Student, Alumni Donate Flags To Center For Tribal Studies

TAHLEQUAH The Northeastern State University Center for Tribal Studies recently recognized three students who donated tribal flags to the University during a special ceremony held in conjunction with Diversity Week.

NSU student Randy Boucher, of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux tribe of South Dakota, 1982 NSU alumnus Lester Kelly, of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Nation of South Dakota, and NSU Coordinator of Student Support Services and NSU alumnus Warren Hawk, of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe of North Dakota and South Dakota, were recognized for donating flags to the Center for Tribal Studies.

"We're standing here today to celebrate diversity," said Jan Grogan, coordinator of Native Student Programs. "There are 39 different tribes from Oklahoma, and this is our opportunity to recognize the contributions of the others from across the nation that are represented on our campus."

Beginning in 2003, the Center for Tribal Studies began collecting tribal flags to represent the tribes of students, faculty and staff on campus. The Center for Tribal Studies has collected 24 different flags, which will be displayed are various campus functions, including the 35th Annual Symposium on the American Indian on April 18-21.

Based in northeastern Oklahoma, NSU maintains the highest enrollment of American Indian students among four-year public colleges across the nation.