The University of Oregon’s Office of Equity and Inclusion welcomed Don Ivy, a retired cultural resources program coordinator and tribal historic preservation officer for the Coquille Tribe to campus on Wednesday, Feb. 19 for a talk about indigenous cultural preservation.

“Events like this expose students to new information and explain what a holistic education is all about,” said Dr. Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh, vice president of equity and inclusion and one of the organizers of tonight’s event.

Alex-Assensoh believes in the importance of putting an emphasis on diversity in a student’s college career.

“It’s a great way of helping all students learn the importance of diversity,” she said.

Don Ivy spoke for approximately an hour about the importance of preservation and his experiences with Oregon’s Coquille Indian Tribe.

“I’m really hoping to get students to recognize that (preservation) can commonly be construed to be native, but it’s very common and involves us all,” Ivy said. “Tribes definitely have a unique experience and it should be included in the larger perspective.”

The event was catered by UO Catering and approximately 50 students, faculty and staff came to hear Ivy’s testimony.

Tracy Schwartz, a UO grad student in historic preservation, was one of many students to attend.

“I have an interest in American-Indian studies. Don Ivy is scheduled to come speak to my class this week so this was a great way to get a head start into more in-depth specifics,” she said. “I knew very little about the Coquille Tribe and now I have a much better understanding.”

Don Ivy is on campus for the next few days and will be speaking with different classes and student groups while he is here.