Canadian University Press Releases/Newswire

Source: University of Guelph
http://www.uoguelph.ca/mediarel/2006/10/u_of_g_celebrat.html

U of G Celebrates Aboriginal Awareness Week

October 13, 2006

A week of
activities and events, including seminars and performance, has been planned
to celebrate Aboriginal Awareness Week at the University of Guelph Oct. 16
to 20. All performances, seminars and workshops are free of charge and will
be held in Room 103 of the University Centre. Registration is required for
seminars and workshops.

The week is spearheaded by the Aboriginal Resource Centre and supported by a
number of campus departments and organizations, including Human Resources,
the Office of Research, the Human Rights and Equity Office and the College
of Social and Applied Human Sciences.

"Aboriginal Awareness Week is an important time to continue to improve the
environment of accessibility for our aboriginal students," said Jaime
Mishibinijima, organizer and U of G aboriginal student adviser. "Guelph’s
campus is becoming more diverse, and we must respond with appropriate
training and awareness building."

On Oct. 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., people are invited to watch a
powwow dance exhibition and sample some traditional aboriginal foods from
across Canada for $8 a plate in the University Centre courtyard.

On Oct. 18, a seminar on "Aboriginal Identity and Student Transition" from
10 a.m. to noon will help program advisors, student services staff and
faculty work towards positive aboriginal student identity development. Also
on Oct. 18, University of Toronto professor Deborah McGregor and Leslie
McGregor, executive co-ordinator of Noojimawin Health Authority, will give a
talk on "The Ethics of Researching Traditional Aboriginal Knowledge" from
2:30 to 4:40 p.m.

On Oct. 19, a seminar titled "Aboriginal 101: All the Things You Wanted to
Know but Didn’t Want to Ask" runs from 10 a.m. to noon. Facilitated by two
staff from Wilfrid Laurier University, the event is geared to student
services staff and anyone with an interest in aboriginal people and issues.
>From 2 to 4 p.m., Schuyler Webster from Laurentian University and education
specialist Ruth Reyno will discuss "Cross-Cultural Dynamics in Community
Aboriginal-Based Research."

On Oct. 20, people are invited to the South Residence Student Lounge from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. to see the transformation of the aboriginal space. Student
Housing Services and the Aboriginal Resource Centre received a Gordon Nixon
Leadership Award in 2006 to convert the lounge into a space that celebrates
aboriginal culture.

Register for the seminars online at
www.uoguelph.ca/hr/training/coursereg.htm or
www.studentaffairs.uoguelph.ca/reg, or by calling Karen Kovats at
519-824-4120, Ext. 56495.

For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona
Hunt, 519 824-4120, Ext. 53338, or Rachelle Cooper, Ext. 56982.