has sponsored this recruitment program since 1999.

Hispanic/Latino College Student For A Day Program

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:42:01 +0000

November 16th marks the day where up to 10 Hispanic/Latino high school students will "shadow" UW-Superior students of color in a program called "College Student For A Day" program.

This program matches high school students with UW-Superior students by career interest and each pairing of students spend the day together. The mentees (high school students) will follow their mentor (UW-Superior student) to their classes, have lunch in the cafeteria and get a personalized tour of the campus. An Admissions Recruiter will also meet with the students at the end of the day.

The high school student participants will be sophomores, juniors and seniors from Superior Senior High School and Duluth Schools. The Office of Multicultural Affairs has sponsored this recruitment program since 1999.

Asian American College Student For A Day Program

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:00:00 +0000

March 7th marks the day where 10 Asian American high school students will "shadow" UW-Superior students of color in a program called "College Student For A Day" program.

The high school student participants will be sophomores, juniors and seniors from Superior Senior High School and Central High School in Duluth.

Office of Multicultural Affairs has sponsored this recruitment program since 1999.

American Indian College Student For A Day Program

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:00:00 +0000

April 11th marks the day where up to 10 American Indian high school students will "shadow" UW-Superior students of color in a program called "College Student For A Day" program.

This program matches high school students with UW-Superior students by career interest and each pairing of students spend the day together. The mentees (high school students) will follow their mentors (UW-Superior student) to their classes, have lunch in the cafeteria and get a personalized tour of the campus. An Admissions recruiter also meet with the students at the end of the day.

The high school student participants will be sophomores, juniors and seniors from Superior Senior High School and Central High School in Duluth.

Office of Multicultural Affairs has sponsored this recruitment program since 1999.

Superior Stew: Join Us For Conversation About American Indian Issues In The Education System

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:35:00 +0000

You are cordially invited to the Superior Stew forum on October 18;

Join in the conversation as UW-Superior and McNair Scholars alumnus Jay Schlender discusses not only the cultural, but also the spiritual and societal aspects of American Indians in the educational system.

Everyone is encouraged to participate.

Lunch will be provided.

Location: Old Main 232, Multicultural Center, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

For Questions about this event please contact: Marsha Francis Mfrancis@uwsuper.edu or Jenny Schlender Jschlen3@uwsuper.edu

The name Superior Stew incorporates in itself an understanding of a combination of different ingredients. These ingredients collectively create a single dish with a mixture of individual and unique flavors.

Our hope is that through these forums our campus will develop a discernable palate of different cultures and individuality. It is in this metaphor that we leave behind the old idea of a "melting pot" and embrace a new understanding that we are different and individually collaborating together as we flavor/influence each other.

Superior Stew works at being inclusive by bringing attention to topics and issues of diversity in a monthly forum in which people are encouraged to participate. We are all part of a diverse society and more specifically a diverse campus.

Minwaajimo - Telling a Good Story: Preserving Ojibwe Treaty Rights

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:33:16 +0000

December 2009 UW-Superior Alum LaTisha McRoy (Bad River Ojibwe Member and employee at the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission) will be making a presentation on GLIFWC's new multimedia package and book that she edited on Monday, Oct. 24 from 11 am - 12 pm in UW-Superior's Multicultural Center (Old Main 232). LaTisha worked with GLIFWC 3 times as an intern and was brought on for this "Minwaajimo" project in September 20...10.

Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) presents the "Minwaajimo - Telling A Good Story: Preserving Ojibwe Treaty Rights for the Past 25 Years" Multimedia package.

Based on the GLFIWC "Minwaajimo" Symposium held on July 28-31, 2009, these materials give a rare insight into the impact of treaty rights on multiple levels, from major court cases to harvest impacts.

Read and watch personal stories from such speakers as: Kathryn Tierney (Bay Mills Indian Community General Counsel), Tom Maulson (Lac du Flambeau Chairman), and James Zorn (GLIFWC Executive Administrator, former Lac Courte Oreilles Counsel). There are many stories of hatred and misconceptions, but filled with the overwhelming sense of strength and perseverance that the Ojibwe people have towards preserving and protecting their rights.

Included in the "Minwaajimo" Multimedia package are the new "Minwaajijmo"
book and DVD, the updated GLIFWC "Ojibwe Treaty Rights" DVD, re-edited 2011 "Treaty Rights" booklet and the "Ojibwe Journeys - Treaties, Sandy Lake & The Waabanong Run".

This presentation is free and open to the public! Questions please call Ivy Vainio at 715-394-8415 or email at yvainio@uwsuper.edu.

Railroaded by NAFTA/CAFTA: The Perilous Journey from Central America to the United States

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:00:18 +0000

Come learn about Central American migrants' journey North andhow U.S. trade policies and military aid lead to migration and affect the increasing violence in Mexico.

October 21, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.Multicultural Center, Old Main Room 232. The Event is free and open to the public.

Nancy Garcia, her interpreter, and John Pegg will also be featured on KUWS's live show "People of Color" with Henry Banks on Thursday, October 20, at 5 pm. Tune in to get a preview of the issues Nancy will be discussing on Friday.

Nancy Garcia is visiting us from Oaxaca, Mexico, where she works for the non-profit migrant support center COMI (Center for the Orientation of Migrants). The Center is integrally linked to the national migrant support network and provides services for migrants and family members of migrants trying to locate their displaced loved ones. Nancy will speak about migration trends in Oaxaca and the experience of migrants from Central America as they travel across Mexico. Her testimony will help us see the human face of those forced to leave their homes and native culture due to economic displacement, fueled by the U.S. government's trade and military aid policies in Latin America.

This event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Department of Social Inquiry, the International Peace Studies Student Association, the Social Work Program, the Black Student Union, the Legal Studies Program, and the Selma Swanstrom Geography Lecture Fund, University of Wisconsin-Superior Foundation.

For more information about this event please contact Deborah Augsburger 715.394.8491 or John Pegg at 218.349.1786

If you'd like more information about the Witness For Peace program please visit their website at http://www.witnessforpeace.org/section.php?id=23

UW-Superior Office of Multicultural Affairs News and Events

Drop off Formal Wear for Cinderella Project

3rd Annual Ojibwe Storytelling and Silent Auction Fundraiser

Game Night-Office of Multicultural Affairs

February 7 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Multicultural Center, Main 232

UW-System 2012 American Multicultural Student Leadership Conference

2nd Annual Twin Ports Multicultural College Student/Staff Gathering

'The Great Hurt: Historical Accounts of American Indian Boarding Schools'

Woman of Color Nominations

Wisconsin Native American Read-In

African American College Student For A Day Program

Hispanic/Latino College Student For A Day Program

Asian American College Student For A Day Program

American Indian College Student For A Day Program

Superior Stew: Join Us For Conversation About American Indian Issues In The Education System

Minwaajimo - Telling a Good Story: Preserving Ojibwe Treaty Rights

Railroaded by NAFTA/CAFTA: The Perilous Journey from Central America to the United States

February 7
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Multicultural Center, Main 232