Native American Heritage Month has its origins in the early 1900s when efforts were made to recognize the significant contributions of Native Americans. Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a member of the Seneca Nation and the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, NY, successfully lobbied the Boy Scouts to set aside a day to honor the "first Americans." This idea was adopted for three years.

After decades of celebrating American Indian Day on September 28, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution in November 1990, officially designating it as "National American Indian Heritage Month." Since 1994, similar proclamations under different names, including "Native American Heritage Month" and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month," have been issued.

Did you know that CC has a Native American Student Union (NASU)? NASU was founded in 1977 and has been a platform for hosting numerous Pow-wows and attracting Indigenous speakers, artists, and social justice advocates from across the nation since its inception. If you haven't already, check out the NASU webpage and learn more about the impactful work this student group is doing and how you can support its ongoing efforts.

Tess Powers, Director of Faculty Research Support/Research Compliance Officer, was awarded a substantial $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, along with seven colleagues from other small liberal arts colleges.

This grant will be instrumental in facilitating a series of virtual and in-person sessions for her professional network, Colleges of Liberal Arts Sponsored Programs (CLASP). These sessions are aimed at bolstering the group's strategic plan, with specific objectives in mind: fostering a stronger Community of Practice, increasing participation across the 330 current CLASP member institutions, and dismantling systemic barriers to information exchange between institutions and external funders. These gatherings will be expertly guided by the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College. Ultimately, the primary goal of this initiative is to enrich and fortify the grant culture and research community within each participating institution.

Homecoming & Family Weekend took place on campus Oct. 13-15. More than 2,000 visitors were on campus to enjoy tailgate events, music and art showcases, awards ceremonies, presentations, discussions, athletic competitions, and to simply be together with friends and family. See the full slideshow on The Peak.

Photos taken by Karuna Abe ’20 and Megan Clancy ’07.

On October 3, two of CC’s Economics & Business classes, Entrepreneurial Marketing and Investments, had a virtual class visit with Ted Souder, former Google executive and one of the company’s earliest employees.

Now retired from Google after 20+ years with the company, Souder travels the world, sharing his practices of the Google playbook with businesses, governments, and nonprofit organizations. He is the authority on the transformative power of having a digital mindset.

For this visit, Souder joined CC’s Executive-in-Residence Jacquie Amacher and students from the Block 2 Business classes for a “fireside chat” to discuss his experience in the tech world, life as an entrepreneur, and his thoughts on the current state and future of digital business.

Amacher noted at the beginning of the chat that Google had recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, pointing out that the company had its start before any of the students in the room were even alive. Souder then commented that, while this is true, most of the people at the company in those early days, were not much older than today’s college students. He went on to share stories about the early days of Google.

Read the full story, and watch Souder’s interviews, on The Peak.

Join us for a special community gathering for Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), a celebration of life that demonstrates remembrance, love, and respect for those who have gone before us. Choose to come on either Nov. 1 or Nov. 2, or celebrate with us on both days! This event is free and open to the public.

The event includes:

Día de Muertos is a tradition that dates back around 3,000 years in Latin America. Mesoamerican cultures such as the Aztec, Toltec, Quechua, Mapuche, and others hold a cyclical view of the universe in which death is an integral part of life. The dead are still members of the community, kept alive in memory and spirit, and are welcomed back to Earth during Día de Muertos.

The revival of the observance of Día de Muertos in the United States is part of the Mexican American reclamation of Indigenous identity that began with the Chicano Movement in the 1940s to the 1970s. This celebration continues to evolve in different ways in various regions, illustrating the importance of reclaiming cultural heritage and tradition. Within the United States, it has evolved as a mix of Latin American Indigenous practices, Roman Catholic spiritual traditions, and diasporic Hispano/a, and Latinx American cultural expression. Like many holidays, it is celebrated in different ways by individuals, families, and communities. Ofrendas (offerings) are made to honor those who have passed and often make creative or socially engaged statements.

Please join usin the Dickinson Gallery on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 12-1 p.m. for a talk between art historian Ann Reynolds and artist Rosa Barba, whose film Disseminate and Hold (2016) is part of the Contested Terrains new media series on view at the Fine Arts Center. The film brings together contemporary and archival footage of São Paulo to investigate how man-made geographies and landscapes intersect with political agendas and histories. Barba (teleconferencing in from Berlin) and Reynolds will discuss Disseminate and Hold, which was made for the 2016 São Paulo Biennial, the relationship between film and archive, and the artist’s process.

Coffee and snacks are available before the conversation from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. This event is free and open to the public; registration is required as seating is limited.