- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to Celebrate SADI Week Aug. 28 – Sept. 2

John Hill — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 20:59:27 +0000

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Multicultural Center will present “M.C.chella” for the 2022-2023 annual Student Affairs Diversity Initiatives (SADI) Week. “M.C.chella” will begin Sunday, Aug. 28, with the Brown Sugar Babe Brunch. It will be held in the Jack Stephens Legends Room from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students must . The SADI Kick-Off event is Monday, Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union between mail services and the Trojan Cafe. Students will get the chance not only to meet their mentors, but to shove a pie in their face for $1. All proceeds will be donated to the Trojan Food Pantry. People can find out more information about the campus mentoring program, which includes the African American Female Initiative, African American Male Initiative, and Hispanic/Latinx Initiative, at the Initiative Recruitment event on Tuesday, Aug. 30, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Men will report to room 205D and women will report to the Leadership Lounge in the Donaghey Student Center at 6 p.m. The Well-Dressed Wednesday and SADI in the Cafe events will be on Wednesday, Aug. 31, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students will eat, get to know the Multicultural Center team, and spend time with peers. The Silent Disco Party event, also called the Headphone Party, will be held on Thursday, Sept. 1, from 6-8 p.m. in the Donaghey Student Center Ledbetter A and B. Refreshments will be provided by the Multicultural Center. The “First Friday at the MC” event is from noon to 2 p.m. in the Multicultural Center. Food and drinks will be provided for all SADI members. The program’s goal is to expose students to the diverse culture and services within the Multicultural Center. Dominque “D.J.” Thomas, student success coach for SADI, said an�� important part of his job is mentoring and helping students through challenges that could hinder their academic progress. “We want to provide activities for students to attend to get away from the rigors of life and academics,” Thomas said. “This week gives us the opportunity to show people what we do and how our services add value to our campus community.” Click here to review the flier for the week-long events. For more information on the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Multicultural Center or SADI, visit the website or contact D.J. Thomas at djthomas@ualr.edu.

All Voices Welcome to Attend Open Campus Climate Survey Forum

John Hill — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 13:00:09 +0000

��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend an open forum at 2 p.m. April 1 to discuss the results and implications of the campus climate survey. This virtual event will last about 90 minutes. This web-based survey was conducted by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Survey Research Center in April 2021.��The survey was commissioned by the Diversity Council in hopes that the data would create meaningful change at the university by learning more about campus attitudes and experiences regarding diversity, discrimination, and barriers. The official survey results can be viewed here. Chancellor Christina Drale, DEI Fellow Dr. Melvin Beavers, and several Diversity Council members will be present to answer questions about the survey. To submit questions or comments in advance, fill out the online form found on the Diversity Council website.

Beavers Appointed First Chancellor’s Fellow for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 14:48:13 +0000

Dr. , assistant professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, has been selected as the inaugural Chancellor’s Fellow for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). “Dr. Beavers has a proven track record of thought leadership and academic research concerning antiracist pedagogies as a means for broader social change,” Chancellor Christina Drale said. “As the Chancellor’s DEI Fellow, he will have a larger platform from which to guide our institutional endeavors toward more diverse, equitable, and inclusive outcomes.” The fellow is responsible for helping to coordinate and support all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives on campus including DEI training, diversity recruitment, and retention for both students and employees, program development, curricular development, and policy advising. “I’m thrilled and excited to be in this new position that is needed and warranted at our institution,” Beavers said. “I really want to be a part of a team effort to reshape how we approach diversity, equity, and inclusion at the university.” In his new role, Beavers will work with existing diversity groups on campus to enhance and coordinate their activities and will also advise the chancellor and cabinet on new initiatives to improve outcomes in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Beavers is a published writer and frequent speaker on the subject of diversity and inclusion. He recently delivered a presentation at Bentley University on “Embodying Race and Language in the Writing Classroom; Becoming an Antiracist Writing Program & Becoming an Antiracist Writing Instructor.” He is also a member of the Institute of Race, Rhetoric, and Literacy, a national organization of scholars that provide expertise on antiracism. Beavers has also written a chapter,” My Journey Toward Antiracist Pedagogy and Praxis: My Language and Identity,” for the “McGraw Hill Instructor’s Guide: Writing for College, Writing for Life.” In addition, he has been working with the Council of Writing Program Administrators to make the outcomes for first-year writing programs more inclusive. These outcomes are often used to evaluate college writing programs and to set goals for writing classes. “It’s about developing an idea of language diversity and pushing against the assumption that there is only one standard way that students should use their language in the writing classroom,” Beavers said. Beavers earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Central Arkansas as well as a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Beavers joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2015 as an instructor. He’s also the director of first-year writing at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. His research interests involve writing program administration, composition pedagogy, online writing instruction, rhetorical theory, and popular culture studies. In this position, Beavers said he would love to work with fellow faculty members to showcase how faculty are bringing DEI solutions into the classroom. “I would love to start an intergroup dialogue with other colleges and departments and find out what other faculty are doing that we can spotlight and highlight,” Beavers said. “In my class, I highlight BIPOC scholars and writers that are writing about racial issues or things that help us have these difficult conversations. This is one way faculty can move toward centering diversity within their classrooms.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Partners with City of Little Rock on New OpportUNITY Equity Initiative

John Hill — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 14:00:18 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock joined the City of Little Rock during its launch of OpportUNITY Little Rock: A Citywide Movement for Equity. Mayor Frank Scott Jr., Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and John Burgess, 2021 chairman of the Little Rock Regional Chamber Board of Directors Oct. 6 at Entegrity Energy Partners, the largest energy services company in the region and a unique provider of optimized building performance. “True diversity, equity, and inclusion is not a token or counting a number. It’s ensuring you that you’re creating true opportunity,” said Mayor Scott Jr., a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus. “As we embark on this journey, it’s crucial to the future of our economy that businesses get involved with this movement so that we can collectively make a sizable impact on our city.” The program is a public-private partnership that bridges access and opportunity by training business leaders to bolster their internal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and support minority and women business enterprises (MWBEs) to competitively engage as suppliers. It is also designed to help grow recruitment networks and enhance retention and development of a diverse workforce. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock is extremely proud to be partnering on this initiative to provide training on diversity, equity, and inclusion at work to support commerce and equitable economic development in Central Arkansas,” Estes said. “This course will provide leaders with a strong foundation for DEI work, tools for ongoing efforts through a growing collaborative resources library, and ongoing support for those pursuing related goals at their own institutions.” The program is part of a larger vision for a more equitable business environment that reflects the diversity of Little Rock’s population, growing economic development through diversity in perspective, services, outlook, and business objectives. “I cannot emphasize enough the significance of our businesses leading the way by participating in this movement,” said Dionne Jackson, Ed.D., Little Rock’s chief equity officer. “We must realize, with the growth of our city and moving towards a global majority, we must have businesses that are better equipped to serve as a bridge to access and opportunities. Yet as the city asks businesses to join OpportUNITY Little Rock as a movement, we recognize our own responsibility for modeling effective practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion, too.” Four supporting programs were announced today, including a supplier drive to counsel and register new City vendors, drop-in office hours to assist MWBEs in certification and navigation of the process for becoming certified, a multi-agency seminar on doing business with government entities, and a multi-week course for business leaders on strengthening diversity within their organizations led by ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Extended Education and the Chamber. “The Little Rock Regional Chamber is thrilled to partner with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock on this targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion training for business leaders,” said Burgess, of the Little Rock Regional Chamber, of the seminar. “We also look forward to working closely with Mayor Scott and the OpportUNITY Little Rock team as we all work to build stronger and more meaningful opportunities for minority-owned businesses to thrive within Little Rock’s growing economy.” By joining OpportUNITY Little Rock, businesses will receive regular updates on DEI best practices, as well as information on resources and support programs to assist them in becoming competitive suppliers for public sector purchasing contracts. For more information, .

Thompson Describes Life as ‘Triple Threat’ of being a Black Female Police Officer

John Hill — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 21:19:48 +0000

Throughout almost three decades in law enforcement, Sgt. Marilyn Thompson has often felt conflicted about how gender and race have impacted her career as a police officer.�� “I’m a triple threat. Being a female is a threat. Being Black is a threat, and being a police officer in a threat,” Thompson said. While attending leadership training classes at the University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute, Thompson compiled her personal experiences and relevant research into an academic paper. “The paper dealt with the things I had to go through when I started in law enforcement,” Thompson said. “Things are better, but I had to deal with a lot of things in the police department, racism, and sexism. It resonated that I needed to write about what I had experienced.” Though her paper, “,” was published a few years ago, the subject has found new relevance in the wake of national protests around the country. Her story has been told recently in and other media outlets. Thompson has received positive feedback from fellow police officers who see themselves in her story. “I got feedback from a lot of females who are captains and chiefs. When they saw that article with The Trace, it got close to home,” Thompson said. “The people who are contacting me are saying they are glad someone was daring enough to tell our story.” Thompson’s research has shown that more women, particularly Black women, can be advantageous to police forces. While women police officers still face discrimination and bias, they are often better at de-escalating dangerous situations and show sensitivity while working with diverse communities.�� “It would benefit the police to have more female police officers overall,” Thompson said. One of the young student patrol officers whom Thompson mentored in her early days on the university police force now serves as the police chief, Regina Wade-Carter. “I was actually finishing up my undergraduate degree on the student patrol division, and she just took me under her wing and mentored me,” Wade-Carter said. “Sgt. Thompson knew it was my senior year at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and I told her my career goals. She guided me through the whole process of working at the campus police department, and she always told me education was the key. It was good to hear that from another black female. She was just trying to make a difference in people’s lives.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department has 26 police officers with about nine women and 20 Black officers and additional staff members.�� “You don’t often find as diverse a department as we have in the South,” Wade-Carter said. “Besides me, Sgt. Thompson is the only African American female that has rank in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department. She’s the only female sergeant and the only African American one as well. It’s hard to find a particular department with that kind of diversity, and I take pride in that. I know Sgt. Thompson has had offers to go other places, but she’s stayed because of the diversity and makeup of the department and what she has contributed.” Even though many people in her family distrust the police, Thompson had positive experiences with police officers from a young age. “In the African American community I grew up with, there was a general distrust of police officers, but I never had that, even when a police officer took my dad to jail when he hit my mom,” Thompson said. “He told me that he was taking my dad to keep my parents safe, and he would bring him back. I was 4.” Another interaction with a place officer came when Thompson was 10, and an older cousin said they could make some money by gathering some crates from a nearby construction site. A police officer drove up and explained that Thompson was stealing, something she hadn’t understood from her cousin’s explanation. The police officer gave Thompson a dollar and told her not to do it again. Thompson decided to become a police officer while attending college. Originally a computer science and accounting major at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Thompson realized she didn’t enjoy studying these subjects. During a career fair, she spoke with a recruiter from the Dallas Police Department and then switched her major to criminal justice the very next day. Thompson graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in psychology. She graduated from the Little Rock Police Academy in 1990, one of only three black women and seven women altogether in the class of 40. A little after a year with the Little Rock Police Department, Thompson was in a car accident that badly injured both her knees. When she was ready to return to work over a year later, a friend told her about the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department. Thompson joined in 1994 and is now celebrating her 27th�� year on the job. “I love what I do,” Thompson said. “I love helping people. I love seeing a light in someone’s eyes. I’ve been doing it for 30 years.”�� Around campus, Thompson is known for her community-oriented policing style. She is well known by students and employees alike and often leads workshops on campus safety and women in law enforcement. “Sgt. Thompson is dedicated to her craft,” Wade-Carter said. “She takes her position seriously, and she is well loved and respected in the community, not just on campus but in the surrounding neighborhoods that we patrol. She cares and it’s genuine and people can see that. She will go out of her way to help an individual in need.” In 2016, Thompson was named the university’s Police Officer of the Year. She has also been honored for her participation in the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take Back program. In 2018, Thompson was one of five ��Vlog��ý Little Rock police officers honored for their part in saving the life of a man found unresponsive in his vehicle. When asked about how to improve relations between police and the community, Thompson said that better recruiting and training can make a big difference. “It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but it only takes a few seconds to tear it down,” Thompson said. “We got to do better recruiting and better training in the police academy, so you can weed them out before they get on the street. Then you wouldn’t see cases like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock will open new virtual exhibit celebrating diversity Sept. 20

John Hill — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 21:14:19 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has launched a new virtual art exhibit celebrating diversity. The exhibit, “,” contains 66 pieces from two collections at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and is being held in commemoration of , Sept. 20-27. The exhibit will run through May 2021. “We, as individuals, are more alike than not, yet cultural and community silos keep many people separate and isolated. There are racial and cultural divisions in our world that fuel the fear and hatred of others,” said ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Art Gallery Director Brad Cushman. “Instead of promoting xenophobia, ‘Being Seen: Power Through Diversity’ promotes learning about and celebrating cultural differences, to overcome the barriers that causes us to demonize others.” Cushman, who curated the exhibit, noted that a concentrated effort has been made to diversify the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Permanent Art Collection to include more art by women, Black, Latin, Asian, African, Native American, and LGBTQ artists. Additionally, the exhibit contains pieces from the J.W. Wiggins Native American Collection, a vast representation of the indigenous artists working in North America.

Joe Jones’ “The Struggle in the South”

“Artists are addressing systemic racism and institutional and community biases. They acknowledge the pain and suffering of marginalized people,” Cushman said. “In a time of unrest, there is urgency in their messaging, a call to dismantle pervasive racial, gender, and identity disparities, inequities, and injustices requiring persistent and immediate actions.” Anyone who would like to visit the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Art Gallery in the Windgate Center of Art and Design in person may contact Cushman at 501-916-3182 or becushman@ualr.edu. Appointments are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Current exhibits on display through Oct. 11 at the Windgate Center of Art and Design include “British Studio Ceramics from the Arkansas Arts Center (Part 2),” “Objects from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Collection,” and “Landscapes.” In the upper right photo, Luis Jimenez’s “The Mass of Mankind” is one of the pieces featured in the exhibit.

Seheli awarded Acxiom Diversity Scholarship

John Hill — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 17:10:53 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student has been selected as one of the 10 nationwide winners of a $5,000 scholarship from Acxiom’s Diversity Scholarship Program.�� Rehnuma Seheli, a business information systems graduate student at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, is finishing up her last semester and will graduate with her master’s degree in May. A native of Bangladesh, Seheli completed a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in physics before moving to the U.S. in 2015. “I’ve always been attracted toward math and science, but my interests have moved to information science and technology since I moved to the United States,” Seheli said. “I’ve seen how developed countries stay ahead in business using advanced data techniques, and that is why I wanted to do a master’s degree. You need people who understand information technology as well as business. I think this is the most valuable degree you can do nowadays.” This scholarship offers $5,000 to U.S.-based students from diverse backgrounds who are enrolled in a full-time post-secondary degree program such as computer science, computer information systems, management information systems, information quality, information systems, engineering, mathematics and statistics, or related areas of study. “We congratulate our scholarship recipients on this exciting accomplishment,” Acxiom CEO Dennis Self said. “This scholarship program represents Acxiom’s continued commitment to helping the next generation of leaders pursue their dreams through computer science and information technology careers. Our goal is to provide opportunities for students to obtain future success and help foster a more diverse pool of qualified talent, which will benefit the marketing and technology industries for many years.” This is the Acxiom Diversity Scholarship Program’s eighth year. Diversity scholarship recipients are selected based on their ability to demonstrate a combination of academic achievement, field of study aimed at information technology, and professional interest as it relates to Acxiom’s business needs. “Acxiom believes that diversity sparks innovation and that an inclusive workplace environment encourages everyone to share their unique perspectives and skills,” said Mary Ward, chief people officer at Acxiom. “Our Diversity Scholarship Program takes Acxiom’s values into the community by supporting the goals of brilliant future leaders. We look forward to the contributions these students will make to our industry.” Seheli is thankful for the scholarship, which is helping her break into a field she said would be difficult to enter in her native country. “I’m grateful for the scholarship. In Bangladesh, women in the information technology industry is not common,” she said. “When I came to the U.S., my path changed completely. There are so many opportunities in the IT industry here. I want to encourage more students from Asia to come and get their degrees in information technology.” Seheli joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2018. She has worked as a conference services assistant and a graduate assistant in health services until December 2019, when she moved to Champaign, Illinois, with her husband and will complete her final semester online. While at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, she was a member of the Association of Information Systems. Last summer, she completed an information technology and business analytics internship with Windstream that she loved and plans to look for a similar full-time position after graduation.

Sequoyah National Research Center to create website on American Indians in World War I

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 17:39:02 +0000

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Sequoyah National Research Center is partnering with the to commemorate the approximately 12,000 American Indians who served in the country’s military during World War I.�� Dr. Daniel Littlefield, director of Sequoyah National Research Center, and Erin Fehr, archivist, are working to create a website that will capture all aspects of American Indians’ involvement in the World War I effort. “In the past, we have done so much work with American Indians in the military, with the World War I project, and we feel like it is so important because no one else has done this, and we feel like it is needed,” Fehr said. “We have reached out and met individuals who have told us stories about their families, and it is very important for us and their family members to be able to tell those stories and have them remembered.” When the U.S. entered World War I on April 6, 1917, American Indians from across the country volunteered in large numbers to protect and defend their homeland. The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission (WWICC) was created by Congress in 2013 to commemorate the centennial of World War I over the next five years. The commission was created to develop educational programs, organize activities, establish a National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., and serve as a clearinghouse for information related to the commemoration. To that end, WWICC has partnered with local, state, and regional entities to create a website dedicated to World War I. Commission members approached Sequoyah National Research Center about creating a website about Native Americans who served in World War I after seeing the center’s fall 2017 exhibit, “Untold Stories: American Indian Code Talkers of World War I.” During World War I, Americans Indians transmitted military messages between the U.S. and its allies in their native languages. The Germans, who were adept at code breaking, could not decode the messages, as they were unfamiliar with American Indians languages. Known as code talkers, Americans Indians served an important role in protecting military messages, and the effort was expanded significantly during World War II and included additional tribes. In fact, Elijah Horner, an Arkansas native from Mena, recruited members from the Choctaw Nation to serve as code talkers during World War I. As part of the exhibit, Sequoyah started a database, “Modern Warriors of World War I,” to identify the 12,000 American Indians who served in World War I. They collected more than 3,000 names and have been actively searching to identify the additional American Indians who served in the military during World War I and their tribal affiliations. Courtney Peyketewa, a Seminole tribal member and graduate student at the University of Central Oklahoma who was a summer intern at Sequoyah, continued this work by contacting tribes regarding their World War I service members. She made great progress and received several information-filled emails with names from various tribes. Additionally, she kept track of tribes that have created veterans’ memorials. Sequoyah’s new graduate assistant, Will Lusk, a graduate student in interdisciplinary studies, is continuing this work. In addition to the database of American Indian World War I veterans, the website will also cover other examples of how American Indians were involved in the war effort. “In addition to those who actively served in the military, you had American Indian women who served in the Army Nurse Corps. We’ve only identified eight so far. Even though there were so few, we still feel like that is a significant involvement,” Fehr said. “There were also many who served on the homefront volunteering with American Red Cross, growing victory gardens, investing in bonds. We want to give a well-rounded view of the war effort for Native Americans. We have also found some of the letters that were written by the men, so people can read in their own words how the men felt. It’s a huge project, but we feel like it was well worth doing.” The website will go live on the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission’s website, wwwicc.org, this fall. In the upper right photo, this panoramic photo depicts the 36th Division of the 142nd Infantry Company E, who served in France during World War I. The company was made almost entirely of American Indian soldiers.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock accepting nominations for Diversity Council

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 14:07:17 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is seeking nominations for the Diversity Council.�� The mission of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Diversity Council is to improve diversity, inclusion, equality, and global understanding with the campus community by promoting dialogue, providing information, and fostering respect for all students, faculty, and staff. Nominations are due by Friday, Aug. 31. Between 18 and 22 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty, staff, and students make up the council. Members are appointed by the chancellor for two-year terms and may serve three consecutive terms. The council’s goals include:

��Developing strategies to strengthen faculty, staff, and student support and retention
��Examining the campus climate with a broad definition of diversity, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, ability, sexual orientation, economic status, and/or religious and spiritual practices
��Commenting on policy-related issues, including ways in which current policy strengthens or detracts from the diversity of the composition of the faculty, staff, and student body
��Presenting recommendations to the chancellor that includes strategies, individuals responsible for specific actions, timelines for implementation, and measurable outcomes that reflect continuous improvement of campus climate and diversity

The council will hold an education committee responsible for producing educational events, a data committee, which oversees data collection and surveys, as well as a policy committee that reviews institutional policies and makes recommendations about diversity-related policy issues. To nominate a member of the campus community or to self nominate, send a short statement describing why the nominee is a good candidate for the committee to Mia Phillips, communications and special projects coordinator, at mdphillips@ualr.edu. The nomination should include the nominee’s full name, department or unit, and contact information.

Native American students selected for internship program at Sequoyah National Research Center

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 13:16:24 +0000

Two Native American students are getting in touch with their heritage by serving as interns this summer at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Sequoyah National Research Center.�� Kevin Briceland, a doctoral student studying American history at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and Courtney Peyketewa, a graduate student studying adult higher education at the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, have been selected for the center’s Native American Student Internship Program. The goal of the program is to provide students an experiential learning environment in which to acquire an understanding of the value of archives and the research potential of the collections of the Center and to engage in academic research and practical archival activities related to tribal culture, society, and issues. The interns work 25 hours a week from June 4 to July 27 and receive on-campus housing and a $2,000 stipend. Interns are expected to demonstrate the value of their experience by either a summary report of work, finding aids for collections, or reports of research or other written work that may be shared with their home institutions. Peyketewa, a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, is working on the center’s World War I project with SNRC Director Dr. Daniel Littlefield and Archivist Erin Fehr. “We are working on modern warriors of World War I,” she said. “The has asked the center to help identify the 12,000 American Indian servicemen who served in World War I. We are collecting names, their enlistment records, and any medals or honors they have received. In honor of the centennial, we wanted to honor those who served and recognize them for their service.” The center will also create a website where the public will be able to access the records. “It is very interesting. I am learning stuff every day that I didn’t learn about before,” Peyketewa said. “Currently, I am contacting all the tribes to ask them if they have any information or memorials on their tribe members who are WWI veterans to be able to obtain that information.” After Peyketewa earns her Master of Education, the 27-year-old Oklahoma City native plans to work in student affairs at a university. She also hopes to learn more about her family history while working at the center. “It was awesome to be selected for this opportunity. I feel like I am filling in information for people, and that it is a way of giving back,” she said. “I plan to learn about my family heritage by talking to Dr. Littlefield. He tells me tidbits of information. I also hope to be able to trace my family tree and learn more about my family.” Briceland, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is processing the manuscript collection of SNRC Director Littlefield. He said working at the archives will help prepare him for his dissertation research. “As an historian in training, it will help me to have a working knowledge of an archive,” Briceland said. “I plan to do a lot of my dissertation research here, so this is a good introduction. I like that I am getting two months of complete access to the materials I know I am going to use down the road.” Briceland is planning to write his dissertation on race and policy in Indian Territory from the post-Civil War era through the 1920s. “I think it is a very interesting period of time that often gets overlooked,” he said. “In Indian Territory, you have a lot of different ethnic groups coming together in a complex way. Plus, I grew up there. The people have demonstrated a resiliency and adaptability to change that is important to understand. Being a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma gives you an outlet to connect with the history and culture.” For more information about the Sequoyah National Research Center, contact Erin Fehr at ehfehr@ualr.edu or 501-569-8336. In the upper right photo, the Sequoyah National Research Center has selected four students for its 2018 Native American Student Internship Program. The interns (L to R) include Kevin Briceland, from Southern Methodist University, Courtney Peyketewa, from Oklahoma Central University, Heidi Davis, and Stephanie Rabadeux, both from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Photo by Ben Krain/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.��

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to Celebrate SADI Week Aug. 28 – Sept. 2