American Indian Student Cultural Center

Founding of AISCC

American Indian students have been gathering and organizing since the 1950s under various student group names. In 1973, the American Indian Student Association (AISA) was officially incorporated and was active as the main American Indian student organization until the early 2000s. The American Indian Student Cultural Center (AISCC), originally located in 104 Jones Hall, was founded in 1975, as a meeting space for American Indian students on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus. The AISCC housed many events for AISA, and was the first student cultural center at the University of Minnesota. AISA and the AISCC share activist roots with American Indian civil rights movements of the 1970s, as the AISCC space was originally acquired via occupation by students in 1975. During this era, Native students were faced with blatant and threatening behavior on campus, and so they occupied a space so that American Indian students could have a safe, secure space to study, socialize, and organize.

In the early 2000s the AISCC board and AISA governing boards merged, and now American Indian students gather for large events under the umbrella of the American Indian Student Cultural Center. In 2003, the American Indian Student Cultural center was relocated to the newly renovated Coffman Memorial Union.

Mission

In our 30 years we have consistently held a three-point mission to serve as an organization that:

Meets the needs of American Indian students on our multicultural campus
Functions as an agent for educating the broader University of Minnesota community about American Indian cultures and traditions
Provides a bridge between American Indian communities and the University of Minnesota

Listen to Audio

American Indian Student Cultural Center

AISCC Mural