A groundbreaking ceremony for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Native American longhouse-style facility, will take place Friday, Oct. 25, 3-5:30 p.m.
The public event will be held at the facility’s construction site in the between Lewis and McMahon Halls on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ campus in Seattle.
University leadership, as well as area tribal leaders, will offer remarks. Included in the program will be Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ President Michael K. Young, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Vice President for Minority Affairs and Vice Provost for Diversity Sheila Edwards Lange, and WÇ�É«Ç�bÊ”altxÊ· Committee Co-Chairs W. Ron Allen (Jamestown S’Klallam tribal chairman and chief executive officer) and Charlotte Cote’ (Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ American Indian Studies associate professor). Duwamish Tribal Chairwoman Cecile Hansen and Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman will also participate.
WÇ�É«Ç�bÊ”altxÊ·, pronounced “w²¹³ó-²õ³ó±ð²ú-²¹±ô³Ù³Ü³óâ€� and known as the Lushootseed language name for “Intellectual House,â€� will serve as a learning and gathering place for Native American students, faculty and staff, as well as the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ and surrounding community. It will feature a “village conceptâ€� that includes two primary buildings and a central outdoor gathering space.
The groundbreaking is for the project’s first phase, the 8,400-square foot Community Gathering Building and the outdoor space. Both are planned to be operational for winter quarter 2015.
Donations and pledges totaling almost $6 million are supporting the design and construction of phase one. Phase two of the project will include further fundraising for the second building, a teaching and learning space.
Read more about the project on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity .