Contact:
Elizabeth Blevins, Director, Office of Communications
Office: (740) 351-3810; FAX: (740) 351-3179; Cell: (740) 464-4854
940 Second Street – Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
E-mail: eblevins@shawnee.edu 
Web site: www.shawnee.edu

 
 

            Native American Heritage Month takes place throughout the month of November and Shawnee State University has planned activities to help teach students and the general public about Native Americans and their importance to our culture.
            Featured speaker Robert Roche, executive director of the American Indian Education Center, Cleveland, Ohio, since 1993, will present a variety of topics and issues on Thursday, Nov. 12 at noon in the new University Center lobby.
            He will speak on the historical perspectives on American Indian life; the government treatment of American Indians; health issues; declaring American Indian status and the educational opportunities available to people of American Indian heritage.
            Roche has served in many community service programs for American Indians since 1971, beginning as a youth director at the Cleveland American Indian Center. He was awarded the City of Cleveland Minority Business Man of the Year in 1971 and from 1978-80, he was executive director of the CETA program for the Department of Labor for 11 counties in northern Ohio. He is very active in programs for the homeless and works with the City of Cleveland Juvenile Court Division working with indigenous youth in the system. He also teaches Native American history at Oberlin College.
            “We are very happy to have Mr. Roche here at Shawnee State,” said Matt Matthews, Multicultural Student Affairs coordinator.
            Throughout the month, Shawnee State will have a display in Massie Hall that will show the numerous tribal areas in the United States and display books that have been written by Native American Indians.
            Also on November 12 between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sodexo plans to serve lunch with Native American Indian food.
            “We just don’t realize how much we eat that came from the Native Americans,” Matthews said.
            The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Matthews at (740) 351-3553 or e-mail ematthews@shawnee.edu.

PHOTO: Robert Roche, executive director of the American Indian Center in Cleveland, will be guest speaker at Shawnee State University during Native American