113 Euclid Avenue, home of the Native Student Program on campus, was renovated this summer and has reopened with more space for gatherings and programming.
The six nations of the Haudenosaunee* share an understanding of . In the sky world, a hole opened at the roots of the celestial tree, and Sky Woman tumbled through. Her fall was broken by birds, who cradled her on their wings and placed her gently on the back of a turtle. There, in mud raised from the deep by a muskrat, the seeds that Sky Woman brought from the sky world took root and the Earth began to flourish.
Richard Summers III 鈥�25 majors in communications design and created a graphic representation of the Haudenosaunee origin story for one of 113 Euclid鈥檚 meeting rooms.
Richard Summers III 鈥�25, Oneida, designed a graphic representation of this story to circle the ceiling of a meeting room at 113 Euclid Avenue, the newly renovated home of . The origin story speaks to the interconnections and collaborations that create and sustain our worlds. It鈥檚 a fitting message to celebrate the Native Student Program and the space dedicated to it鈥攂oth represent years of collaborative efforts in support of current and future generations of students.
A Feeling of Home and Place of Belonging
For Summers, who majors in communications design in the , the story also speaks of familiarity and home. 鈥淚 grew up hearing this story鈥攈earing it from elders. It鈥檚 a story that brings that warm feeling, like everything is going to be OK,鈥� he says.
That quality, too, makes it a perfect fit in 113 Euclid. Providing a homey atmosphere that nurtures a sense of belonging is one of the main goals of the space, explains Rhiannon Abrams 鈥�21 G鈥�24**, Potawatomi and Mohawk, and academic advisor for the Native Student Program. 鈥淗aving a space where our experiences are centered and where we can form community is important for many Indigenous students鈥� success,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his dedicated space really sends a message that we have a presence on campus.鈥�
Summers (left) contributed on a student advisory committee planning 113 Euclid鈥檚 renovations, and Rhiannon Abrams 鈥�21 G鈥�24 (right), who serves as academic advisor for the Native Student Program, assisted this summer with some of the construction.
Over the summer, an Indigenous-owned contracting company conducted major renovations at 113 Euclid: Walls came down and rooms opened to allow for more light and larger gatherings. 鈥淲e want 113 Euclid to feel like a safe and welcoming place for all,鈥� says Summers, who served on a student committee contributing to renovation plans. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a place you can go any time of the day to relax, see friends, do your work鈥攁nd maybe get a little break from feeling like the only Native person in the room.鈥�
Growing, Expanding and Welcoming to All
The newly renovated space is homey and welcoming, and students drop by between their other obligations to study, relax and connect with friends.
Renovations also mean the program can grow, says Bailey Tlachac G鈥�23, Oneida, and Native Student Program coordinator in the . At 113 Euclid, there is space dedicated for students to create regalia and also opportunities to practice Native languages. 鈥淟anguage revitalization is really important to tribal communities. If we don鈥檛 have our language, we don鈥檛 have our culture,鈥� she explains. 鈥淣ow we have space for a language room, which we鈥檒l be able to fill with materials so that interested students can work on learning a language or maintaining what they already know.鈥�
The renovated space will support programming such as Native language study, says Native Student Program coordinator, Bailey Tlachac G鈥�23.
Tlachac is also looking forward to expanding Indigenous programming to include more global representation. , an academic unit that supports interdisciplinary work alongside Indigenous communities to address issues related to cultural heritage, political sovereignty and climate change, will also be based at 113 Euclid. 鈥淚 am really excited that this space will help us expand our global representation,鈥� says Tlachac. 鈥淭his is home for all Indigenous experiences, and it will help us grow Indigenous representation across campus.鈥�
Seven Generations Thinking
Pieces by Indigenous artists from around the world fill the walls at 113 Euclid, including a mural by Onondaga artist Brandon Lazore.
The walls at 113 Euclid are filling with pieces by Indigenous artists from around the world. One of the criteria that has guided art selection is a focus on Indigenous presence in modern and future contexts, says Tlachac. Conscientiousness about the future is salient at 113 Euclid in other ways, too. Abrams and Tlachac speak with great gratitude of Regina A. Jones 鈥�07, Oneida, founding director of the Native Student Program. Although Jones retired last year, Abrams and Tlachac credit her support and mentorship of Native students for growing the program to its current form, and they see their efforts as continuing her legacy of working to benefit future generations. 鈥淎 lot of what you might advocate for or work toward as a student, you might not be in place to see come to fruition,鈥� says Abrams. 鈥淏ut you do it because you know it鈥檚 the right thing for the people who come after you.鈥�
鈥淲e have this saying鈥�'for seven generations鈥�,鈥� explains Summers. 鈥淚t means that what you do now should make things better for people seven generations from now. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e trying to do here, with 113 Euclid.鈥�
In addition to the Native Student Program, 113 Euclid will also be home to the.
* include the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora nations, and Haudenosaunee ancestral lands extend across most what is now known as Upstate New York.
** Rhiannon Abrams got her bachelor鈥檚 degree in health and exercise science at the , and is now pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in business analytics at .
