Campus Survey & Searches

Sonoma State University (SSU) is conducting a campus-wide inventory of items that may be eligible for Native American Tribal repatriation under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and CalNAGPRA (the California analog), informed by results from a Campus Survey sent every fall. This annual Campus Survey and subsequent inventory process will be an ongoing effort to ensure that no NAGPRA-eligible items or ancestors are on campus. The plan is to do a campus review every two years and include all campus spaces as needed. 

September: University President sends out a campus announcement with the Campus Survey

October: Month deadline to submit the survey

February-March: Repatriation Coordinators review and schedule Campus Searches

April-May: The Office of Tribal Relations will reach out and schedule Campus Searches

Depending on the Campus Survey results some Campus Searches may extend into the Summer and Fall semesters. The Campus Survey and Searches are conducted annually, and departments are searched based on their submissions. High-Risk departments that are included in the annual search are: Nursing, Biology, Kinesiology, Geology, and Anthropology. The plan is to do a campus review every two years to include all campus spaces (next search is 2027).

To lead and coordinate this work will be SSU’s Director of OTR, Elise Green. The scheduling procedure includes the college dean, the individual who identified that they have NAGPRA-eligible items, and the individual’s department chair. Our two campus Repatriation Coordinators: Kirsten Twork and Stephanie Laurencell. The coordinators will oversee campus searches, coordinate documentation and reporting, and work collaboratively with campus stakeholders and Tribal representatives as required under NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA.

Additional information about the inventory process, timelines, and opportunities for campus engagement will be shared as this work moves forward. Questions or relevant information related to NAGPRA-eligible items may be directed to the NAGPRA Program at [email protected].

The University is conducting campuswide physical searches (also referred to as visual inspections) as part of its compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (CalNAGPRA), and CSU systemwide NAGPRA policy.

These inspections are intended to identify Native American human remains and cultural items that may be in the custody or control of the University.

• Cultural Items (42 C.F.R. §10.2; CalNAGPRA §8012(g)): Human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony. This policy capitalizes “Cultural Items” to indicate they are or may be of Native American origin.

Visual inspections are required under federal law, state law, and CSU systemwide NAGPRA policy, and are part of the University’s ongoing legal and institutional responsibilities. These visual inspections must extend across all campus-controlled locations to ensure that no materials are overlooked. Applicable locations include, but are not limited to, classrooms, laboratories, departmental and unit spaces, storage facilities, mobile containers, satellite or remote facilities, and auxiliary-managed locations.

All faculty and staff are invited to participate in a training on NAGPRA and CalNAGPRA by contacting us at [email protected] .