American Indian Center Visit

Today I visited the University of North Carolina’s American Indian Center. I have visited all of the center's asked to blob about, but I chose this one because I knew the least about it. Having been there to plan an event, I was interested to see what I would gain from this visit this time. However, I believe because I was really looking to see what the center offered and how welcoming they were, I gained a new perspective with a new body of knowledge about their community from JOMC 441. Previously, I went there to plan the American Indian Extravaganza during Week of Welcome (WOW) 2009, but the amazing resources were not highlighted for me. Native American students, because they are so few in number, have the benefit of a center where they can get help navigating a campus where many of the people do not look like them. In the Center, there are three professional staff members that are able to answer any questions that students may have about anything from free tutoring to multicultural programming to various tribal leadership workshops. Additionally, there were a number of informational pamphlets, library texts and also historical site explanations around campus such as the union breezeway brick work for Senora Lynch. The center is small spatially but offers a great deal to American Indian students and student of other races to learn about the Native American influence in the UNC culture. I felt very welcome when I arrived and very informed when I left.