John Sanchez advised those who may attend a powwow in State College this spring to refrain from bringing granddaughters dressed as Pocahontas.

Sanchez, an associate professor of news media ethics and an expert on Native Americans in the media, gave a talk Wednesday afternoon in Hintz Family Alumni Center titled "The New Faces of an Ancient People: Traditional American Indian Powwow." The talk was part of the Diversity Brown Bag Lunch Presentation Series, attracting a medium-sized crowd of faculty.

Sanchez was recently offered a position at the University of Oklahoma but said he's staying at Penn State because of something important one of his students asked him.

"One of my students asked me, 'If you leave, who will teach us about Native Americans in the media?' " Sanchez said. "I realized if I went to Oklahoma, I'd be preaching to the choir."

He said he stayed in State College to keep enlightening others about his unique culture and events like the American Indian Powwow, which has taken place at Mount Nittany Middle School every spring since 2003.

This spring, the powwow is scheduled for April 10 and 11. People travel from South Dakota, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and many more places to dance, volunteer or watch, he said.

Jane Childs, who works in Penn State's development and alumni relations department, attended the powwow as a volunteer last year.

"Until you actually attend the event, you don't know what it's like," she said. "What an opportunity to have something like this in central Pennsylvania, when some people have to travel miles to attend an event like this."

Sanchez gave some tips on proper powwow etiquette. Don't dress in what one may think is native garb, he said, because that is disrespectful. Don't take pictures or tape the native songs playing, and don't try to speak the native language -- words like "redskin" and "chief" are inflammatory and offensive to American Indians.

Some have suggested the powwow be moved to the Bryce Jordan Center, but Sanchez said participants then would be unable to interact with one another and feel like a part of the event.

Kelli Gardner, who also works in development and alumni relations, attended the talk and said Sanchez's presentation definitely made her want to attend this spring's powwow.

"I thought the talk was going to be about Native American culture," she said, "but it was still interesting to learn about something I didn't know about."