Aacimotaatiiyankwi

It’s only the second week of classes at Miami University, and we’ve already had a busy start to the school year. We welcomed our new students to campus, attended the first Myaamia Heritage Class, and gathered together for a retreat. The start of the school year is always busy but it allows us to kick off the school year together as a community and set the tone for the rest of the year. 

First-year students moved to campus on Tuesday, August 20th with most of the pre-semester program taking place on Wednesday and Thursday. The program intends to bring first-year students together from the day they arrive at Miami so that they know one another and feel comfortable with what to expect. We spent time on an art project, learning Myaamiaataweenki, playing games, and enjoying several meals together. In addition, the students were able to tour the campus to find their classrooms and check out coffee shops around Oxford. We had several upper-class students serve as mentors for the program and answer questions.

Last Tuesday was our first Myaamia Heritage class of the semester. Every year the first class is a pizza party, but in addition to sharing a meal, we start with introductions so that everyone can get to know one another. This year the class will explore ecological perspectives and history, so we will spend many class sessions outside while the weather allows. 

Every year, we host a start-of-the-year retreat on the first Friday of classes. Although our senior students aren’t required to attend the Myaamia Heritage classes, they come to the retreat so the entire group can get to know each other. 

This year we have 45 Myaamia students enrolled at Miami University. Despite the intense heat last weekend, we started the evening outdoors with lacrosse and other games before moving inside for dinner. Throughout the night, we do a variety of activities together, including talking as a community about what the students would like to do this year outside of class. There were many requests for activities, workshops, and trips, which makes us excited for everything that is yet to come this year.

We are only one week into the school year and are already physically tired from all of the events of the last few weeks, but more than anything these events energize the entire community. If you would like to stay up to date on everything that the students are up to, be sure to follow the Myaamia Center Newsletter for more details.