Volume 14 Fall 2002 Issue #1

In This Issue
Honoring Our Students

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On Campus

Senators Form Task Force for Tribal Colleges

The Bipartisan Senate Task Force on Tribal Colleges and Universities convened its first meeting on May 21 on Capitol Hill with a record number of attendees interested in furthering Congress' commitment to Indian higher education. Co-chaired by U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Conrad Burns (R-MT), the task force is charged with exploring ways to increase current funding and to seek new opportunities for funding basic operations, as well as other critical issues at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs).

"The commitment to further educational opportunities - that commitment is deep," said Sen. Conrad. "This task force should give attention to that need.and not only that need, but the promise."

The most critical issue for the nation's tribal colleges is to correct serious funding disparities in fundamental institutional operations support. Under the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act (P.L. 95-471), the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) seeks increasing the actual funding from the present $3,916 per Indian student to the Congressionally authorized $6,000 per Indian student.

Additionally, increased funding for technical assistance is essential to keep pace with research and data collection needed to comply with escalating reporting and accountability requirements and to fuel further efforts. The collective enrollments of the nation's 32 tribal colleges and universities include approximately 20% non-Indian students. Those schools absorb the costs associated with educating that portion of their student body due to a lack of state support.

"Our goal is to solidify institutional operating funds for the tribal colleges, so that the schools' efforts can concentrate on offering a quality education to the over 30,000 students enrolled annually," said AIHEC Executive Director Dr. Gerald Gipp. "We've never asked for any more than that received by other similar higher educational institutions, and other community colleges around the country have access to many more resources than the tribal colleges do."


Carla Riding in Feathers of Haskell Indian Nations University was elected Ms. AIHEC at the annual AIHEC Conference. Nick Tilsen from Oglala Lakota College was elected Mr. AIHEC. Photo by Suzette Brewer, American Indian College Fund

State of AIHEC and College Fund presented

Students, faculty and administrators from the 33 tribal colleges in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) gathered in Rapid City, SD, last March to attend their 21st annual conference. The colleges in South Dakota hosted the conference.

AIHEC President Dr. James Shanley (president of Fort Peck Community College) presented the State of AIHEC address, and Rick Williams, executive director of the American Indian College Fund, presented the State of the College Fund. The College Fund is a separate non-profit organization created by AIHEC to raise money for the tribal colleges. AIHEC is the organization of 33 colleges based in Alexandra, VA, which was founded in 1973.

"The state of AIHEC is waste (good)," Shanley said. "Good but not very good. It has been a strange year." Shanley mentioned the war on terrorism and asked for a moment of silence to remember two veterans of the tribal college movement who had died within the past year, Dr. Jack Barden and Jack Briggs.

Shanley predicted that the organization could grow from 33 to 45 tribal colleges in the next few years, which could dramatically reduce the pot of money available for their core, institutional funding. However, he said the colleges would welcome new colleges on reservations that are not presently served. "We're not going to fight over this money. That is someone else's way," he said. While they will continue advocating for increases in funding, he said, "If we have to we will share."

Shanley said the colleges are learning from their colleagues in New Zealand, the Maori people. "They base their education on language and culture and use them to give their students traditional values. This inspired us because that is the vision we have had for AIHEC."

For the first time in the 29-year history of AIHEC, most of the tribal colleges are building their own buildings. The AIHEC board members and staff have worked with Congress to increase federal funding for facilities, and the American Indian College Fund has raised significant construction dollars for the colleges. The colleges also have access to new resources for working with pre-K-12 schools.

In his talk about the State of the American Indian College Fund, Rick Williams agreed that there are challenges ahead. He said that his organization would have to raise $60 million over the next couple of years to meet the basic needs of students.

Almost 20% of all Indians in higher education are attending the tribal colleges, according to Williams. While other colleges and universities are losing students, the student population at tribal colleges is growing by five percent a year, he said. "They are the fastest growing institutions in the country."

Pointing to the tribal college presidents on the podium with him and elsewhere in the room, he said, "These are the people who changed the history of Indian education in America. .Tribal colleges and universities are the only places in America that foster Native intellect. If we forget how to think Indian, we will be white people." Speaking directly to the students, he said, "You, too, will change the history of Indian education."


The members of the AIHEC Student Congress elected new officers at the AIHEC conference in March (left to right): Sergeant at Arms Patricia Devereaux (Blackfeet Community College), Secretary Julian Many Hides (Salish Kootenai College), sponsor Juan Perez, Historian Mechelle Crazy Thunder (United Tribes Technical College), Treasurer Dean Dauphinais (Cankdeska Cikana Community College), Vice President Tatonkaska Howard (Salish Kootenai College). In the front row, former sponsor Dana Grant, and President Maxine Broken Nose (Oglala Lakota College).

Researchers Meet to Design Protocol
by Cheryl Redhorse Bennett, AIHEC research assistant

Historically, Indian people have been the subjects of extensive research rather than the key players implementing research studies. In response to the cultivation of research by Natives and with concern for Natives being studied, appropriate protocols are evolving.

To that end, Haskell Indian Nations University (Lawrence, KS) hosted a conference last April entitled Research Review in Indian Country: Setting our Future Agenda

The conference was sponsored by Haskell, the Indian Health Service, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Office of Human Research Protection.

Inside the historic walls of Haskell, approximately 100 researchers and investigators from tribes, federal government agencies, tribal colleges and universities, and students gathered to discuss pertinent issues in research involving American Indians. The main objective of the conference was to build the capacity of tribal colleges to review and conduct research. Additional objectives were:

During the three-day event, participants and speakers promoted awareness and understanding between researchers and investigators involved in conducting human subject-related research.

Participants learned various methods of complying with Institutional Review Boards (IRB), the oversight committees charged with protecting the rights of human research subjects who participate in research activities. Ideally, tribes and tribal colleges would potentially create their own Institutional Review Boards.

The conference also included presentations on the importance of research in Indian country, a history of American Indians and Alaska Natives in research, cultural issues in research, the role of tribal sovereignty roles in research, roles of students in research; the relationship between federal agencies and tribal colleges and universities, IRB 101, and a grant writing session.

Among the speakers were Dr. Karen Swisher, president, Haskell Indian Nations University; Dr. Gerald Gipp, executive director, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium; Dr. Susan Faircloth, AIHEC's director of policy analysis and research; Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, Office of Human Research Protection; Phillip S. Deloria, American Indian Law Center; and Dr. William Freeman of Northwest Indian College.

For further information on the conference contact Freda Tapedo at Haskell Indian Nations University ftapedo@ross1.cc.haskell.edu or Dr. Susan Faircloth at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium sfaircloth@aihec.org.

IAIA Launches 40th Anniversary Celebration

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) has launched a yearlong celebration of its 40th anniversary. On Friday, April 19, the school hosted a parade in downtown Santa Fe, NM, where several entertainment groups, descendants of the Trails of Tears, dancers, students, and dignitaries walked from the IAIA museum to the Plaza bandstand. There, Carol Robertson Lopez, mayor pro tem of Santa Fe, read a proclamation for the school's anniversary. A feast at the IAIA museum followed the parade. The weekend kick-off festivities also included a pow-wow and the crowning of the new Miss IAIA. Events are scheduled throughout the year in and around Santa Fe. These include a golf tournament in September and an anniversary gala in October.

Founded in 1962 by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy as a Bureau of Indian Affairs school, IAIA became a federally chartered art school with a presidentially appointed board of directors in 1986. The college is the only academic institution dedicated solely to the study and practice of artistic traditions of all American Indians and Alaska Natives. It holds international acclaim.

The college has also recently received a $146,230 grant from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's Administration for Native Americans, which continues a grant it won last year. The money will help the institute to expand its gift shop and its marketing activities. When announcing the grant, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and long-term supporter of the institute, said, "The school is creating an oasis for the development of the artistic work of American Indians. I'm glad ANA has agreed to continue its support for offering these works to the public." ANA is an agency that promotes the goal of social and economic self-sufficiency for the more than 500 federally recognized American Indian tribes.

In other news from IAIA, Charlene Teters, an artist, writer, and professor, received the 2002 Allan Houser Memorial Governor's Award. The governor presents the award to a Native American who has demonstrated outstanding artistic success and community involvement. The award was created in 1994 to pay tribute to the late Chiricahua Apache sculptor, patriarch of Native American sculptors, and former instructor at the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Family Services Model Expanded Nationally
by Ron Selden

A major project to keep American Indian students in school is expanding its reach across the country. "We wanted to adapt this [model] so it was applicable both to tribal colleges and mainstream colleges and universities," said coordinator Iris HeavyRunner, a Blackfeet tribal member who is working on a doctorate in social work. "[Now] it's taken on a life of its own."

Since grant funding for the project expired last year, HeavyRunner has introduced the model to other tribal and non-tribal schools across the nation, including the University of Washington in Seattle. She also has planted the program's seeds at Red Crow Community College in Standoff, Alberta. New Hampshire's Dartmouth College is next on the list. She also has been fine tuning the training for school counselors.

Development of the program, called the Family Education Model, stemmed from federal welfare program changes that abruptly pushed many tribal members off assistance rolls and into school and the workplace. The four-year project's main goal was to examine why some Indian students stay in college while others drop out. The project was created by Fort Peck Community College administrators, funded with support from the W.K. Kellogg and Ford foundations, and coordinated by HeavyRunner. (See TCJ, Vol 12, N.4, pp.10-13.)

Above all, the project found that successful students build a closely-knit support network around themselves as they make the transition into postsecondary academics, "We always look to our family first," says HeavyRunner. "If that's not there, we look to our friends. Those students who are successful have at least one person they can depend on."

While all the identified support factors may be in place, Indian students still may fail in college if they don't have adequate care for their children while they are in class or studying, if they don't have dependable transportation, if they don't have help tackling academic problems, or if they're suffering from extended grief or depression, she said. College officials need to be aware of other barriers to success when working with Indian students, including geographic isolation, poverty, unemployment, housing shortages, single parenting, and multigenerational psychic trauma.

"You cannot dismiss these things in anything you do with Indian students," she advises. Indian students often face a challenge in teaching their families about the demands of their education. Some family members, for example, may become resentful about taking care of children while their relative attends college. HeavyRunner says having a family member going to school full time "takes lots of adaptation for everyone."

For more information, contact Iris HeavyRunner by email irisrun@nemontel.net or phone (612) 991-1489. Ron Selden is a freelance writer and photographer based in Helena, MT.


Iris HeavyRunner: "We always look to our family first." Photo by Ron Selden

Elders Award Cultural Training Certificate

Elders and board members of Red Crow Community College (RCCC) honored Duane Mistaken Chief in April for successfully completing the "Five-year Elders Cultural Program." The Elders Advisory Board and the Board of Governors presented him with a certificate, the first of its kind, to recognize his efforts to retain the knowledge that the elders want transferred to future generations of Kainai. The only Canadian member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Red Crow Community College is located on the Kainaiwa Reserve in Alberta. It was established in 1986.

"Receiving this certificate is the highlight of my career. To receive this kind of recognition by our elders - the scholars of our people -- is a greater honor than receiving a degree from any institution," Mistaken Chief said. The elders have been transferring cultural knowledge to Mistaken Chief for the last five years at RCCC meetings, seminars, workshops, and personal interviews. In their words, "Nitaipommowannaan Niipaitapiiysinnaan Naa [Duane]." This means, in context, "We are transferring our life to him by way of our knowledge."

The traditional Blackfoot way of learning is by listening and watching without interrupting the elder, who is usually referred to as Kaaahsinnoona ("our grandparent"). Mistaken Chief gained the respect and trust of the elders and promised to pass the knowledge on to others, including those that attend RCCC. He said, "In this day of misinformation and pan-Indian practices, the elders have always admonished me to maintain the integrity of Kiipaitapiiysinnooni (our Blackfoot way of life)."

Using the cultural knowledge, the college has developed Kiipaitapiiysinnooni I & II professional development course, which were offered in cooperation with the University of Lethbridge. Mistaken Chief also has lectured on Blackfoot culture for the University of Calgary Bachelor of Social Work Access program. In addition to his research and curriculum development work for Red Crow, Mistaken Chief co-chairs the First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium Social Work Curriculum Development Task Force with Dr. Betty Bastien, Ph.D. Over the past 10 years, he has interviewed or received the guidance of over 70 elders of the Blood Tribe and several other Treaty Seven tribes (Siksika, Piikani, Tsu'ti'nna', and Stoney).

Panelists Strive to Empower Native Americans
by Tom Katus

Several activists associated with tribal colleges and universities provided a series of workshops on "Empowering Native Americans by Training Grassroots Organizers" at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Annual Conference, March 25-26, 2002, in Rapid City, SD. The workshops dealt with various issues related to political organizing, including voter registration and coalition building.

Bruce Miller of the Midwest States Center in Prairie Farms, WI, stressed how non-Indian progressive coalitions could expand the influence of Native Americans. After helping to organize nonpartisan, multi-issue, progressive coalitions in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, Miller said he is very willing to assist with similar coalitions in other states. He said, "We've had a lot of experience losing. We need to learn how to win."

On the same panel, Paul Robertson, chairman of the Department of Human Resources at OLC, provided examples of tribal college students' involvement with progressive coalitions. Some years ago the CIA (Cowboy Indian Alliance), a loose knit group of tribal college students, traditional leaders, non-Indian ranchers, and environmentalists, was very successful in forcing the Honeywell Corporation to give up on a bombing range they had proposed for the southern Black Hills.

Speakers at several workshops referred to the "Montana model" for increasing political involvement. For the past decade the seven tribal colleges in Montana and the organization Native Action have coordinated their efforts on nonpartisan voter registration and education. While Native Action and the colleges are careful to keep their efforts totally nonpartisan, as is required by law, their efforts have had dramatic impact. In 1992, more than 7,000 new Native American voters were registered in Montana and turned out at a record 79%. This resulted in President Bill Clinton carrying the state 38% to George Bush's 35%, with a sizable 26% to Ross Perot. Five percent of Clinton's vote came from the reservations. The Indian vote clearly was key to the re-election of U.S. Rep. Pat Williams (D), who won a squeaker election in that year with 50% of the vote.

In 2000, a record number of Native Americans were elected to the Montana State Legislature, including two women formerly affiliated with tribal colleges, Carol Juneau and Norma Bixby.

As a result of the workshops, 20 tribal college students and faculty volunteered to be grass roots organizers in their respective states. These names have all been forwarded to the party of the participant's choice for follow-up involvement in 2002 general election. Paul Robertson outlined the Grass Roots Organizing 101 course he plans to offer at Oglala Lakota College this fall. Anyone interested in replicating a similar course at a tribal college can contact him at epcloud@gwtc.net.

Tom Katus, director of the Rural Ethnic Institute, has served as a consultant to a number of the tribal colleges and AIHEC. For more information, email him at tkatus@rushmore.com.

Tribal Librarians Focus On Cultural Materials
by Anne Edinger

Tribal librarians, archivists, and curators attended a national conference, "Preserving Our Language, Memories, and Lifeways" in Mesa, AZ. During the three-day conference May 7-10, they realized how much the lines of distinction between their professions had blurred. Despite their different titles, they address similar issues in preservation, revitalization, research, and ethics. Amongst the participants were 10 tribal college librarians.

Keynote speaker Ofelia Zepeda (Ph.D., Tohono O'Odham), poet laureate of the city of Tucson and former MacArthur Fellow, emphasized the importance of Native languages in understanding the cultural materials, both tangible and intangible, that tribes are working to preserve and restore.

The conference was sponsored by a grant from the federal Institute for Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) to the "Five State Museum Program." This program, directed by Alyce Sadongei of the Arizona State Museum, has created a museum, library, cultural center, and college community of professionals with the shared goal of cultural preservation in its many forms.

Librarians attending the conference included Jani Costilla, Blackfeet Community College; Yatty Fischer and Julia Sage, Nebraska Indian Community College; Kathy Kaya, Montana State University-Bozeman; Rachel Lindvall, Sinte Gleska University; Magdalene Moccasin and Tim Bernardis, Little Big Horn College; Quincee Baker, Fort Berthold Community College; Mark Holman, Sitting Bull College; Lotti Home Gun, Blackfeet Community College; Marta Lemke, Si Tanka-Huron; John Currier, Chief Dull Knife Memorial College; and Myrna DeMarce, Cankdeska Cikana Community College.

Tribal college librarians, archivists, and curators interested in exploring opportunities for collaboration may want to explore the following:

CMN Scores a First with UW-Madison

The College of the Menominee Nation (CMN) in Keshena, WI, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-M) made history in May when they signed a unique transfer agreement. It was the first time in UW-M's 154-year history that the university entered an articulation agreement with another land grant institution in the state, according to Delia Kundin, Institutional Advancement Specialist, at the College of the Menominee Nation.

The agreement facilitates the transfer of CMN students who complete the tribal college's associate degree in sustainable development and want to study for their baccalaureate degree at UW-M. It provides a "seamless track" for students to complete their education and ultimately become eligible to complete a Ph.D. degree. The institutions also hope to deepen UW-M's understanding of the rich historical and cultural heritage of American Indian nations. They designed their inter-institutional linkage to incorporate cultural diversity into the central mission of the university.

The first transfer student enrolled in the program is Chris Caldwell (Menominee) of Keshena, who will begin classes in Madison in the fall semester. Caldwell, who has worked in the forestry industry for the Menominee Nation, plans to return to the reservation with his family after graduation.

While UW-M does not have a bachelor's degree in sustainable development, there are several academic areas for CMN alumni to choose from, including the natural resources major in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the conservation major in both that college and the college of Letters and Sciences. Other academic opportunities for students include botany, biology, economics, sociology, wildlife and forest ecology, and management.

CMN offers a two-year sustainable development program that provides graduates with skills and understanding necessary to succeed in the growing fields of conservation, alternative energy, environmental science, and natural resource management. Founded in 1993, CMN became a land grant institution in 1994 along with the other tribal college in the state, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College. CMN is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

For additional information, contact Delia Kundin at the College of the Menominee Nation, (715) 799-5600.

Natural Resources Education Project Launched

Four tribal colleges and four state universities are teaming up in a four-year U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to strengthen natural resources education in communities served by the tribal colleges in the middle Missouri River area. Iowa State University is the lead institution in partnership with four tribal colleges: Fort Berthold Community College (New Town, ND), Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates, ND), Sinte Gleska University (Mission, SD), and Nebraska Indian Community College (Macy, NE); as well as three universities, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, and the University of Nebraska.

Activities in the Natural Resources Education (NRE) project will link tribal colleges and state universities, according to Harold Crawford of Iowa State University, co-director of the project. "Natural resource education projects will integrate teaching, research, and extension in a culturally sensitive manner," says Crawford. There are two main thrusts of this grant: to improve natural resources that affect farmers, ranchers, and tribal college communities and to build the capacity of the tribal college natural resources programs.

During the first months of the project, each tribal college identified needs and determined priorities for the next three years. The needs assessment was conducted in Talking Circles with groups of farmers and ranchers, faculty and students, professionals working in natural resources, and tribal leaders and elders. Participants in the Talking Circles shared their interest and concerns in the areas of fish and wildlife, forest and woodlands, crop and rangelands, and soil and water.

Each tribal college is formulating community natural resources education projects based on needs identified in the Talking Circles. Tribal colleges will partner with one or more of the state universities to extend the knowledge base and resources. Through the grant, each tribal college has the opportunity to hire an additional natural resources educator to help carry out the integrated projects and extend their natural resources programs.

During this first year of the project, tribal colleges are also identifying means of enhancing their natural resources education programs of study. Among likely possibilities are faculty development activities, student internships at the 1862 land grant institutions, strengthening the natural resources curricula, increasing distance education, developing recruitment materials and programs, and service learning. Instructors of the eight institutions and community participants will increase their cultural understanding and ability to work together in reaching the goals of the Natural Resources Project.

For more information email Harold Crawford hrc@iastate.edu or Mary M. de Baca mmdb@iastate.edu.

Reznet Brings Journalism to Tribal Colleges

The University of Montana School of Journalism has launched a new online newspaper to encourage American Indian student journalists. "It is intended to be the school newspaper for those tribal colleges without a newspaper," according to Denny McAuliffe, the project director. He also hopes the newspaper will become an important and crowded place for Native students to gather on the internet. The electronic newspaper's first edition was expected online by early June at www.reznetnews.org.

The students transmit the stories and photos via email. Reznet hires the students around the country as reporters and pays them $50 a story to cover their tribal communities or colleges. Some of the reporters also received digital cameras. In addition to fees for stories, the "reznet" reporters will receive college credit for their work, making the project the first distance-learning journalism course available to tribal colleges.

Reznet became a reality early this year when the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation funded McAuliffe's longtime idea with a $250,000, two-year grant to the University of Montana School of Journalism. McAuliffe, enrolled in Oklahoma's Osage tribe, is the University of Montana's Native American journalist in residence. McAuliffe recruited students at the second annual American Indian Journalism Institute (AIJI), "a journalism boot camp for Native Americans," as he calls it. The summer institute at the University of South Dakota trains American Indian students in a three-week course that covers reporting, editing, and photography. The Freedom Forum, a foundation dedicated to diversity in newsrooms, funds the institute.

McAuliffe said he plans to continue working closely with the institute and with the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) to recruit and place "reznet" reporters. Untrained reporters would be steered to AIJI and NAJA's Native Voice, the annual conference newspaper produced by college students. Graduates of AIJI and Native Voice would be hired for "reznet" so they could collect enough clips to land internships--and eventually jobs--at daily or tribal newspapers. McAuliffe also plans to visit tribal colleges around the nation about once a month to recruit interested students.

The actual Reznet web site will reside in Oakland, CA, at the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, a non-profit corporation working to expand opportunities for minorities in journalism.

Anyone interested in working for "reznet" or in obtaining more information should call McAuliffe at (406) 243-2191, or email him at mcauliff@selway.umt.edu.

NPS Recruiting Students to Work in Parks

An official from the National Park Service visited the Flathead Reservation in Montana in April to make a plug for the agency as a career opportunity for tribal college students. But he reached more than the students on the Flathead Reservation's Salish Kootenai College in Pablo. He sent the message out via a televised satellite uplink from the studio of SKC-TV on the college campus, with the potential of reaching more than 18,000 students in America's tribal colleges at one time. The American Indian Higher Education Consortium Student Congress also planned to send videotapes of the presentation to all the member colleges.

"This maximizes the opportunity (of tribal college students) to learn about the National Park Service and other government jobs," David W. Harrison, chief of the Office of Higher Education and Park Initiatives in Washington, DC, said in an interview.

One difficulty in applying for jobs with the Park Service, or other federal agencies, is the massive amount of jobs available. There are 20,000 employees in the Park Service alone, for example. The jobs range from law enforcement to firefighters, administrators, maintenance workers, trades people and craft workers, such as plumbers, electricians, and carpenters. There are many openings for interns, seasonal workers, and volunteers, all of which can lead to full-time employment. Information technology also is a growing field.

Many Indian students may live next door to a National Park Service facility because they live on reservations. That means they could start working for the Park Service or other federal facility close to their homes. In fact, the National Bison Range, which is federally managed, is on the Flathead Reservation, and Glacier National Park, plus several wildlife refuges managed by the federal government, are short drives away. Two web sites with information on federal job openings are the National Park Service's job listing site www.nps.gov/personnel and the federal Office of Personnel Management's massive site www.usajobs.opm.gov.

Excerpted with permission from an article by John Stromnes in the Missoulian.

Ramon Harris Receives Jack Barden Award

During the year following his death, colleagues of the late Dr. Jack Barden have assured that his memory will live for decades to come. In February the first Jack Barden leadership award was presented to Ramon Harris. In May, United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) dedicated the Jack Barden Student Life and Technology Center. A 30-year veteran of the tribal college movement, Barden died suddenly in May 2001 (see TCJ, Vol. 13, N.1).

Barden had worked extensively with the African American, Hispanic, and Indian communities served by the Advanced Networking Project with Minority Serving Institutions (AN-MSI). Harris leads the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) portion of the AN-MSI project. He was chosen by the AN-MSI because of his leadership, including heading up the strategic planning process.

In his acceptance speech at the meeting in Puerto Rico, Harris said, "Jack epitomized an honest, challenging, and straightforward approach in ensuring that the underserved are represented and opportunities are provided for their inclusion. In accepting this honor, I will strive to continue to demonstrate those same characteristics, not for the benefit of any particular community but for all of our communities. During the past 30 months, we have learned to focus on our similarities and to leverage those similarities for the common good of Hispanic Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Tribal Colleges and Universities.

"However, Jack would ask, have we really accomplished what we set out to achieve? I suggest, he would say, as he left for a smoke, we still have a long way to go. Let's challenge one another, as well as others during the next 18 months, to achieve our initial goals and objectives that are outlined in our AN-MSI Strategic Plan. That will honor Jack!"

The new building at UTTC in Bismarck, ND, was named for Barden partially because his assessment work found that such a building would help with student retention and because he started the work to fund it. The new center has a canteen, bookstore, student lounge, peer tutoring rooms, technology training classrooms, Internet cubicles, and an early childhood learning area. Funding the center were the U.S. Department of Education-Title III, the Economic Development Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program. His widow, Jean Katus, spoke at the ceremony and said her husband would be "humbled and maybe embarrassed" by being the center of attention.

United Tribes Addresses Type 2 Diabetes

Many people still don't know the shocking statistics showing that American Indian people are four to eight times more likely to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes than non-Native people. From 1991 to 1997 the number of Natives diagnosed with the disease increased 17%, according to Wanda Agnew at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) in Bismarck, ND. The dangers to people who don't manage the disease include amputations, kidney failure and blindness. Recognizing the severe negative impact of this disease, UTTC developed a new, three-credit class, "Diabetes and Mother Earth." Diabetes and Mother Earth provides students with basic information about the tragic disease and how it impacts the mental and physical health of Indians. The first component of the class is the Awakening the Spirit curriculum called "Strong in Body and Spirit." Students learn about nutrition, fitness, and the psychosocial effects of the disease.

The second component emphasizes the benefits of gardening both from the fitness and nutritional perspective. The lessons are specifically designed to reconnect students to the earth. Discussions focus on how food was historically celebrated and gathered by various tribes. Students also study modern day plants and gardening as they design their own plot.

The third component studies hunting and fishing, while stressing exercise, healthful food selection, and preparation. There are lessons specific to the history, cooking techniques, and nutritional benefits of buffalo. Central to this component is the history of how Indian people were and still can be connected to the land and its animal inhabitants.

Diabetes and Mother Earth is just one class in the Nutrition and Foodservice Associate of Applied Science degree offered at United Tribes. The degree provides theory and hands-on experience in healthful food preparation, food science, food safety, wellness, and community nutrition. The tracks focus on either wellness/nutrition or culinary arts/cooking. Students are prepared for the national Dietary Managers certification exam and the ServSafe food safety exam. After graduation, students may transfer into a four-year nutrition program or find employment with the supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), school lunch, diabetes/wellness programs, hospitals, elderly food programs, casino kitchens, or private restaurants.

For more information about the diabetes class or the nutrition vocation visit the website www.united-tribes.tec.nd.us.

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