Volume IX Spring/Summer 1998 Number 4

On Campus

United Tribes says every child sacred

United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, N.D., has begun a five-year demonstration project to implement a strategic mental health plan for Native American children in the state. The project is designed to keep children in their families and communities when possible instead of having them shipped off to Youth Correction Centers, the North Dakota State Hospital, and foster care. Although Native American children comprise only 7 percent of the children in the state of North Dakota, they represent over 33 percent of the children in foster care, the State Hospital, and the Youth Correctional Center. 

"We want to repatriate our children," says Susan Paulson, director of the program. The state has lacked community-based services and cooperation amongst agencies. "We end up spending all this money and alienating the children more," Paulson (Hidatsa/Arikara) says. The program uses a "wrap-around intervention" process, which is centered on the strengths of the child and family. The agencies collaborate with the family to meet the needs of the child, utilizing both the formal and informal support provided by trusted people within the extended family and community. For example, a favorite uncle may agree to visit a troubled young man daily. The program relies upon Native American structures such as clanship, tiospaye, and other familial systems to support families. Support teams never include more than 50 percent professionals.

The program is based upon the philosophy that every child is sacred. "It is the teaching of our ancestors to embrace each child in unconditional love and caring and to enable them to become what they were intended to be by the Creator," the philosophy statement says. The Center for Mental Health Services in the Department of Health and Human Services provides funding. Sacred Child is one of only three Native programs funded for this purpose in the nation. 

Paulson also directs the Native American Children and Family Services Training Institute at Sitting Bull College, which will do all the training. The institute has developed a culturally competent training manual for foster parents by "Indian-izing" the state training. 

The program will result in a statewide strategic Native American plan for children's mental health. It involves the four tribal governments in North Dakota, the state government, Indian Health Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other non-profits working with Native children and families. Every phase of the program will involve research and evaluation. For more information, contact Sacred Child Project, UTTC, 3315 University Dr., Building 30, Bismarck N.D. 58504 or phone (701) 255-3285 ext. 385.

NICC communities capturing their power

Nebraska Indian Community College has embarked on a program to increase leadership and "capture power" in the communities it serves in Nebraska and South Dakota. The assets-building project began with educational summits in several communities to determine the local strengths and what kind of educational system would best build on those strengths. Accustomed to focusing on their problems instead of their assets, participants gradually began to voice their strengths, according to Carolyn K. Fiscus, community educator at NICC. For example, the Omaha kinship system is one of strengths of the Omaha tribal community. NICC serves the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, as well as some members of the Ponca Tribe. Fiscus, who is HoChunk (Winnebago), said the project involves the college, the tribal councils on the three reservations, and the public schools. 

Through the community work, the need for more Indian teachers and role models has emerged as a priority. Although the students in the public schools are 90 percent Indian, only three teachers in the kindergarten through twelfth grade schools are Indian. Out of a kindergarten class of 65 on the Omaha Reservation, less than 20 will graduate this spring, 13 years later. Last year, half of the babies born had teenage mothers, and most of these mothers were not in school. Working with the University of Nebraska, the college is developing teacher training. The tribes need a comprehensive cultural education program, birth to grave, she says. Although the Head Start program provides culture and language education, students are not offered cultural classes again until they enter the tribal college. The educators also plan to hold a youth summit on education. 

The results of the "asset-mapping" in the community will be incorporated into the college's programs. Eventually, they may result in a cradle to grave education codes on each of the three reservations. "We need to be contemporary warriors and to take education into our own hands," Fiscus says.

Billy opens Executive Order office

Carrie L. Billy has been sworn in as the director for the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities. Billy was formerly the federal relations counsel for the American Indian higher Education Consortium. In her new role, Billy (Navajo) will assist in forming and working with the President's Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities, which will be housed in the Department of Education in Washington. The office's mission is to help improve higher education opportunities for Native Americans. 

Carrie Billy is the director of the White House tribal college initiative. Photo by Bleacher and Everard 

"I'm proud to have this office in our department," U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley told the tribal college presidents who met with him in February. "I feel that getting to know about tribal colleges will eventually affect the whole country. You have a great cause. You have a responsibility to get your people into education, and we have a responsibility to do our part," he told them.

President Clinton established the initiative in an executive order Oct. 19, 1996. It is designed to increase the tribal colleges' and universities' access to federal resources.

Billy's work for AIHEC began in October 1996. She helped develop the legislative agenda for the nation's 30 tribal colleges and universities. Prior to that, she served as a legislative assistant for U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman. She earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

West Point introduced to Cheyenne math

"Do you know how the Cheyenne used to count the buffalo?" asked Dr. Richard Littlebear at a conference on mathematics and cultural integration held at West Point Military Academy last fall. "We would lay on the ground, count all the legs, and divide by four!" After the crowd's laughter quieted, Dr. Littlebear changed to a more serious tone. He emphasized the value of the interdisciplinary approach to academics for which West Point has become famous. 

Dull Knife Memorial College (Lame Deer, Mont.) faculty Russ Lundgren and Dr. Littlebear attended the workshop to present their ideas for an interdisciplinary math education curriculum drawing upon the Cheyenne Plum Stone Game. Lundgren teaches the mathematics for the elementary teachers course at Dull Knife. He says the game relies heavily upon analytical skills such as determining probability. "The myth is that Indian kids don't know anything about math, but that's completely baloney," he says, as illustrated by the traditional game. Lundgren has used the game in his classroom successfully. With the support from West Point, the Dull Knife faculty will publish their idea so it can be incorporated into curriculum in other places. West Point received funding from the National Science Foundation to find and promote innovative teaching practices for math. 

Participating in the West Point workshop were military personnel, participants from other colleges and universities, and evaluators from the National Science Foundation. At the close of the DKMC project presentation, one of the NSF evaluators who had taught at West Point for many years said, "In the 15 years that I have been sitting in on the evaluation of projects of this kind, this is the best proposal that I've heard. I think that we should give this project a standing vote of approval." 

College improves nutrition, cooking

Candeska Cikana Community College on the Fort Totten Reservation in North Dakota has developed a culturally relevant nutrition and cooking class. Inspired by the necessity to better use commodity foods, Mary Trottier taught the class "Dakota Cooking," introducing nutrition; cooking terminology; common substitutions; food preparation; and recipe analysis for fat, calories, and salt. "We had people who, when they first entered the class, only knew how to make toast, a hamburger, and a grilled cheese sandwich," Trottier says. The program was funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. 

Trottier has dedicated much of the last three years to broadening the commodity offerings available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the reservation. What initially began as 26 staple products of canned foods, canned meats, and flour, has blossomed into a wide array of over 60 products including fresh fruits and some fresh vegetables, frozen meats, dry cereals, spaghetti sauces, and fruit juices. "They [USDA] finally realized we're not as remote as they thought we were for so many years," says Trottier. The variety of foods expanded the variety of recipes. By the end of the course, those who were once masters of toast walked out knowing they could handle a larger culinary creation. "It was really great to watch them make lasagna, pizza, and pumpkin pies," Trottier says.

Trottier acknowledges the help of Shirley Watkins at USDA, who helped add fresh produce to the list of commodity foods. Candeska Cikana Community College hopes to continue the program and will reapply for funding. A recipe book is also being compiled from area residents. All cooks whose recipes are published will receive a stipend. 

Student Congress develops initiative

Leadership and the power to change are key concepts inherent in a special project being implemented by the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Student Congress. With funding from the Kellogg Foundation as a part of its "Capturing the Dream Initiative," the Student Congress project will expand the leadership options for students at all tribal colleges. Over the next four years, the AIHEC Student Congress plans to establish a summer leadership institute, create an alumni network, and produce training manuals and seminars relevant to tribal communities. Under the initiative, the Student Congress members will create community action plans, carry out a yearly national theme effort, establish collaborative relationships with other national organizations, and host an annual, student-designed national training conference. Kellogg funding for the initiative will total over $400,000, also enabling the Student Congress to build up an endowment to ensure longevity and stability. 

Established in 1986, the AIHEC Student Congress provides opportunities for leadership development, education advocacy, and intercollegiate student competitions. The group has an ex-officio position on the AIHEC board of directors. The Student Congress also coordinates planning for workshops and activities during the annual AIHEC conference. For more information contact Student Congress advisor Dana Grant at Salish Kootenai College, P.O. Box 117, Pablo, Mont. 59855.

Salish Kootenai College expands campus

After a year of working on purchase details, Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Mont., has expanded its campus with two recent acquisitions. The college bought a two-acre site with a shop and modular home to be used by the college's heavy equipment training program, which trains students in the operation and repair of equipment. The area will be used to repair heavy equipment and expand the parking for the large machinery. The modular building will be used for a classroom and offices. 

The college also purchased 10 acres on the south side of the present campus, which will be used for student housing and large greenhouses. Salish Kootenai College's environmental science program will be in charge of growing and caring for Native plants, both medicinal and edible. 

The college now has 100 contiguous acres, including over 1,300 feet of highway frontage. In addition, it leases 1,200 feet of highway frontage from the tribe where most of its main campus is housed. An architectural firm from Billings, CTA, was hired to help the college develop a long range building plan for moving the entire campus back away from the highway. Currently, the heavy equipment department is constructing a roadway to the new building site. 

Sitting Bull encourages young readers

Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates, N.D.) has started a reading program for first grade students on the Standing Rock Reservation. In response to the America Reads Challenge proposed by President Clinton, the Elementary Education Department at SBC has created the Making Reading Meaningful and Memorable (M&M)Club. 

Activities run three days per week after school and are limited to 21 members. Program promoters hope the students will stay involved until the third grade. Each student must maintain on-task behavior and maintain good attendance at the M&M Club activities. 

Although the program focuses on the Fort Yates elementary schools, first graders from any school may participate. Ellen Murphy, Elementary/Special Education instructor at SBC, says that the program is fun for children and their parents. "We really encourage parents to be involved in this program," she says. Parents must actively participate in a minimum of three Thursdays during the semester with their child, but Murphy hopes they will join them more often: "This parental participation provides the opportunity for parents to learn how to help their child enjoy reading!" 

College Fund meets Kellogg challenge

Partly as the result of a Kellogg Scholarship Challenge Grant, the American Indian College Fund nearly doubled the amount of support provided to tribal colleges in 1997. For the first time in its history, the fund gave $100,000 to each of its 29 member institutions.

Last summer the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (Battle Creek, Michigan) provided a challenge grant of $500,000 for scholarships for Indian students attending the 29 colleges. The scholarship grant was to be matched dollar for dollar and, over a two-year period, to result in $1 million in new scholarships.

However, in less than six months the College Fund has raised well over $1 million in new scholarship funds from individual, corporate, and foundation donors. When the Kellogg Challenge was announced, many individual, corporate, and foundation donors who had already donated responded with additional donations or grants. 

The College Fund received a congratulatory note from Stephen M. Ross, Director of Challenge Grants at the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) noted the College Fund's growth, saying "you have earned considerable bragging rights." The College Fund also had recently met a NEH challenge.

Richard Williams, American Indian College Fund executive director, says the Kellogg partnership keeps hope alive.

The scholarships are part of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation's Native American Indian Higher Education Initiative. The initiative is designed to create more higher education learning opportunities for Indian students nationwide. "Creating opportunity is what the American Indian College Fund is all about," said Executive Director Richard Williams. "The Kellogg partnership keeps alive the hope tribal colleges provide for Indian communities, families, and students."

In addition to the matching scholarship grant, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation also awarded $500,000 to the American Indian College Fund to strengthen data collection at each of the tribal colleges.

The American Indian College Fund was launched in 1989 by the presidents of the tribal colleges to increase scholarships and resources through public education, fundraising, and endowments. A total of over $3 million in scholarships and other grants have been disbursed in 1997.

D-Q University focuses on environment

Environmental science instructor Maria Kelly has launched three new programs on the D-Q University (Davis, Calif.) campus. She taught the first on-line course as a pilot project for the university. The course, Environmental Politics and Policy, was offered only to students attending D-Q's main campus, to keep an eye on any technical problems that might arise. Each Monday Kelly posted weekly lessons and assignments on the school's web page, which the students downloaded. Over the length of the course, Kelly communicated with her students using e-mail. For the Fall 1998 semester, D-Q plans to expand its number of on-line courses and offer them via the Internet to those living not only throughout California, but across the country and around the world. 

Kelly also pioneered the Greenhouse Project, which involves 15 students from three different classes: Basic Skills Science; Introduction to Environmental Science; and the Ecology class. The students and their instructors have reclaimed the greenhouse on campus and transformed it into a natural laboratory for growing organic native plants. The project will beautify the campus and help bring back plants native to the area.

LCOOCC Develops extension Program

Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Ojibwa Community College (Hayward, Wis.) is developing an extension program in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Extension Office. Under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the program will provide non-classroom, informal educational services or technical assistance to the community. 

Leslie Ramczyk, director of Project GROWTH, will work with Dave Berard, community resources developer of the county extension office, and with the community to make the program reflect local needs. Sitting on the planning committee will be a member from the LCO Board of Regents, active tribal elders, professionals, and other community members. A community-wide assessment will prioritize targeted areas: agriculture; community resource and economic development; family development and resource management; 4-H and youth development; leadership and volunteer development; natural resources and environmental management; or nutrition, diet and health. "The needs of community members vary so drastically, it's hard to say what will come up," Ramczyk says. 

The extension program will hire a family Resources Manager and Educator to work at the LCO campus as an information network specialist. The person will gather and distribute information on matters such as the state and federal welfare reform programs. "There is a definite need for a liaison of this type on our campus," according to Ramczyk, "Many of our community members haven't worked for a long time, and others are transitioning into new careers and need direction and help with government issues.... Other social workers are swamped, and so providing this service for our students and community is really important right now," she says.

Oglala Lakota College building new facilities

For years, Oglala Lakota College (OLC) students have studied in rundown government surplus buildings or in basement classrooms rented from churches. Now, money from a private foundation is helping put them in new buildings wired for distance learning, computers, and the Internet. The Michigan-based Kresge Foundation has awarded a $650,000 challenge grant to the college. 

OLC has raised more than $1.8 million of the $3.8 million it needs to build six new centers at sites across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, says Thomas Shortbull, Oglala Lakota College president. "It's a great honor to us to have the Kresge Foundation involved," says Shortbull. 

Construction began last summer on centers in the communities of Oglala and Manderson, and a new center in Wanblee was completed in February. Plans call for starting work on classrooms in Allen and Martin later in the year. The college also wants to build a new center in Rapid City to replace existing classrooms there. 

Once all the centers are built, they will be linked to the main library at Kyle through distance learning satellites and computers, says Shortbull. The college also will be able to join in classes offered at other tribal colleges or at state universities, he added. 

Shortbull says a good share of the money the college must raise will come from donors who have supported the school in the past. However, a campaign will also tap new funding sources. "You hear a lot about fund-raising campaigns run by people who want to help the Indian, but this campaign is about Indian people who will be able to help themselves through obtaining a college degree," he says.

Bay Mills strengthens partnership

Bay Mills Community College in Brimley, Mich. has been awarded two significant grants. The first, three-year grant of $530,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will be used for curriculum development in collaboration with Northern Michigan University; a statewide needs assessment for Michigan's 12 tribes in collaboration with Michigan State University; and an off campus coordinator/contract services coordinator to better serve off campus areas.

The Administration for Native Americans awarded BMCC $200,000 over two years to fund the Nishnaabemwin Language and Instructors Institute. The program will admit 15 new students in the first of a three year immersion cycle. The 1998 session runs from June 14 to July 24. The Nishnaabemwin language method of delivery was developed by fluent speaker and instructor Doris Boissoneau. Since it incorporates deep cultural aspects of the words that are spoken, Kathy LeBlanc sees this program as the most effective way of rescuing the language and culture from extinction. "In their third year, students actually go and stay with elders who live a traditional Ojibwe life, so that the truest meaning of the language, which is grounded in the culture, can be learned, not just memorized," says LeBlanc. For more information or admission applications, contact cultural director Kathy LeBlanc 12214 W. Lakeshore Dr., Brimley, Mich. 49715 or call (906) 248-3354. 

Teacher program receives Kellogg support

The Diné Teacher Education Program was recently awarded a four year grant $855,700 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Mich. The money will help support the new teacher preparation program partnership between Diné College and Arizona State University. The program's mission is to develop Navajo teachers who can teach bilingually and biculturally. It is designed to help program graduates reinforce the cultural identities of Navajo students, structure meaningful engagement of parents and community members, and integrate Navajo and English language and literacy across all aspects of the classroom. "Our nation and college have needed this program for some time," says Benjamin Barney, director of the program. "Our schools need teachers who know Navajo children, speak their language, know the local culture, and participate actively in community functions."

In addition to Kellogg funding, the Diné Teacher Education Program is supported by the Navajo Nation, the National Science Foundation, and the Philip Morris Foundation. The Navajo Nation also supports students with scholarship funds. 

AIHEC to strengthen core functions

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) Central Office has received a major grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation under Phase II of Kellogg's Native American Higher Education Initiative. It provides the AIHEC Central Office (Alexandria, Va.) with $890,000 over three years. AIHEC is an organization of 31 tribally controlled colleges and universities, which was founded and is governed by the presidents of each institution. 

This initiative will strengthen AIHEC's capacity in four areas: advocacy and public information on behalf of tribal colleges; management and financial planning; technical assistance to the tribal colleges; and conducting institutional data collection and policy-related research. AIHEC's Tribal College Journal received $80,000 over three years as part of the initiative. 

Kellogg Foundation's vision for this initiative mirrors the vision of the consortium developed by its leaders 25 years ago. "AIHEC has set a national standard in the exercise of Indian self-determination and tribal sovereignty, as demonstrated in the federal authorizing legislation for tribal colleges," according to AIHEC Executive Director Veronica Gonzales. "After a 25 year struggle, AIHEC has developed a strong and stable organizational culture combining respect for the uniqueness of each tribal community, caution and thoroughness in embracing major changes, and a dogged commitment to the tribal college movement," says Gonzales.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 to "help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." It is located in Battle Creek, Mich.

North Dakota colleges sharing courses

The North Dakota Association of Tribal Colleges received a Part III grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to pursue distance learning. The association is made up of six tribal colleges that are either wholly or in part in North Dakota. In the first stage of the project the colleges are sharing course work through a fiber optic video network and the Internet.

In the second stage of the project, the colleges will develop core courses and make agreements with other colleges and universities to offer four-year programs. The project will also bring in graduate work for faculty and other community members using distance methods. 

Marie Smallface Marule (second from right) was elected as the first president of the Nations Adult Higher Education Consortium at the official founding meeting in Alberta Canada, last fall. Photo by Duane Mistaken Chief. 

The project has adopted a course authoring program-Web Course in a Box-that was developed by Virginia Commonwealth University. To visit the site as a guest and find the link to the web course, go to www.united-tribes.tec.nd.us

UCLA, Sinte developing theater program

UCLA's American Indian Studies Center recently received a $500,195 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to establish Native American theater program in tribal colleges. The three-year grant, the largest given to the center since its establishment in 1969, will also cover developing community-based theater initiatives in Native communities.

Project HOOP is a collaborative initiative between UCLA and Sinte Gleska University in South Dakota. HOOP means Honoring Our Origins and People through Native theater, education, and community development. "A major purpose of this program is for students to use Native theater for cultural creation and preservation at tribal colleges and in their communities," says Jaye T. Darby, co-director of Project HOOP and a researcher at UCLA's American Indian Studies Center.

During the first year of the grant program, UCLA researchers and professors will refine the curriculum-based theater program that was piloted by the UCLA theater department. The next two years will be spent implementing a model two-year intensive course of study in Native theater for the students of Sinte Gleska. Researchers hope the model will be adopted by all 31 tribally controlled colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada.