American Indian Cultural House (AICH)

AICH 2023-2024 Cohort

AICH 2023 - 2024 Cohort

American Indian Cultural House Program & Living Learning Community

American Indian Cultural House (AICH) is a Living and Learning Community (LLC) supported by the Circle of Indigenous Nations office, a full-time staff member, 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 community. 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.

Expand all

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 Advisor 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).
  • 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 Native & Indigenous 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.