On October 8, 2012, the AIC formed the Tar Heel Tutelo Council, which is comprised of representatives from each American Indian Student student organizations at UNC.  This council was formed to unite Native student groups on campus to plan and coordinate events, like American Indian Heritage Month.

The Council has decided to host a Thanksgiving food drive to benefit the The Inter Faith Council in Carrboro, NC.  The food drive began on October 29, 2012 and will end on November 16, 2012.

Food will be collected at the American Indian Center outside of room 111 in Abernethy hall.  Please place items in the red boxes.

The following non-perishable food items are greatly appreciated:

• Canned meats
• Canned vegetables (no corn is needed at this time)
• Pasta and pasta sauce
• Soup
• Dried Beans
• Canned fruit
• Rice
• Cereal
• Grits/Oatmeal packets
• Paper Bags with handles

AIC Announcement

October 30, 2012

Dear Friends of the American Indian Center,

It is with mixed emotions that I announce that after more than five years as Program Coordinator with the American Indian Center (AIC), Brandi Brooks will be leaving our department on November 9.  Brandi has accepted a tremendous offer to serve as the University’s Director of Young Alumni Programs in the Office of University Development where she will be working with the Carolina Annual Fund.  We are sorry to see Brandi go, but this is a wonderful career opportunity that will allow her to continue to work in support of the University, including the AIC.

As the inaugural employee of the AIC, Brandi has spent her time at the Center working to promote the Center’s mission and goals across the UNC campus and in Native communities. She was initially part of the former Provost’s Committee on Native American issues and participated in the creation of the Center as former President of the Carolina Indian Circle.

While we are excited for Brandi and the University as a whole, the staff at the American Indian Center will certainly miss her upbeat personality, contagious smile, and excellent teamwork.  Please join me in wishing Brandi the best of luck as she joins the Development Office where I am certain she will continue to experience great success.

We will be hosting a floating Farewell Reception in her honor on Friday, November 9 from 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the Anne Queen Lounge of the Campus Y.  We hope that you will be able to join us!

Amy Locklear Hertel

October 25 and 26, 2012 | The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

https://maya2012.unc.edu/

This fall, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is proud to present “13 Bak’tun: New Maya Perspectives in 2012,” a symposium to be held October 25–26, with concurrent exhibitions.

With “13 Bak’tun,” UNC-Chapel Hill is placing the calendric reckoning of 2012 within a broad historical and cultural context and including the voices of Maya people. The Maya word bak’tun signifies a calendric cycle of 400 years of 360 days, and the ancient inscriptions indicate that once the 13th bak’tun is reached, the Long Count calendar cycle starts over.

The two-day symposium “13 Bak’tun,” which opens with a keynote address by noted Maya author Victor Montejo, capitalizes on the University’s extensive library resources and academic programs in Maya civilization. Lectures, open classes, multimedia presentations, and poetry readings will demonstrate the breadth of Maya scholarship and activity at UNC, home to the Yucatec Maya Summer Institute. Exhibitions will showcase the holdings of the University Library and its Rare Book Collection–where the George E. and Melinda Y. Stuart Collection of Maya materials resides.

Invited scholars, writers, and activists from Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize will give witness to the current cultural renaissance of the Maya, who developed the most enduring writing system of the Pre-Columbian Americas.

All components of this symposium are free and open to the public.

Registration is recommended but not required.

“13 Bak’tun” is hosted at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by the Douglass Hunt Lecture of Carolina Seminars, Friends of the Library, the Institute for the Study of the Americas, the Rare Book Collection at Wilson Library, and UNC Global. Additional support comes from the American Indian Center; the Carolina Digital Library and Archives; the Departments of Anthropology, Linguistics, and Romance Languages and Literatures; the Latin American, Iberian, and Latina/o Studies section of the Library; the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center; the Research Laboratories of Archaeology; and the School of Law.

The UNC Department of Women and Gender Studies will present two opportunities for the Carolina campus community to hear from renowned author, historian, and feminist, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, on October 8-9, 2012.

The American Indian Center is pleased to co-sponsor these events along with various organizations and departments across campus including American Indian Studies, Carolina Indian Circle and the First Nations Graduate Circle.

Race, Nations, Land, Decolonization:

Indigenous Resistance in the Americas

Monday, October 8 – 5:30 p.m.

Hitchcock Multipurpose Room,

Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture & History

Reception to follow lecture

Women, War, Race and Revolution:

Second Wave Feminist Organizing in the South, an Oral History*

Tuesday, October 9 – 12:00 p.m.- 1:30 p.m.

Room 4003, FedEx Global Education Center

* Space is limited for this event – RSVP to Dr. Ariana Vigil (avigil@email.unc.edu)

Dunbar-Ortiz Lecture – Flyer Final

The Conference for American Indian Women of Proud Nations (AIWPN) will be held at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke on September 19-21, 2012.  The conference theme, “A Prayer For Healing: Strengthening Our Native Communities,”focuses on healing through an effort to facilitate a coordinated response to violence in Native communities across North Carolina and the nation.

Registration is underway now – Extended Deadline, September 7.

For more information visit http://aiwpn.org/

AIC Community Engagement with AIWPN

On Thursday, September 20, 2012, Amy Locklear Hertel, will provide remarks as a keynote speaker.  A full schedule of events can be found on the AIWPN website.

The AIC Staff will be presenting in four workshops during the conference:

American Indian Women and Higher Education Part 1:  Planning for College? – Thursday, September 20, 10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Higher education is an asset valued by many Native people and tribal nations because of the role post-secondary education plays in individual as well as tribal self-determination.  This is the first of three workshops designed to help prepare American Indian Women for higher education.  Whether you are planning to go to college, you have a loved one you are preparing for college, or you are preparing students for college, this workshop will help you navigate a path toward a post-secondary degree(s).  During this session, university administrators will provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions by parents, students, and educators about preparing, applying, and succeeding in college.

American Indian Women and Higher Education Part 2:  Considering Graduate School? – Thursday, September 20, 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Whether you are currently in college or have spent a few years in the workforce, if you have ever considered attending graduate school or wondered if graduate school is right for you, then this workshop will help you along in your journey.  During this session, presenters will discuss the importance of a graduate school education from both a mainstream and a Native perspective.  Presenters will also answer some of the most frequently asked questions posed by prospective graduate students about the graduate school experience.

American Indian Women and Higher Education Part 3:  The Undergraduate and Graduate Experience by American Indian Women – Friday, September 21, 10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

As a follow up to Parts 1 and 2 of American Indian Women and Higher Education, Part 3 will feature American Indian women who are current undergraduate and graduate students.  These women will share their personal experiences as a Native student on their respective college campuses.

Women’s Influence in Raising a Healthier Generation of American Indian Children – Friday, September 21, 10:15a.m. -11:00 a.m.

Women have profound potential to heal our communities due to their gift of influence!  Women guide a community’s health naturally as mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, nurturers, educators, and leaders. Often, healthy changes happen because a woman encouraged others to try something new and take a chance. We will highlight some of those exciting changes through Healthy, Native North Carolinians, a collaborative project with seven NC tribes and four urban organizations to promote community change and capacity-building around healthy eating and active living.  Success stories will include community gardens, youth/elder exercise programs, an annual 5K run, as well as church and city partnerships. Many communities are also developing policies to offer healthy food options for meetings, homecomings, and powwows.  Learn about fun, tasty, and active opportunities to harness your gift of healing influence and create healthy changes within your community!

Five Federal Work-Study Positions Available

The American Indian Center will be hiring five students for federal work-study positions for the 2012-2013 academic year.

To apply, please email Brandi Brooks (brandi@unc.edu) by Tuesday, September 4, 2012.  Please title the email “AIC Work-Study Position” .  In the body of the email, list the position you are applying for and include your interest in the position with any qualifications. An attached resume is strongly preferred.  If you are interested in more than one position, please rank up to three positions in your order of preference. (You do not have to apply for each position separately.)

These positions include:

• Research Assistant
• Marketing Assitant
• Program Assistant
• Student Engagement Assistant
• Community Engagement Assistant

The ideal American Indian Center work-study student will be hard working, respectful, and work collaboratively with the Center staff, campus partners, and Native communities across the state.  They will show initiative above and beyond the tasks assigned and must have a desire to serve North Carolina’s Indian Country.

Federal Work-Study Qualifications:

To qualify for federal a work-study position, you must:

• have filled out the FASFA and qualify for work study
• have $11,250 dollars worth of need
• be able to commit 10 hours a week during the business work day for one academic school year

All federal work-study students can login to workstudy.unc.edu to view open positions.  All AIC work-study positions will be at the advanced salary level four.

Research Assistant

Student will be assisting with data collection and program evaluation of Center programs and grant projects.  Tasks will include assisting with the development of data collection instruments, data entry, data management, and data analysis.  Knowledge and experience with survey monkey, or other online data collection tools, is preferred.

Marketing Assistant

Student will be assisting with the development, coordinating, and marketing of Center activities and events.  This will include updating the Center’s new and social media  outlets, working with photo and editing software, creating and updating social media videos, and assisting with the overall marketing of the Center.  A marketing or background in graphic art is preferred.

Program Assistant

Student will assist with coordinating a variety of activities with other partners across campus and North Carolina’s tribal communities.  Other tasks will include general office operations such as maintaining a filing system, updating mailing lists, conducting mass mailings, preparing information packets about the Center.

Student Engagement Assistant

Student will assist with the development of a variety of student engagement programs, including the promotion of higher education and personal professional development.  This will include the creation of a series of student seminars as well as the coordination of Native student group activities across campus.  Excellent written and oral communication and organizational skills is necessary.

Community Engagement Assistant

Student will assist with the promotion of Center activities across the NC Native and campus communities.  This will include organizing and preparing volunteers for Center events.  Planning, organizational, as well as networking skills are necessary for this position.  Student will work closely with the other work study assistants at the Center.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Side Lawn of Abernethy Hall (Corner of S. Columbia St. & Cameron Ave)

Live music and information about American Indian student organizations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will be part of a welcome event on campus beginning at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, August 23, 2012 on the side lawn of Abernethy Hall.

The UNC American Indian Center will host the event, “Welcome Extravaganza for the Carolina American Indian Community & Friends,” on the lawn of Abernethy Hall at South Columbia Street and Cameron Avenue (Directions). The public, including American Indians from the surrounding area, is invited.

The event will feature two live performances by Lakota John Locklear, Native American bottle-neck slide and Next Generation Artist with the Music Maker Relief Foundation, at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

American Indian student groups will provide information about their activities. The organizations – which are helping to sponsor the event – are the Carolina Indian Circle, First Nations Graduate Circle, Native American Law Students Association, Alpha Chapter of Alpha Pi Omega Sorority Inc., Gamma Chapter of Phi Sigma Nu Native American Fraternity Inc. and the American Indian Science & Engineering Society. Representatives from various campus departments including the American Studies, the Center for Student Success and Academic Counseling, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs and The Graduate School will also be available.

The event is part of a Week of Welcome at Carolina to start the fall semester.

For more information or to volunteer for the event, contact Brandi Brooks at (919) 843-4189 or brandi@unc.edu.

“Social Determinants of Health Disparities: Moving the Nation to Care about Social Justice“

Join over 1,000 people from 49 states and three Canadian provinces for the 18th National Health Equity Research Webcast*

Register now (Free)

When?  Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 1:30-4:00pm EDT

Where?  Webcast or Tate-Turner-Kuralt building auditorium

Featured Speakers

Camara P. Jones, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., Division of Epidemiologic and Analytic Methods for Population Health (p), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Ronny A. Bell, Ph.D., M.S., Professor, Wake Forest School of Medicine and Co-Director, Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity

Topic: “Diabetes Among American Indians: A Case study in Moving from Health Disparities to Health Equity”                 

Aida L. Giachello, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

 Moderator: Cedric M. Bright, M.D., F.A.C.P., Assistant Dean for Admissions, UNC School of Medice, 112th President, National Medical Association

This free, interactive session will be broadcast with a live audience in the Tate-Turner-Kuralt auditorium at the UNC School of Social Work and can be viewed over the Internet (webcast). Questions will be taken from broadcast participants by email and toll-free telephone.

For more information: www.minority.unc.edu/institute/2012/

To register to view on your personal computer

Register for the studio audience at the TTK auditorium

Register a group viewing site

Answers to frequently asked questions

Comments from last year’s participants

The 18^th National Health Equity Research Webcast is presented by the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Minority Health Project and UNC Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, in association with the UNC American Indian Center and Norfolk State University, Carolina Latina/o Collaborative, and the Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, a partner in the Commonwealth Public Health Training Center. Major cosponsors to date include the UNC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. Please consider becoming a cosponsor or providing an endorsement (www.minority.unc.edu/support/)!

_________________

* Formerly known as the Annual Summer Public Health Research Videoconference on Minority Health

24+ health disparities-related broadcasts and seminars are available as on-demand webcasts at www.minority.unc.edu/resources/webcasts/

Friday, May 11, 2012

11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

UNC  Institute for the Arts & Humanities

University Room, Hyde Hall

176 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC

This spring, the American Indian Center will host the fifth annual American Indian Commencement Brunch and Pinning Ceremony for all graduating American Indian students and students of American Indian Studies. This year we plan to continue the Carolina tradition and invite you to participate as a guest as we recognize the Class of 2012!

All graduates are asked to wear their cap and gowns, as lapel pins will be given during the ceremony.   Space is limited, this is an invitation only event.

ATTENTION UNC GRADUATES: If you are interested in participating in this event please email Brandi Brooks (brandi@unc.edu) no later than April 18 with the following information:

1.     Please respond with the total number of attendees that will join you at the event (Space is limited.  Please limit three guest per graduate)

2.     Please email the mailing or email address of your guest(s).

Please RSVP to Brandi Brooks (brandi@unc.edu) by April 27.

Parking and Directions to Hyde Hall

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Ackland Art Museum

101 South Columbia Street

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Please join the American Indian Center staff as we welcome our new director, Ms. Amy Locklear Hertel to UNC Chapel Hill. This reception will be open to all students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. Remarks will begin at 3:30pm

Please RSVP by Wednesday, April 25 to Brandi Brooks (brandi@unc.edu) or 919-843-4189.