SEMO SETS UP COMMITTEE ON INDIANS

Southeast Missouri State University has formed a committee to focus on American Indian culture.

The goal of the Committee on University Relations with Native Americans is to showcase to the community the cultural diversity of Indian views, perspectives, art, literature, music an dance.

Southeast President Dr. Dale Nitzschke created the committee partly to recognize the more than 200,000 Cherokee descendants who live in Missouri and Arkansas.

Southeast has had several events in recent years to honor Indian culture, including two pow-wows that were attended by hundreds of Indians. But Nitzschke said those were essentially stand-alone events.

"It is important that we put in place a structure for a long-term commitment to the Native American population," Nitzschke said. "Our goal in creating the committee is to institutionalize this important piece of our on-going diversity effort," he said.

Dr. Carol Morrow, an assistant professor in the sociology and anthropology department, will lead the committee. Morrow has coordinated the pow-wows.

"Our athletes are represented as the Southeast Indians and Otahkians, drawing from our Indian heritage in this region," said Morrow. "If we take these names and identities from American Indians, what do we give in the balance?"

Morrow said, "This new committee is a tangible expression of the university's commitment to the American Indians of this region, both in the past and present."