Students who meet established benchmarks for participation and performance, and meet all minimum CSU eligibility requirements, will be guaranteed admission to CSUSM.

The agreement with Noli Indian School ensures admission for graduates beginning in fall 2018, while the agreement with Sherman Indian High School commences with the graduating class of 2019.

Noli is a middle school and high school on the Soboba Indian Reservation near San Jacinto in Riverside County. All of its students are American Indian as determined by tribal enrollment or Bureau of Indian Affairs affiliated status. Sherman is an off-reservation boarding school for American Indian students in Riverside.

Tishmall Turner, CSUSM’s Tribal Liaison, gave the keynote address to Noli Indian School graduates earlier this month and emphasized the significance of the agreement.

“I would love to welcome you to Cal State San Marcos this fall,” Turner told graduates. “We have a great program and are serious about supporting our Indian students. We are proud that we have signed a guaranteed admission program for American Indian students to have access to Cal State San Marcos.”

To further support graduates from Noli and Sherman, CSUSM will provide additional layers of support, including prioritizing Federal Work Study funds for eligible students; ensuring a successful transition to college through CSUSM’s Personalized Academic Success Services program; working with a counselor from the Career Center to connect students to resources; and assigning a liaison to assist students in connecting with academic advisors.

CSUSM serves the highest per capita number of American Indian students in the 23-campus CSU system. With more than 400 students who have self-identified as American Indian, CSUSM has the only growing number in the CSU.

About California State University San Marcos

Building on an innovative 27-year history, California State University San Marcos is a forward-focused institution, dedicated to preparing future leaders, building great communities and solving critical issues. Located on a 304-acre hillside overlooking the City of San Marcos, it is the only public four-year comprehensive university serving North San Diego, Southwest Riverside and South Orange Counties.

The University enrolls over 15,000 students. With approximately 2,000 employees, the institution is a Great College to Work For® (The Chronicle of Higher Education). As a recipient of the annual HEED Award since 2014—a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—CSUSM is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.

-- Dr. Joely Proudfit

Dr. Joely Proudfit minces no words in describing her mission advocating for American Indians.

“My American Indian culture and identity is central to my being, work and research,” said Proudfit, Chair and Professor in the American Indian Studies Department and Director of the California Indian Culture & Sovereignty Center at Cal State San Marcos.

Proudfit is a descendant of the Pechanga band of Luiseño Indians and was drawn to CSUSM because it is the traditional homeland of the Payómkowishum. She is among the nation’s leading champions of Native American education and was appointed by former President Barack Obama to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education.

“We must bring American Indians out of the history books and stereotypical media portrayals and into the contemporary context,” she said. “I want to elevate the authentic presentation of American Indians in the mass media.”

Proudfit is the co-president and co-founder of The Native Networkers, which consults with the entertainment industries in fostering authentic representation of Native Americans. She and her partner, film director Chris Eyre, recently worked with director Scott Cooper and actor Christian Bale on the upcoming film “Hostiles.”

Proudfit is especially proud of CSUSM’s role.

“We are home to numerous one-of-a-kind events, programs and publications such as California’s American Indian & Indigenous Film Festival, the State of American Indian & Alaska Native Education in California Report, and the annual Tribal Education Summit, to name just a few things that separate CSUSM from the rest,” she said.

“We are the leaders in the area because President Karen Haynes has chosen to implement a tribal initiative driven by the tribal peoples and nations of the region.”

The students are attending CSUSM through a recently awarded grant called Graduating American Indians into Nursing (GAIN). Funding for the grant didn’t become official until shortly before the start of the fall semester, which meant working fast to get the students on campus.

Fortunately, Dr. Deborah Morton, an assistant professor of public health and the co-principal investigator on the grant, had already identified potential students for the program thanks to help from Geneva Lofton-Fitzsimmons and Dr. Joely Proudfit.

Dr. Denise Boren, co-principal investigator and the director of the School of Nursing, then worked to ensure a smooth enrollment process. The students visited campus on the Friday before classes started for a quick meeting and dived right into the program the following week.

“It was a miracle,” said Mary Sandoval, one of the students enrolled in the master’s program. “This came to me and I couldn’t believe it was true. I think everybody in the program had that same experience.”

The grant covers tuition, books, fees and a stipend of $1,500 per month for each student. Funding was for six students, but one had to withdraw, a void Boren and Morton will try to fill next fall.

Boren is stepping down from her role as School of Nursing director at the end of the academic year to focus on grants and being more directly involved with the GAIN students. The move will also allow her to take on additional responsibilities related to the grant, and she is optimistic that will free up additional funds to add a couple more students through the grant.

“Nurses spend so much time with patients,” Boren said. “It’s really important to have nurses who understand the American Indian culture.”

Morton said the grant had covered the same four universities for over 20 years. However, she said spots opened up for newcomers because two of the universities became self-sufficient and no longer needed to rely on the grant. That opened the door for CSUSM.

“We have a nursing shortage in California and we have more American Indians than any other state,” Morton said. “It was a great opportunity for us.”

Mary has been working as a nurse for Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health for nearly 20 years. She has long wanted to pursue her master’s, but didn’t have the means to do so while working full time and raising five children.

While her children are now adults, she is still paying off her undergraduate loans and working full time. But the GAIN grant has enabled her to pursue her master’s while continuing to work.

Mary’s niece, Nesune Madrigal, is another of the students who is attending CSUSM through the GAIN grant.

Nesune attended Mt. San Jacinto College and had been considering transferring to CSUSM to pursue her bachelor’s in nursing. Once the grant became a reality, it made for an easy decision.

“I got a call on a Friday about a week before fall semester,” Nesune said. “I was shocked and overwhelmed. It’s such an honor to be chosen to go into the program knowing how competitive it is to get in. I’m really grateful for the opportunity.”

Nesune said that Boren was instrumental in not only making the accelerated enrollment process go smoothly, but also ensuring that the students have access to all of the resources necessary to succeed.

“It’s not just their academics,” Boren said. “We want to make sure everything is OK in their personal life and that they have everything they need to be successful in the program.”

One of the requirements of the grant is that students, upon graduation, are required to spend an equal amount of time working in an Indian Health Service-approved clinic in their new jobs for scholarship payback. For the CSUSM students, that means committing three years after graduation to working for an Indian Health Service-approved clinic. That commitment aligns perfectly with the goals of Mary and Nesune, who both want to help improve healthcare for American Indians.

“I want other children and young people who come in to see me there doing that job so that they might be encouraged to do the same thing and hopefully increase the number of American Indian healthcare providers that we’ll have at our clinics,” Mary said.

Said Nesune: “I want to take what I learn back to my reservation and my tribal community where it’s greatly needed. We really need more of our people in the medical field. There definitely can be improvements. I want to be part of that improvement and bringing our people forward in healthcare.”

“I am honored that these talented individuals have decided to serve our country,” said President Obama. “They bring their years of experience and expertise to the Administration, and I look forward to working with them.”

Proudfit, chair of the Department of American Indian Studies and director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at CSUSM, will serve on the council, which was established under the Indian Education Act of 1972. The council is tasked with advising the Secretary of Education and Congress on the administration and funding of Alaska Native and American Indian education programs.

“We are very proud of Dr. Proudfit’s appointment to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education,” said CSUSM President Karen Haynes. “She has been a champion educator and scholar. Her research and work have been integral to our university’s efforts to address the serious challenges facing American Indian students, and we are proud to have the highest per-capita number, and the only increasing number, of American Indian students in the 23-campus CSU system. Furthermore, her work as the founding director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center, in collaboration with our Tribal Liaison, has nurtured transformational relationships with tribal partners in our efforts to increase the educational access and success of American Indian students in our region.”

In his announcement on Friday, President Obama appointed six other individuals to key Administration posts, including:

• David Benton – Member, Arctic Research Commission
• Phyliss J. Anderson – Member, National Advisory Council on Indian Education
• Mandy Broaddus – Member, National Advisory Council on Indian Education
• Dahkota Kicking Bear Brown – Member, National Advisory Council on Indian Education
• Robert O. Carr – Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council
• Keith T. Parker – Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council

“I am honored to accept President Obama's appointment to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education,” said Proudfit. “California is home to more than 110 American Indian tribes and thousands of American Indian/Alaska Native youth and it is time to acknowledge the daunting challenges facing them as we preserve our heritage and honor our traditions through commitments to the cultural values—responsibility, reciprocity, respect and relationships— that define us.”

The California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC) at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) is pleased to present the California’s American Indian and Indigenous Film Festival (CAIIFF). Screenings will take place at CSUSM and at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., Nov. 19-21.

The festival, formally known as the San Diego American Indian Film Festival, is now in its third year and is a grassroots community event organized by the CICSC in collaboration with its tribal and university partners. The CAIIFF is delighted to strengthen tribal cultural sovereignty in film, media and the arts by providing an accessible, fun, engaging and unique platform to showcase American Indian life, culture, history and stories about the lived realities American Indians face both past and present.

Located in the heart of southern California’s Indian country, the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at Cal State San Marcos is the nexus for innovating partnerships between American Indians, academics and the regional community. The CAIIFF is a product of this innovation and has become a regional “don’t miss” event. Screenings are scheduled each year both at CSUSM and at the Pechanga Resort and Casino to literally bring the movies and moviegoers “home” to American Indian communities.

This year the CAIIFF offers an eclectic lineup of twenty films, shorts and documentaries, as well as a performance by the sketch comedy group, the 1491s and a youth track for 12 to 18-year-olds. Notable guests will include Peabody- and Emmy-award winning director/producer Chris Eyre; filmmaker Scott Garen; filmmaker Blackhorse Lowe; actress/producer/voice artist Irene Bedard; former professional football player/actor/producer/business owner Jim Warne; filmmaker Sterlin Harjo; artist/writer/director/humanitarian Steven Paul Judd and actor/master horseman/stuntman Rod Rondeaux. Tribal leaders and professionals from the region will also serve as moderators at many of the Q&A sessions.

All film festival events are open to the general public, with prices ranging from $5 to $7 per ticket available for purchase online. One hundred tickets are available for free to CSUSM students at the CICSC office. See schedule below for specific program details:

Thursday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. – “A Thousand Voices”

CSUSM—University Student Union, Ballroom

Executive Produced by Pamela Pierce of Silver Bullet Productions

Writer: Mara Dhu Studi

From the proverb, “It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story,” this is a documentary that builds from thousands of voices to present one universal story of New Mexico’s Native American women. Native American women have been purveyors of culture since creation. In spite of Western invasions, Native American women remain strong and grounded in traditional values by enduring courage and wisdom. The voices and advisers are from the Navajo Nation, Mescalero Apache Tribe, Jicarilla Apache Tribe, Kiowa Tribe, Pueblo de Cochiti, Ohkay Owingeh and Pueblos of Acoma, Laguna, Jemez, Santo Domingo, Pojoaque, Santa Clara, Taos, Nambe and San Ildefonso.

Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. – “A Thousand Roads”

CSUSM—University Student Union, Ballroom

Director: Chris Eyre

Writer: Scott Garan and Joy Harjo

“Though we journey down a thousand roads, all our roads lead home.”

The lives of four Native Americans take a significant turn as they confront the crises that arise in a single day. A young Inupiat girl, a Navajo gangbanger, a Mohawk stockbroker and a Quechuan healer journey through the epic landscapes of Alaska, New Mexico, Manhattan and Peru, drawing strength from their tribal past to transcend the challenges of the day and embrace the promises that await them.

A Q&A session will follow the screening with director Chris Eyre, writer Scott Garen, and actress Irene Bedard.

Friday, Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m. – “Chasing the Light”

CSUSM— University Student Union, Ballroom

Director/Writer: Blackhorse Lowe

Riggs, a depressed and struggling screenwriter in Albuquerque, New Mexico, begrudgingly goes with his drug-dealing friend, Many Goats, on a run that goes terribly wrong. A series of misadventures follows: bar fights, house parties, feuding couples and even a trip on the drug DMT. But none of these calamities can distract a dejected Riggs from his melodramatic thoughts of his ex-girlfriend. In this hilarious and dark film, Blackhorse calls on the rhythm of Slacker, the rich and sharp dialogue of Tarantino and the retro sensibility of Jim Jarmusch to create a unique and spectacular cinematic ride in his newest feature, scored by Nathan Young with music by Tenderizor, Lydell Mitchell, Toomuchloud and DE The Commoner. Appropriate for mature audiences.

A Q&A session will follow the screening with director/writer Blackhorse Lowe.

Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. – The Sketch Comedy Group, The 1491s

CSUSM— University Student Union, Ballroom

“Appropriate for Mature Audiences”

The 1491s are a sketch comedy group based in the wooded ghettos of Minnesota and buffalo grass of Oklahoma. They are a gaggle of Indians chock full of cynicism and splashed with a good dose of indigenous satire. They coined the term “All My Relations,” and are still waiting on the royalties. They were at Custer's Last Stand. They mooned Chris Columbus when he landed. They invented bubble gum. The 1491s teach young women to be strong and young men how to seduce these strong women.

Friday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. – World Premiere of “Goldilocks and the Bears”

CSUSM— University Student Union, Ballroom

Director: Zoe Hopkins

 “Appropriate for Mature Audiences”

A comedic adaptation of the children's classic, this version is more adult and entirely in the Mohawk language. With the theme of colonization at the core, this film has Goldilocks visiting the home of the bears, who have become more like humans than Goldilocks' own family.

Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. –Youth Program facilitated by Steven Paul Judd

Pechanga Resort & Casino—Comedy Club

Opportunities for youth, 12 to 18 years old, include a Saturday afternoon shorts program, hosted by Artist, Filmmaker and Humanitarian Steven Paul Judd, featuring student films selected from the surrounding tribal community. Featured shorts include: The Child Who Hammered Nails, Footsteps, Malsem, Amazing, Crash Site, Viejas History, Mia’, Clouds of Autumn, First Contact, Ronnie BoDean, and Indian and the Tourist.

Saturday, Nov. 21 at 1:30 p.m. – 7^th Generation

Pechanga Resort & Casino—The Show Room

Director: John L. Voth

Producers: John L. Voth, Sunshine Frank, Jim E Warne

This film covers generations of history, including the perspectives of Jim E Warne (Oglala Lakota) an advocate and educator. His story of the 7th Generation touches many levels of history and the unknown experiences of past generations. This documentary addresses historical and current perspectives from elders and community members with a focus on a positive future for our youth, the 7th Generation.

A Q&A session will follow the screening with producer/writer Jim E Warne.

Saturday, Nov. 21 at 3:00 p.m. – “Songs My Brothers Taught Me”

Pechanga Resort & Casino—The Show Room

Director: Chloé Zhao

With an older brother in jail and living with their single mother on Pine Ridge Reservation, Johnny and his sister Jashuan's lives develop new challenges when their absentee cowboy father suddenly dies. The loss prompts Johnny to strike out for Los Angeles, but would mean leaving behind his beloved sister.

A Q&A session will follow the screening with actress Irene Bedard.

Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7:15 p.m. – “Ronnie BoDean”

Pechanga Resort & Casino – The Show Room

Director: Steven Paul Judd

Ronnie BoDean (Wes Studi) is the ultimate anti-hero – hungover and streetwise, with a hustler’s heart of gold. When Ronnie faces his greatest challenge yet, babysitting his jailed neighbor’s precocious kid, the results are both hilarious and life-affirming.

Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7:15 p.m. – “Mekko”

Pechanga Resort & Casino – The Show Room

Director: Sterlin Harjo

“Appropriate for Mature Audiences”

Mekko gets out of prison after 19 years. He has no home or family so he makes his way to Tulsa, Oklahoma. He tries to connect with a cousin but she turns him away. With nowhere to go Mekko ends up sleeping on the streets. He is taken in by the homeless native community. At times jovial, there is a dark undercurrent to the community. He begins having issues with a man named Bill. Bill is pure evil. Convinced that this man is a witch, Mekko turns to the old teachings of his grandmother in order to rid the community of this witch. It's a story of redemption and hope. Mekko is in search of his home and the strength to forgive himself of his past.

A Q&A session will follow the screening with director Sterlin Harjo and lead actor Rod Rondeaux.

For more information contact:

Joely Proudfit, CSUSM, 760-750-3535, jproudfi@csusm.edu

Who: The California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC) at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), and American Indian filmmakers, producers, directors and actors working throughout Indian Country

What: The California’s American Indian and Indigenous Film Festival (CAIIFF).

Why: To showcase the finest work in current American Indian film and media, and spotlight American Indian lives, interests and issues.

When: Thursday, Nov. 19 through Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015

Tickets: Purchase tickets online. Prices range from $5 to $7 per screening. One hundred tickets are available for free to CSUSM students at the CICSC office.

Where: Festival screenings and activities will take place Thursday, Nov. 19 and Friday, Nov. 20 at CSUSM, located at 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd., San Marcos. For more information including driving directions, campus map and parking fees, visit the CSUSM Parking Guide.

Festival screenings and activities will take place Saturday, Nov. 21 at Pechanga Resort & Casino, 45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula. Parking is free. For driving directions, please visit the Pechanga Resort & Casino website.

ISHI is a new work written by Luna that explores the story of Ishi, who was claimed to be the last known member of the Yahi, a group of the Yana people in California. Studied by anthropology professors at the University of California, Berkeley in the 1910s, he was mistakenly characterized as the “last wild Indian,” and treated as a curiosity by the public until he died from tuberculosis in 1916. Luna and Skinner’s performance involves archival videos and photos, a scrolling narrative and powerful monologues that give a voice to Ishi today.

“The Archive performance brings forth native perspectives on Ishi's legacy and the era of history he experienced,” said Joely Proudfit, associate professor of American Indian Studies and director of the Center for Indian Culture and Sovereignty (CICSC). “Native perspectives were commonly overshadowed by historians, anthropologists and others who romanticized and sensationalized Ishi's story. Dr. Luna's performance gives a voice to survival, adaptation, cultural integrity and the power of healing with humor.”

Hosted by the CICSC, the Department of American Indian Studies and the Office of the Tribal Liaison, ISHI is free and open to the public, including complimentary parking in Parking Structure 1 on the sixth floor. Please RSVP to cicsc@csusm.edu or call 760-750-3535.

What: ISHI: The Archive Performance, written and performed by acclaimed Native American artists James Luna and Sheila Tishla Skinner.

When: Saturday, September 12 – 4:30 p.m. reception, 5:45 p.m. performance

Where: CSUSM, Arts Building, Room 111

Tickets: Free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please RSVP to cicsc@csusm.edu or call 760-750-3535 to reserve your ticket.

Directions and Parking: CSUSM is located at 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road in San Marcos. Complimentary parking is available in the Parking Structure on the sixth floor only. Follow directional signs or visit the CSUSM website for a map and directions: www.csusm.edu/guide.