Volume 19 Spring 2008 Issue No. 3
In This Issue:
Beyond Our Names: Uncovering Identity
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ON CAMPUS
AIHEC Welcomes Members From Alaska, Oklahoma
The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) admitted Ilisagvik College (IC, Barrow, AK) and the College of the Muscogee Nation (CMN, Okmulgee, OK) as new members of the organization.
At its November 2007 meeting in Honolulu, the AIHEC Board of Directors voted to accept IC as a “regular” member after sending a team to visit the college to determine eligibility. To become a regular member of AIHEC, a college must meet several criteria. It must be chartered by a federally recognized American Indian tribe or an American Indian, Eskimo, or Alaska Native community; governed solely by American Indians, Eskimo, or Alaska Natives; and have a majority of American Indian, Eskimo, or Alaska Native students. In addition, regular members must be accredited or a candidate for accreditation.
Established in 1995, IC is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities as a 2-year community college. It serves a largely Iñupiat Eskimo student population.
IC President Beverly Grinage explained, “Ilisagvik College is the only institution dedicated to serving the post-secondary training and education needs of Alaska’s North Slope. We are grounded in Iñupiaq values and committed to helping our residents assume professional control of our homeland. Our goal at Ilisagvik is to help North Slope residents attain permanent employment on the North Slope.”
Ilisagvik is the first and only federally recognized tribal college in Alaska. Ilisagvik means “A Place to Learn” in the Iñupiaq language.
Following a site visit to CMN, the AIHEC Board also voted to accept the College of the Muscogee Nation as an “associate” member, which means the college met general eligibility criteria for AIHEC membership and has taken initial steps toward seeking full accreditation. CMN was established in 2004 to serve as the institution of higher education for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation emphasizing Native culture, values, language, and self-determination.
The nation is supporting the efforts of its tribal college to move forward with accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Currently, the institution has established a partnership with the Oklahoma State University system to utilize their accredited courses.
AIHEC Executive Director Dr. Gerald Gipp (Hunkpapa Lakota) welcomed the new colleges and said, “These two new colleges represent the continuing growth of the tribal college movement. We understand that not all tribal communities can build their own college; however, we expect to see an increase in the number of new tribal colleges over the next decade.”
“With the addition of our first member institution from Alaska, the advocacy base for the tribal college movement and AIHEC is increased to 14 states,” he says.
AIHEC is an organization of tribal colleges and universities with 36 in the United States and one in Canada. AIHEC’s mission is to support the work of these colleges and the movement for tribal self-determination. Founded in 1972 by the presidents of the nation’s first six tribal colleges, AIHEC is based in Alexandria, VA.
The organization provides leadership and influences public policy on American Indian higher education issues through advocacy, research, and program initiatives; promotes and strengthens indigenous languages, cultures, communities and tribal nations; and serves member institutions and emerging tribal colleges and universities.
For additional information, see www.aihec.org
Saginaw Chippewa College Granted Accreditation
By Frank Cloutier of the Tribal ObserverAfter nearly 10 years of work, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College (SCTC,
 PAUL JOHNSON. Chair of the SCTC Board of Regents, thanks staff at accreditation celebration. Photo by Marty Curry. |
Mount Pleasant, MI) achieved its goal of accreditation. On Oct. 12, 2007, the college celebrated with an accreditation luncheon attended by about 110 people.
Accreditation by the regional agency means that students attending the tribal college can transfer, and their work will be recognized and accepted. The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association accepted the tribal college as a viable candidate back in 2001. Since then, several people from the SCTC Self Study Team have worked diligently to make accreditation a reality.
Plaques of appreciation were given to SCTC President Dr. Karen Radell; Dean of Instruction Laura Gregg; Dean of Student Services Carla Sineway; Academic Services Manager Katy DenHeeten; Registrar Tracey Reed; Amanda George Dye of the SCTC Billing Department; Mico Slattery of the Native American Studies faculty; Jeremy Mertz, mathematics instructor; and Cheryl Calhoun, science instructor.
“This recognition by the Higher Learning Commission guarantees our students a level playing field while attending college. Equal ground is very important to each of our students if they are to succeed,” stated President Radell.
The HLC team visited the tribal college in April and recommended accreditation. That recommendation was confirmed in September. Because it is the college’s initial accreditation, it is for 5 years and not 10 years. In 2012, SCTC will have to conduct another self study and host another review team. In the meantime, the college is required to submit a report in 2009.
Because it is now an accredited institution, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College is now eligible to use an “edu” extension on its website and emails. The new website is www.sagchip.edu
SKC Offers Bachelor’s In Computer Engineering
Salish Kootenai College (SKC, Pablo, MT) has established a new Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering program. It is designed to prepare students for careers in the science and technology of the design, construction, implementation, and maintenance of software and hardware components of modern computing systems and computer-controlled equipment.
Computer engineers design computing systems and computing components, develop and test their prototypes, and bring them to market. NASA and the National Science Foundation have provided significant startup funding. The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities accredited the degree program in June 2007.
Salish Kootenai College is a tribally controlled college chartered in 1977 by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation. It offers a total of 8 bachelor degree programs, 13 associate degree programs, and 7 certificate programs. In 2005-2006, SKC students represented 107 federally recognized tribes.
For further information contact Tim Olson by email tim_olson@skc.edu or call (406) 275-4898.
Alberta Digital Library Serves Red Crow College
 LAUNCHING DIGITAL LIBRARY. Andy Black Water, RCCC Board of Governors Chairperson, and RCCC President Marie Smallface-Marule. Photo by Ron Good Striker. |
Red Crow Community College, a First Nations college on the Blood Reserve in Canada, is one of several postsecondary institutions to benefit from a new cutting-edge digital resource. The Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library (LHCADL) will change the landscape of information accessibility for Alberta’s learners, researchers, and faculty, according to Mary Weasel Fat, Red Crow library coordinator.
Red Crow (RCCC) was one of five sites to participate in the live broadcast launch last September. “The electronic databases will enhance our First Nations student and staff learning immensely. They will have access to a multitude of databases to assist them,” says Weasel Fat, who is also the First Nations tribal college representative on the core digital library committee.
In Edmonton, Premier Ed Stelmach, Advanced Education and Technology Minister Doug Horner, Jim Hole, and University of Alberta President Indira Samarasekera joined via video conference with MLAs and other guests at SAIT (Calgary), Red Crow Community College, Portage College (Lac La Biche), and Medicine Hat College to showcase the potential of Alberta’s leading digital library.
“We had a colorful ribbon-cutting ceremony, Blackfoot style. Our newly elected student body president, Sheena Tailfeathers, and I held the ribbon as our Board of Governors Chairperson and Elder’s Advisory Committee Representative Andy Black Water and our president, Marie Smallface-Marule, cut the ribbon,” says Weasel Fat.
As the ribbon was being cut, powwow singer Charles Eagle Speaker sang a victory song signifying the college’s successful participation in the LHCADL project. Eagle Speaker also beaded the scissors to cut the ribbon.
Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library components include the following: developing a collection of digital resources to support research and learning across the province; licensing digital journals, books, reference materials, and other specialized information to support the program needs of 35 Alberta postsecondary institutions; retrospective digitization of materials – from monographs to journals, newspapers, manuscripts, audio and video files, art, maps, artifacts, and specimens; and building the technical infrastructure, staff resources, and information literacy programming to optimize the integration of digital content into the learning environments for Albertans.
The digital library currently contains over 4.5 million licensed items, including academic journals, encyclopedias, magazine and newspaper articles, literary criticisms, and video clips.
“Lois Hole’s unwavering support of libraries and her commitment to inclusiveness and literacy made her the natural choice for the library’s name,” says Premier Stelmach. “Lois worked tirelessly to make higher education available to everyone. The Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library is the perfect symbol of her immense contribution to libraries and learning.”
The Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library is at: www.lhcadl.ca. For information, contact: Rob First Charger, communication; Neil Shade, information technology; or Mary Weasel Fat at Red Crow Community College, telephone number (403) 737-2400.
Sitting Bull Recognized For Housing Management
During last fall’s Annual Travois Indian Country Tax Credit Conference in Seattle, WA, Sitting Bull College (SBC) was recognized for its best practices in managing its tax credit, student-family housing project. The SBC housing project began in November 2002 and was completed in June 2004. It includes 18 housing units located on the new college campus in Fort Yates, ND.
Candace Eagle, manager for the housing project, participated in the annual Travois conference, where she shared information about how to run a successful tax credit program.
“We have great tenants and a great management team,” Eagle says. “Besides our onsite resident manager and housing office staff, SBC has a housing committee made up of a variety of staff and administrators who help guide the program.” The college re-certifies residents annually, with dwellings leased for no longer than 6-month terms, with the option to renew every six months.
Eagle also participated in the production of a promotional video that will tell the story of the Sitting Bull College-Travois partnership. “Our college is completely satisfied with the services that Travois has offered and provided, starting from the initial and re-certification process for obtaining a family unit to the consultation on compliance procedures for both investors and the state,” Eagle says.
Besides the success in managing the project, the SBC tax credit housing project also plays a vital role in student life on the new campus, especially since the lack of housing is a major issue on the reservation.
Men’s and women’s dormitories are not scheduled for construction until after 2008, making it difficult for some students to attend classes at SBC due to the housing shortage.
“The housing project is extremely important in the recruitment and retention of students at the college, especially in completing their academic goals,” Eagle says. “We serve the families of the students at the housing project so they can be successful in their educational, professional, and personal lives while living on campus.”
According to its website, Travois, Inc., is an Indian housing consulting company based in Red Lodge, MT, that has adapted the federal low-income housing tax credit program for use by tribal colleges to house non-traditional students.
For questions about the Sitting Bull College tax credit housing program, contact Candace Eagle at (701) 854-8000 or email to info@sbci.edu. For information about Travois, see www.travois.com
Building Trades Revived At Fort Belknap College
In fall 2007, Fort Belknap College (FBC, Harlem, MT) rejuvenated its building trades program by offering courses in carpentry. Robert “Bobby” Kittson, a Blackfeet Native, has joined the FBC family and is working with 11 enthusiastic students. The revitalization of the carpentry program coincides with the college’s new Native American Career and Technical Education Program (NACTEP), where Kittson is the instructor and carpentry advisor.
Kittson has the experience and determination to make a positive influence on students. His rapport with his students is evident when observing their classroom work and work in the field. Kittson approaches his instruction with two focuses: (1) safety and (2) practicality.
One of their first projects was to build a “haunted house” for the Speaking White Clay Immersion School (grades 3-5), which is located on the Fort Belknap College campus. The Halloween fundraiser project proved to be a very good learning experience for the students. The twisting maze of the haunted house structure had to be strong enough to withstand the onslaught of terrified bodies rushing through the corridors and was designed creatively to be taken apart and reused in the future.
The carpentry program is designed for students to receive a certificate at the end of one year. The carpentry students are Lynn Cliff, Vincent Gone, Will Gray, Jr., Myron Ironchild, Douglas Main, Austin Martin, Cody McCabe, Ennis Russell, Cody Shortman, Maxine Clifford, and Al LaRoque.
Eat Right, Ride Bikes Program Fights Obesity
 NEW BIKES, BIG SMILES. Hayden Strong Heart (Standing Rock), 9, grade four, demonstrates a new bike from the Eat Right and Ride program. Photo by Dennis Neumann. |
Students at Theodore Jamerson Elementary School (TJES) on the campus of United Tribes Technical College (UTTC, Bismarck, ND) now have their own fleet of brand new bicycles. Twenty-five new bikes and helmets were delivered at the beginning of the school year as part of a new program called Eat Right and Ride.
Eat Right and Ride was developed by the college’s USDA Extension Land Grant Department and funded by a $10,000 grant from the General Mills Foundation.
“For these young people, we are connecting the fun of bike riding with being healthy,” says Karen Paetz, UTTC Land Grant Programs director. “We will teach about nutrition and physical activity. It’s all aimed at countering the trend that shows American Indian youngsters are disproportionately affected by obesity, diabetes, and suicide.”
UTTC is one of 50 community-based organizations or schools across the country that received General Mills grants totaling $500,000 to support innovative youth nutrition and fitness programs. The grant is part of the General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids Program, a partnership of General Mills, the American Dietetic Association Foundation, and the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.
On the day the bikes were delivered, Officer Mark Keller of the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department provided bike safety instruction to the TJES students. SuAnn Schmitz, nutrition coordinator, UTTC-USDA extension land grant programs, emphasized eating right and physical activity.
The youngsters will be able to ride the bikes by checking them out from the college’s Strengthening Lifestyle program located in the campus wellness center. According to TJES Principal Sam Azure, 207 students attend the school. It is the highest attendance the school has recorded since opening in 1971.
For more information, contact Sam Azure, principal, Theodore Jamerson Elementary School, (701) 255-3285 x 1304, or SuAnn Schmitz, nutrition coordinator, UTTC-USDA Extension Land Grant Program, x 1397 or sschmitz@uttc.edu
College Fund Selects Andrew Mellon Fellows
The American Indian College Fund has selected four recipients for its prestigious Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Faculty Career Enhancement Fellowship Program for 2007-08. Sharon Fredericks, Terry Gomez, Matthew Martinez, and Joni Murphy will each receive a $30,000 fellowship geared to assist tribal college faculty members who are in the final stages of completing a terminal degree.
Through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the fund launched the program in 2004. The program was created to increase the number of faculty who possess a terminal degree at the nation’s tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). It is designed to provide each fellow with financial assistance to complete the dissertation writing process free of financial and professional demands.
Sharon Fredericks (Menominee), is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Education at Capella University. Since 2001, Fredericks has taught at the College of Menominee Nation (CMN, Keshena, WI) Department of Early Childhood Education.
Frederick’s dissertation suggests a discrepancy between the number of minority students and minority faculty in higher education. She notes that even institutions that cater to certain ethnic groups are struggling to find faculty representative of their student body. Her research will describe the experiences of non-Native tribal college faculty members as they work to understand and embrace American Indian culture. Her research also will provide methods to develop effective tools to support non-Native faculty at TCUs.
Terry Gomez (Comanche Nation) is a Master of Fine Arts student in the Department of Dramatic Writing at the University of New Mexico. Since 2004, Gomez has been a faculty member at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA, Santa Fe, NM), teaching courses in dramatic writing, acting, and play production. She is also an IAIA alumna.
Gomez’s thesis is a collection of three plays focusing on the history of how Native American women are negatively depicted in theater and film. She describes how this contributes to an invisibility of Native woman in society, low self-esteem, and a re-identification of self, especially in the case of younger people. She will develop the plays into full productions.
Matthew Martinez (Ohkay Owingeh/San Juan Pueblo) is a Ph.D. student in the American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota. He also serves as a faculty member in the Indigenous Liberal Arts Department at IAIA.
Martinez’s dissertation examines the fields of photography, tourism, and Pueblo historiography. His research details how tourism helps construct indigenous identities and representations. He explores how tourism has changed since the 1980s as the northern Pueblo tribes exerted greater participation and control in the industry, producing and circulating photographic images that better represent themselves and their communities.
Joni Murphy (Muscogee) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Art History at the University of Kansas. She has served as a faculty member in the English Department at Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU, Lawrence, KS) for 5 years and is a HINU alumna.
Murphy’s dissertation will explore Native American culture, history, philosophy, and identity as reflected in the work of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Quick-to-See Smith is a Salish painter/printmaker who exhibits her work, curates Native exhibitions, and lectures internationally, and who burst onto the international art scene in the late 1970s.
Murphy’s research demonstrates how Quick-to-See Smith’s art has developed the modern Native American art context by using symbolic motifs that give spiritual depth to contemporary paintings and drawings. Murphy’s study will be the first comprehensive monographic study of Quick-to-See Smith.
The fund has also released a new 5-minute documentary video describing how the fund improves the lives of American Indian college students attending tribal colleges and universities. It can be seen on the fund’s web site at www.collegefund.org
A team attended tribal college graduation ceremonies to record students, elders, tribal college presidents, and community members as they described the miracles produced by tribal colleges’ cultural-based education.
With its credo “Educating the Mind and Spirit,” the Denver-based American Indian College Fund is the nation’s largest provider of private scholarships for American Indian students, providing more than 6,000 scholarships annually for students seeking to better their lives and communities through education at the nation’s accredited tribal colleges and universities.
For more information about the American Indian College Fund or to make a donation, visit www.collegefund.org. To request copies of the video, contact Dina Horwedel, (303) 426-8900, or email dhorwedel@collegefund.org
Solar heat at United Tribes and Turtle Mountain
 FOUNDER, HONOR THE EARTH. Winona LaDuke viewed the UTTC solar panel installation. Photo by Dennis Neumann. |
Students from the United Tribes Technical College’s Environmental Science program were present for the installation of a solar heating panel at one of the college’s family housing units.
Two environmental organizations, Honor The Earth of Minneapolis, MN, and Trees, Water, and People of Fort Collins, CO, were involved in the demonstration in renewable energy.
“United Tribes is a good place for one of these,” says Winona LaDuke (White Earth Anishinaabe), who is an environmentalist, economist, writer, and Honor the Earth founder. “UTTC is an institution that has the potential to be a model of sustainability. The college can demonstrate solar and wind technology and help train people from all of the reservations in North Dakota.”
The unit was built and installed by Henry Red Cloud of Lakota Solar Enterprises, Pine Ridge, SD. The design utilizes modern building materials that are commercially available. Sealed inside each panel made by Red Cloud at his workshop in Pine Ridge is a 4 by 8 foot sheet of black chrome, which is ultra efficient at absorbing heat from the sun’s rays.
According to Richard Fox, national director for Trees, Water, and People, each unit will produce a minimum monthly savings of 25% on heating costs fueled by natural gas.
“We primarily are working to develop the expertise in renewable energy in Native American communities,” says Fox. “So the college is certainly an integral part of that.” Since beginning in 2006, Lakota Solar Enterprises has installed 175 panels at houses on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota.
Before Red Cloud finished installing the UTTC panel, it was already at work, billowing heat from a rear port. A quick check with a remote thermometer showed the 63 degree outside air had warmed to 144 degrees.
Each unit is constructed facing south adjacent to a house – not on it – and uses a small electric blower attached to flexible duct-work to bring the sun-warmed air directly into the living room.
“I thought it was really something,” says Mike Matheny, director of UTTC’s Construction Technology Program. “I like the whole concept. Low cost and easy to install.”
Matheny expressed interest in having students in his program receive training in how to do the installation. United Tribes has 47 individual family houses on its campus on the edge of Bismarck. According to Matheny, there will be more discussions at UTTC about using alternative energy on campus, including possibly constructing a wind energy demonstration unit and a solar heated house.
Honor The Earth predicts that Turtle Mountain Community College, Belcourt, ND, soon will be the first “off-grid” college campus in the country, using geothermal and wind energy (see TCJ, Vol. 17, No.2). In 2003, the first Native-owned utility-scale wind turbine was installed on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.
“Basically Native nations can either participate in the last energy economy – where we combust ourselves into oblivion,” wrote LaDuke in an Honor the Earth publication. “Or we can participate in the next energy economy – where we look out for those generations ahead and make sound economic and environmental decisions, choices that better reflect our traditional values and protect our lands.”
LaDuke promotes solar heating as a cost-effective alternative for tribes to help pay the monthly heating costs of low-income members. “When it comes to fuel assistance, at what point do we have efficiency?” she says. “Why continue to invest in the rising cost of heating fuels when you can provide long-term supplemental heat with one of these?”
 STUDENT ROYALTY FROM SGU. Shere Lynn Wright (Sicangu Lakota/Rosebud Sioux), 26, was selected as the 15th Miss Indian Nations during the United Tribes International Powwow. Wright is a student at Sinte Gleska University (SGU, Mission, SD) from Rosebud, SD. She has twice been selected Miss SGU Wikoshkalaka (Young Woman). In an essay, Wright wrote that she is proud to be Native American. “I come from humble surroundings and have empathy for the people and can relate to them.” Photo by Dennis Neumann. |
Oglala Lakota College’s TV Programs Win Awards
Oglala Lakota College’s (OLC, Kyle, SD) TV Production Program won two awards in 2007: The State Director’s Award from South Dakota’s Office of Career and Technical Education in the Arts (AV Technology and Communications cluster) and the Wilma Mankiller Media Education Award from the Native Voice Film Festival.
The Mankiller award was for demonstrating innovation through media production training; it came with a gift of a professional AVID editing software package from the AVID Corporation. The award was presented at the annual conference of the National Congress of American Indians held in Denver, CO, last fall.
A letter from the office of the Native Voice Film Festival states, “The OLC Applied Science Department has demonstrated innovation through the implementation of media production training opportunities, and the excellence of the program has been demonstrated through the resulting inspiration, enthusiasm, and produced work of your students.”
“We are very proud of the accomplishments of the students through Kathy Aplan’s instruction,” says Marilyn Kockrow, chair of the OLC Applied Science Department.
“I am delighted with the progress of the students and their accomplishments,” says Aplan. “I am pleased with the support of President Tom Shortbull, the OLC staff, the OLC Board of Trustees, and the tribe.”
The Spring ‘08 semester course offerings include Live TV Production I, a 6-hour class that will give students an introduction to the camera and camera techniques, lighting, audio, and editing. OLC’s TV Production Program offers the latest in digital video technology to educate students.
Students have presented their work at various film festivals and other venues. The Vision Maker Film Festival of Native American Public Telecommunications showed “War Ponies” created by students Jesse Short Bull and Brandon Ferguson. The National Museum of the American Indian played “White Clay,” a Thanksgiving video by Jesse Short Bull during Thanksgiving weekend. (Jesse Short Bull was featured in TCJ, Vol. 18, No.1 and TCJ, Vol. 19, No. 1, for his short stories.)
For more information about the TV Production Program, contact Kathy Aplan at (455) 6122 or OLC at (605) 455-6000, fax (605) 455-2787, and online at www.olc.edu
SKC Marks 10th Year Of Offering Online Classes
In 1997, Salish Kootenai College (SKC, Pablo, MT) began offering its first online courses to a handful of students who lived off campus. It was a significant undertaking since few others attempted to offer online courses to American Indian students at that time. (See TCJ, Vol. 10, No. 3) SKC received grants from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to begin its work on e-Learning.
Students were tribal members who relocated in Canada and on Indian reservations across Montana. Several were physically challenged. In the early years, five students from Browning, MT, and a student from Australia completed a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services all online. In 2001, Dr. Lori Lambert (Abenaki) was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Asynchronous Teacher of the Year National Award for dedication to the project and to the students. She is currently a faculty trainer at SKC.
The Pathways Learning Management System eventually replaced Lotus Notes Learning Space. Developed under a TCUP grant by Al Anderson and his team, the system applies the best qualities of all the learning platforms. Today online students at SKC are living in Arizona, New Mexico, and on reservations across Montana.
“Many institutions are jumping into the distance arena with high technology- interactive classrooms. However, they are forgetting that students learn from competent instructors who are trained in communicating through the technology,” Lambert says. At SKC, the instructors have master’s or Ph.D.’s and were trained by members of the e-Learning Team.
Today, after 10 years of experience in the online environment, SKC offers over 200 courses in a number of disciplines, including Nursing, Forestry, Environmental Science, Biology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Elementary Education, and Native Studies. Every quarter approximately 150 students from 83 different tribes enroll for the 30 offered online classes.
“Over the past 10 years, we have learned much about offering online classes to Native students,” Lambert says. In some disciplines it is more appropriate for students to come to campus a few times a quarter in a hybrid class. For example, NASA scientists deliver the Computer Engineering degree to students; the instructor from NASA comes to campus. Other subjects lend themselves to the total online environment.
Technology allows access to college work for Native students living in remote areas. Students are able to achieve their goals of a college education without leaving their homes, families, and communities. Without online learning technology, educational goals may be impossible to achieve since students must leave home and jobs to relocate, leave the security of their tribe, and perhaps place children or elders in alternative caregiving situations. Such costs are not only expensive in terms of financial expenditure but also in terms of the emotional expense of separation, Lambert says.
“Learning in cyberspace from a tribal college brings hope and the dream of a future for American Indian students. e-Learning is not for everyone nor is it appropriate for every instructor, but if students are well disciplined in time management and have excellent computer skills, e-Learning is an exciting way to provide access to a tribal college education,” Lambert says.
But questions remain, according to Lambert: “How does this type of education impact Indigenous communities? What are the issues of access for Indigenous peoples? What are the ethical implications of not providing access?”
For more information on registering for online classes, contact the registrar at Salish Kootenai College or go to the website, www.skc.edu, and click on the e-Learning link.
Red Feather Wins AIHEC Conference Logo Contest
 SANDRA RED FEATHER, LOGO DESIGNER. Her art promotes the 27th annual meeting of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Photo courtesy of United Tribes News. |
A design by Sandra Red Feather, Pine Ridge, SD, won a logo contest for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Annual Student Conference. Red Feather, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is a second- year student in the United Tribes Technical College’s Art-Art Marketing Program.
“It feels great,” says Red Feather about having her design selected. “I had never won an art contest before.” Art-Art Marketing Instructor Wayne Pruse encouraged Red Feather to enter the contest. She did her research on the internet, visiting the websites of schools around the country that attend the annual event.
The 2008 AIHEC Student Conference is sponsored by the tribal colleges in North Dakota and scheduled for March 17-20 in Bismarck. It brings together students, faculty, and administrators from 37 member institutions, located primarily in the Western part of the nation, that serve the higher education needs of American Indian students.
Red Feather designed the logo over the course of 3 weeks entirely in the computer using the program Adobe Illustrator. She received ideas and suggestions from other students and technical help and guidance from her instructor, Colleen Bredahl.
The design contains images of creatures in the natural world that Red Feather selected because they are common to regions of the country where AIHEC schools are located. As a background she chose the colors of the Medicine Wheel.
With her success, Red Feather says she’s thinking about entering other work in the graphic design categories of the AIHEC student competition. The annual competition includes categories for a wide range of student accomplishments. In the arts alone, students may enter works in subdivisions for textiles, ceramics, pottery, jewelry, sculpture, beadwork, leatherwork, and quillwork, just to name a few.
Other major divisions of the AIHEC competition include critical inquiry, business, traditional plants, speech, web pages, science, writing, and the always popular knowledge bowl.
Red Feather’s logo design also contains the phrase: “Coming Together as One,” the theme of the event.
SBC, Haskell Science Students Win at AISES
Students from both Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates, ND) and Haskell Indian Nations University (Lawrence, KS) won awards at the Undergraduate Research Poster and Oral Competition at the annual national American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Conference in Phoenix, AZ, on Nov. 2, 2007.
In the poster competition Michael Daugomah from Haskell captured second place with his presentation entitled “Ultra Fast Laser Micro-machined 3161L Stainless Steel FOIL Surface Roughness Characterization and Enhancement.”
Tatum Davis, also from Haskell, placed third with her presentation, “Genetic Consequences of Artificial Selection on Amino Acid Synthesis Genes: Cysteine Synthase and Chorismate Mutase.”
Charlene Carr from New Mexico State University took first place with her presentation entitled “Chili (Capsicum annuum) Studies on Transformation and Regeneration.”
In the oral competition, Dereck Stonefish from Sitting Bull College took first place with his presentation, “Optimal Foraging Theory in Froelich Dam.”
Second place in oral went to Allyson Two Bears, also from Sitting Bull College, with her presentation, “Morphological Characteristics of Western Painted Turtles on Standing Rock Reservation.”
Tala Smith from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke placed third with her presentation entitled “The Effects of Varying Gravitational Fields on Immune Complex Formation.”
The All Nations Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (ANLSAMP) sponsors the Science Poster and Oral Research Competition and other such competitions so tribal college students can showcase their research and knowledge. ANLSAMP is located at Salish Kootenai College (Pablo, MT) and funded by the National Science Foundation.
The goal of ANLSAMP is to increase the number of Native American students successfully completing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The goal is accomplished through direct participant support and collaborations with partner institutions. ANLSAMP serves state and private institutions as well as 25 tribal colleges and universities.
For more information about the AISES Conference and ANLSAMP, contact Steve Dupuis, IMSI-ANLSAMP director at Salish Kootenai College, by phone at(406) 275-4996 or by email steve_dupuis@skc.edu
Three Presidents Honored For Over 30 Years’ Work
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Three well-known presidents of tribal colleges who have served for at least 30 years were honored at last fall’s United Tribes Intertribal Summit: Lionel Bordeaux, president of Sinte Gleska University (SGU, Mission, SD); David Gipp, president of United Tribes Technical College (UTTC, Bismarck. ND); and Joe McDonald, president of Salish Kootenai College (SKC, Pablo, MT). Over the past years, each of these Indian leaders has received numerous other awards. Each has also served in many other capacities besides being tribal college presidents.
Lionel R. Bordeaux, 67, (also known as Wakeah Wamblee, Eagle Thunder) was working on his doctoral dissertation in educational administration at the University of Minnesota in 1973 when he was named the first president of what was then known as Sinte Gleska College. SGU was awarded accreditation in 1977.
Bordeaux, a member of the South Dakota Hall of Fame, was also the first recipient of the “Living Legend Award” bestowed by the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development last year. He and his wife Barbara have four adult children.
David M. Gipp (also known by his Hunkpapa Lakota name, Wicahpi Isnala, which translates as Lone Star) has been president at UTTC since 1977. (See ‘Voices’ on page 62.)
Joe McDonald, 74, was appointed president at Salish Kootenai College in 1978, and he’s been president ever since. The college started with 50 students meeting in a single building over 30 years ago; it now occupies a 140-acre campus with over 1,100 students.
He and his wife, Sherri, have been married for over 55 years. They have four grown children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. The McDonald children all received some of their education at SKC, including one granddaughter who received her associate’s degree from the college. McDonald completed his doctorate in education in 1981 at the University of Montana.
According to one interview last year, McDonald considered retiring this year when he turns 75, but the college board agreed to let him stay on as president beyond that, to June 2009. A new $5.5 million special-events center, which includes a 2,700-seat gymnasium, was opened in December 2007 on the SKC campus; it is named the Joe McDonald Health and Athletic Center.
White Earth College Marks 10th Anniversary
White Earth Tribal and Community College (WETCC, Mahnomen, MN) celebrated its 10th anniversary with four days of activities Nov. 5-8, 2007. The White Earth Reservation Tribal Council established the college on Oct. 7, 1997. The college started with 41 students, the number has grown to 132 this year.
A drum ceremony led by Frank Steck, followed by a brunch, started the events in the Gaa-tazhi-bazigwiitamaagowiziyang (main building). Speakers included Andy Favorite on “White Earth History” and David deGroat on “Jurisdiction in Indian Country.” A concluding gala featured a feast at the Shooting Star Events Center. Anishinaabeg Today reported the college founders were honored at the gala, including White Earth Chairwoman Erma J. Vizenor, who said, “This is the best investment the tribe has ever made, when we invest in education, we are guaranteed a return.”
College programs were showcased throughout the celebration. Karen Goulet and her art students hosted a drawing presentation, Emma King spoke on the college admissions process at the WadookodaadingStudent Success Center, and Jeff Jentz’s Native Writing class discussed “Values and Virtues for the New Millennium Student.”
Jean Bakka’s Skills for Success class hosted visitors in the Smart Room while Leah Prussia addressed psychological topics. Steve Dahlberg discussed Native sciences, and Nyleta Belgarde taught an Ojibwe class. Open houses were also held at the Imbamenimaag (Nursing Education) Building and the Gekinoo’imaagejig (Teacher Education) Building.
FBCC “White Ant” Wing Honors Former Instructor
 THEIR LATEST MURAL. The FBCC Student Union building is transformed by the skill and talent of the Mural Painting Class. Photo courtesy of Shannon D. Fox. |
Fort Berthold Community College (FBCC, New Town, ND) has named a building wing Pit’aru’taka or “White Ant” to honor James Fisher, a beloved English instructor who passed on in 2005. “White Ant” was his Sahnish name. (See TCJ, Vol. 17, No. 1.)
The upper level of the two-story building was completed last fall and dedicated in a community celebration. The new addition contains start-of-the-art labs and meeting rooms while the lower level houses the student union, an internet café, and the cafeteria. The building was funded by grants from USDA, American Indian College Fund, HUD, and Title III.
Four of five large murals in the building were painted by FBCC students under the guidance of their art instructor, Ryan Burr. The Mural Painting class in Fall 2007 worked on a mural depicting three images: historic, contemporary, and regional. The paintings include a bear dancer from the Arikara tribe, a fancy shawl dancer, and images of a horse and an eagle.
In other news, FBCC has a dual credit program so that local high school students can earn college credit prior to their high school graduation. Three students who completed a college course designed to promote study in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) enrolled at FBCC in the fall of 2007. Twelve more high school students enrolled in the STEM class at the beginning of the current academic year. The students undergo an admissions process to enroll in the class.
Tohono O’odham College Building Teacher Ranks
Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC, Sells, AZ) received a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund Project Native America Teachers for Indigenous Values in Education (Project NATIVE II) for 4 years. By working together with the University of Arizona College of Education, the project aims to increase the number of American Indian teachers and administrators in schools serving Native students.
Through the first phase of Project NATIVE, the tribal college placed 12 new teachers on or near the Tohono O’odham Nation. With this phase, TOCC is supporting 20 members of the Tohono O’odham Nation and the nearby Pascua Yaqui Tribe as they earn their bachelor degrees in education and become certified teachers on the Tohono O’odham Nation or in Tucson schools with high American Indian enrollment. The Project NATIVE director is Alma Vince.
FBC Student Succeeds In Tribal IDs Campaign
By Charlene M. Forman
It all started when Burt Rider (Assiniboine) went to an off-reservation establishment in Havre, MT, to get something to eat. Before he could order, the attendant asked for his identification. Since the business had a casino, he needed identification to prove that he was of age. When Rider presented his tribal government identification card, the attendant told him that was not acceptable as a form of legal identification.
Rider pointed out that it was recognized by the federal government as a legal source of identification. He said that the Fort Belknap Tribe is a sovereign nation. The tribe accepts non-Indian identification cards, so non-Indians should accept ours. His argument was to no avail so he had to go to Billings, MT, a drive of three-hours, to get his driver’s license.
The incident inspired him to write an essay for his Composition Class at Fort Belknap College, and then he took the essay to a fellow tribal member, journalist Jennifer Perez, for her critique. Perez, then a Fort Belknap News journalist, shared his essay with her mother, Rep. Margarett Campbell (D-Poplar, Assiniboine), who submitted it to the Montana State Legislature.
In February 2007, it passed and was signed into law. The bill was named after Rider to honor his activism. As with any change, it caused controversy. Newspapers carried comments such as: “… we should allow them to print their own money…as if there isn’t enough fraud and abuse already with state issued ID cards.” And “I will change my business policy; I now need two forms of ID effective Oct. 1.”
There were also positive comments such as, “This has been LONG overdue… I’m glad to see Schweitzer [the Montana governor] and Montana step up to the plate and give tribal government and members the respect they deserve…”
Roosevelt County Commissioner Gary Macdonald told a Great Falls Tribune reporter, “We strongly believe that since these are independent governments, their forms of ID ought to be accepted by the state, just as we accept theirs.”
Despite the law, private businesses do not have to accept tribal ID cards, according to the Montana Legislature’s Legal Office, just as there is no law that requires private businesses to accept state driver’s licenses.
Rider graduated from the tribal college in May 2007 with an Associate of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts. Along with his diploma, Burt Rider holds in his possession the official House Bill-789 signed on April 2, 2007. This bill not only benefits Rider, it benefits all Indians on all seven reservations in the state of Montana.
Charlene M. Forman (Gros Ventre) did the research for this article for Instructor Cristina Estrada’s Comp. II class at Fort Belknap College in May 2007.
In the News
Spokane Tribal College now has two sites in Washington state, a main office in Wellpinit and classrooms at Gonzaga University in Spokane. Gonzaga offered former museum space so that Native Americans living in the city of Spokane could take advantage of tribal college education. Salish
Kootenai College (SKC, Pablo, MT) also supports the tribal college; it is accredited through SKC. In an Indian Country Today article by Jack McNeel, SKC President Joe McDonald says, “The Salish, Kootenai, and Spokanes are very closely related. We speak very much the same language and share many of the same families. This is another step in the development of the college. My hat is off to Gonzaga for opening the door.”
Dr. Eulynda J. Toledo (Diné) was featured in Diverse magazine’s Nov. 29, 2007, cover story regarding her work with the Boarding School Healing Project. Toledo is also an early childhood instructor at Navajo Technical College in Crownpoint, NM. The Boarding School Healing project deals with intergenerational trauma of the Native American boarding school era. For information on the project, visit www.boardingschoolhealingproject.org.
 LINDA SUE WARNER. HINU president explores wellness and indigenizing college programs. Photo courtesy of HINU. |
Linda Sue Warner (Comanche) took up the reins as president of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS, last year. Warner is looking at how to further indigenize the school in all departments and to increase wellness, according to an article by Mary Pierpoint in Indian Country Today. She plans to invite people to walk more and will work with the cafeteria staff so they might cook and serve healthier meals. Warner has encouraged everyone to see themselves as teachers and to help others become their own success stories. Staff members are asked to think into the future about how they affect others positively. In the article, Warner is quoted, '”You know, when I came here, I told them we are in Kansas. Some people may think I am the wicked witch of the West or Glinda the good witch of the North; I just tell them, ‘I don't have a magic wand. All I promised was that I would be accountable, respectful, cooperative, and honest; that is who I am.’”
OLC Board Makes All Its Campuses Tobacco Free
Oglala Lakota College (OLC, Kyle, SD) announced that effective Jan. 1, 2008, OLC became a tobacco-free campus at each of its college centers and the Piya Wiconi Administrative Headquarters.
OLC previously made its facilities smoke free, but at its August 2007 meeting, the OLC Board of Trustees passed a policy saying all of its campuses would be tobacco free.
“I am proud of our decision to become a tobacco-free campus,” says Newton Cummings, OLC Board of Trustees president. “We are committed to providing a healthy, comfortable, and productive environment for our students, faculty, and staff.
The policy prohibits the use of all tobacco products, including spit tobacco. The policy applies to students, faculty, staff, and visitors at all college facilities, including buildings, sidewalks, parking lots, building entrances, and common areas. The policy has no effect on sacred use of traditional tobacco.
The OLC college centers are at Pine Ridge, Oglala, Batesland, Manderson, Porcupine, Rapid City, Allen, Martin, Kyle, Wanblee, and Eagle Butte. The OLC Nursing Program Campus had previously implemented a tobacco-free campus.
“The reason that the Board of Trustees passed the new policy is that it wanted to send a message to our students, staff, and reservation citizens of its great concern that tobacco use causes major health problems with Indian people,” says OLC President Thomas Shortbull.
“Due to one of the highest uses of tobacco among racial groups, Indian people have a higher incidence of lung cancer, heart trouble, and other tobacco-associated illnesses among Indian people.” says Shortbull.
“Our college has responsibility to its graduates to not only provide them with a fine education but also put them on the path of a healthy lifestyle.” Shortbull says.
In its effort to reduce tobacco use, Oglala Lakota College applied for and received a $25,000 grant from the Tobacco Prevention Program with the South Dakota Department of Health.
The funding will be used to have tobacco cessation workshops with the OLC students.
For information, contact Thomas Shortbull at (605) 455-6020 or Marilyn Pourier, OLC development director, at (605)455-6045.