Lecture brings large number, auditorium reaches capacity
Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian
James Sandos gave the lecture "No Way Out: Indian-White Relations from the Mission to through the Gold Rush" to a packed auditorium. |
By Rebecca Martin
The Collegian
A variety of reactions ranging from surprise to anger came from people planning to attend an event Thursday evening when they were greeted with standing room only.
The event, a lecture from a History Professor at University of Redlands James Sandos, entitled “No Way Out: Indian-White Relations from the Missions through the Gold Rush,” was held at the Alice Peters Auditorium. The topic of the lecture was not the reason for the overcrowded room, some said.
“It’s because it’s the whole community is coming to see it,” Lou Hall, a Fresno design consultant said. He said he came to the event because it was advertised in the Fresno Bee. He also received a postcard from the Fresno City and County Historical Society. According to the advertisement he received, the event is part of the Fresno County Sesquicentennial, which celebrates 150 years since the establishment of Fresno County.
“If it had just been an advertisement on a wall in the history department, it would have been different,” Hall said. He said he was upset to arrive and see the room full of students coming for extra credit.
Fresno State history Professor Daniel Cady, an organizer for the event, apologized for the lack of a larger room.
Cady said Sandos’ research is important for people to know, especially in the Central Valley.
“His emphasis on honest history in the face of the myth of missions and white Fresno and Central Valley is important and resonated with a lot of the audience members,” Cady said.
While some students did come to the event for extra credit, others came to learn about the topic.
“I was curious to hear a different perspective,” Anthony Yrigollen, a social work major said.
He said he heard about the event from First Nation, a Native American campus club, and wanted to come to be more culturally aware.
Yrigollen said he was unaware the event was also for the community as well.
“It’s a real reality check to know,” Yrigollen said.
Ryan Emerin, a history major, said he came to the event for extra credit and he was surprised to find a crowded room. He said he was unable to get in.
Hall, who was also unable to get in, said he arrived 20 minutes before the event.
“There’s actually a lot of people interested in history,” Hall said. He said for him, the history lecture is like a rock ‘n’ roll concert for a college student.
“It’s not good public relations between the historical society and the Fresno State,” Hall said.
Those able to get seats at the event said they enjoyed the lecture. Cady said Sandos talked about some important issues.
In his lecture, Sandos said history should be approached in a specific way.
“I don’t come here to incite guilt, but to incite a reasoned approach to the past,” Santos said.
Sandos said the decline of Indian population during the Gold Rush period was faster than during the mission period. He said during the Gold Rush was legal to kill Indians, while the missions wanted to make Indians into citizens.
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