CMN Launches Weekly Ribbon Shirt or Skirt Wednesdays on Campus

The College of Menominee Nation (CMN) in Keshena marked Jan. 7 with the first listing of an all-day recurring event called Ribbon Shirt or Skirt Wednesdays, a student information entry inviting students and campus community members to wear ribbon shirts or skirts. The item appears on the CMN calendar as part of the campus’s student life and community & culture programming and is grouped alongside other weekly sessions including Weaving Wednesdays and Breathe and Bead.

Organized as a recurring Wednesday activity, the initiative is intended to normalize and celebrate traditional Indigenous dress within daily campus life. The calendar entry frames the practice as ongoing cultural programming rather than a single ceremony, signaling an institutional effort to weave cultural visibility into weekly routines for students and staff. Students seeking more details or accommodations are directed to campus support and student life contacts listed on the CMN website.

For Menominee County residents, the program matters on multiple fronts. At the individual level, visible cultural programming supports identity affirmation and community belonging among Indigenous students who make up a core portion of the campus population. At the institutional level, regular cultural events contribute to a campus environment that may help attract and retain students. Stronger student retention and engagement have downstream effects on the local economy through housing demand, consumer spending, and employment linked to campus operations and events.

The Wednesday lineup of activities positions CMN as a local cultural hub where traditional skills and practices are part of routine campus offerings. Activities such as weaving and beadwork, scheduled in proximity to Ribbon Shirt or Skirt Wednesdays, create recurring opportunities for intergenerational knowledge transfer and public visibility of Menominee culture. That visibility can deepen ties between the college and wider Keshena community, reinforcing social networks that support students outside the classroom.

Practical details remain available through CMN’s campus support and student life offices for anyone needing accommodations or further information. By embedding ribbon shirt and skirt wear into weekly campus life, CMN is signaling a sustained commitment to cultural continuity and student-centered programming that carries social and economic implications for Menominee County.