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Returning Titan

 written by Kalvin Satiacum  

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Thanks for checking out Titan Today! Its nice to be here. My name is Kalvin Satiacum. I’m a returning student here at TCC. Everyday I’m completely amazed at how much different the school is compared to when I was here last time. I took my first class at TCC around 15 years ago.

 

Its been a long journey to say the least. While I have a considerable amount of time away from the school. I went out into the world and learned a lot about it on my own terms, and wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m glade to be back at the school, and its a honor to be apart of the student news paper.

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So much has changed, yet so much is steal the same. I thought we could sift through the page memories and see how things have changed over the years. But before I start gushing about how much I love how the school changed, and all the good things I love about it now. I think its important to look back at the things that never changed. Despite covid and reduced enrollment I swear that one bathroom is just as stinky as ever. 

 

    

    I honestly been taking more time than I would like to admit trying to write this article, but yet  I couldn't find anything meaningful to add. Whats different? theres soo much different. I'm not sure where to start, other than my first time back on campus in years.

 

I felt really creeped out about the all the pictures of people around the school. I thought, that maybe they where put up to help make it feel like people are around. To perhaps fill that void that Covid brought with it. Then all the pictures where really diverse. I was really confused, I wasn't sure if the  pictures where of models, actual students, or   if maybe they had been apart of student leadership. I was really confused about how I should feel, given that I had been here during a time of less inclusiveness, less openness, less representation, and less caring. 

Beyond this sorta dystopia pictures of people, If found there to be lots of Lushootseed language signs around. Which was really nice. When you enter a space with this sort of representation in this commercial society, its important to ask if yourself "is authentic, or just for business?".

 

Doing something in the name of good just for monetary gain isn't new. Then I seen this map that has all these native tribes on it. I was like "Somebody forgot to take this down. Native American Heritage Month ended awhile." When I said this to myself, I was completely serious. Indians are serious people. But I was like "Its New Years, people are just coming back from holiday, people probably partying hard and just forgot to take it down."  Things still didn't click for me. 

Then I got to class, and that changed everything. We are going through the syllabus, and we stop and they start talking about this "Land Acknowledgement," I'm like, what are they talking about? What is this lady talking about? Whats happening at school? I thought we are talking about the syllabus. Why is the school talking about illegally occupying indigenous territory.

 

Thats when it started to make sense. The school really wants to do its part to help make this thing called life more bearable for everyone. For myself there has been a lot of indigenous related material in class. Its been my experience thats its not just pictures on the wall, languages signs around the building, or map of native tribes, or the land acknowledgement, but the continued reinforcement in class that my people have something to offer.

 

That there is higher education materials that have native focus or background that is just as valid or educational as any piece from dominate society. I have never used "rate my professor," but I would highly recommend anyone take Alison Muir classes. 

Kalvin Satiacum is a returning student and founder of Indigenous and Gothic, a website that features articles Native American art and resources for sale and free. 

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