American Indian Cultural House (AICH)
AICH 2023 - 2024 Cohort
American Indian Cultural House (AICH) Program & LLC
AICH is a Living and Learning Community supported by the Circle of Indigenous Nations (COIN) office, a full time staff, and an AICH alum. We invite incoming first-year undergraduate students who identify as Native and/or Indigenous (e.g. American Indian/Native American, Alaskan Native, First Nation, Native Pacific Islander) to participate in a strategically designed program that supports students through their transition into the University communities. This unique program offers participants various resources and opportunities for building and sustaining a strong community with their fellow Indigenous peers in a cohort model, as well as navigating their academic, personal, cultural, professional and intellectual journeys.
Benefits of Participating
Being a part of an AICH cohort offers students a range of specialized experiences and opportunities to support their growth, wellbeing, and journey as a student at the UMN-TC. Through AICH, students can:
-Begin building relations and an on-campus community prior to the first day of classes.
-Gain access to employment and paid student leadership positions and opportunities.
-Examples include the AICH Peer Mentor position and COIN office internships.
-Receive individualized coaching and holistic support from their AICH Adviser and other COIN professional staff members at regular check-ins and appointments
-Gain exposure to American Indian and Indigenous cultural, health, and community events/resources on- and off-campus in the local urban American Indian community
-Attend academic, intellectual, cultural and community-based events hosted by COIN and the American Indian Student Cultural Center (AISCC)
-Receive additional academic support from tutors and consultants through our partnership with MCAE
-Engage with and network with AICH LLC Alumni
-Receive an honorary blanket upon graduation should they attend the majority of first-year programming as an AICH cohort member
Expectations of Participants
AICH Participants are expected to:
-Be enrolled full time as a first-year undergraduate student.
-Identify as Native, and/or Indigenous. This includes: Native American/American Indian, Alaska and/or Canada First Nation(s), Native Pacific Islander, Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander, and other Indigenous peoples not listed here. COIN defines Indigenous peoples as peoples who share an ancestral/political/community claim to an Indigenous homeland, and belong to an Indigenous community. Students do not need to be enrolled in a tribe or nation and or be a practitioner of their traditional language(s), ceremonies or culture(s) in order to participate in the AICH program.
-Attend MCAE and Native & Indigenous (N&I) Kick Off prior to the start of the academic year .
-Attend regularly-scheduled support check-ins/appointments with COIN professional staff members.
-Attend regular community meetings and events with their AICH cohort members throughout the academic year (Including: N&I Kick Off, AICH Fall Feast, Fall Retreat, Community Study Nights and Workshops)
-Follow Housing & Residential Life rules/policies as well as the University’s Student Code of Conduct.
-Assist COIN in recruiting future AICH participants.