East Central University will honor Native Americans with Chickasaw Nation Appreciation Day on Saturday, Sept. 22, in conjunction with the Tigers’ home football game against Arkansas-Monticello.
Activities begin at 2 p.m. with registration and an information fair for prospective Chickasaw students in the Bill S. Cole University Center on the ECU campus.
Campus tours will take place at 2:30 p.m. and hands-on activities are scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center. That will be followed by robotics demos at 4 p.m. in the plaza behind the Bill S. Cole University Center.
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby is scheduled to speak to the students and families at 4:30 p.m. in the Estep Multimedia Center of the Bill S. Cole University Center. He will highlight the history and unique relationship between the Chickasaw Nation and ECU, his own experience at ECU and the importance of post-secondary education. Dr. Duane C. Anderson, ECU provost and vice-president for academic affairs, is also scheduled to speak briefly to the gathering.
Chickasaw students, who registered and attended the afternoon activities, are invited to a tailgate party at 5 p.m. at the North end of Norris Field, leading up to the kickoff of the ECU-UAM game at 6 p.m.
Admission to the football game is free for Chickasaw citizens, with Chickasaw citizenship cards, and Chickasaw Nation employees, with employee identification badges.
In addition, the American flag will be presented by the Chickasaw Nation Honor Guard. A sign-language interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer will be conducted by the 2011-12 reigning Chickasaw Princesses.
Gov. Anoatubby is also scheduled to be a part of the pregame coin-flip ceremony prior to kickoff.
At halftime the 2012-13 Chickasaw Nation Martial Arts Demonstration Team, led by Sensei Matt Clark, will perform, following a performance by the ECU marching band.