Volume X Summer 1999 Number 4

On Campus

N. M. voters fund college construction

New Mexico voters approved a $71.2 million general obligation bond last November to support education in the state, including construction on two tribally controlled college campuses. Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque will receive $1 million for the first phase construction of its new science building. Diné College-Shiprock will receive $1 million to complete phase one of its new campus.

"We made history. Never before had any tribal colleges been involved in a bond issue in New Mexico like that," Lauren Bernally of Diné College-Shiprock said. The victory was historic nationally since tribal colleges across the country rarely benefit from state funding. The two colleges credit the victory largely to Sen. John Pinto (Navajo), Sen. Joseph J. Carraro, and Rep. James Roger Madalena. To encourage voters to support the measure, the committee put Public Service Announcements on television and radio stations in both Navajo and English languages. The bond was one of five on the ballot, three of which were successful.

In a fire last August in Shiprock, Diné College lost a major portion of its present campus, which is a 1950s boarding school abandoned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. To complete the first phase of construction, Diné College expects $2 million from the Navajo Nation and $1.5 million from the American Indian College Fund plus half a million in-kind from the Department of Defense. In addition, it hopes to raise $10 million from Congress, $1 million from its own development efforts, and $5.2 million from the Department of Energy. Diné College will need a total of $40 million over the next 20 years to complete the Shiprock campus, including dormitories, faculty housing, gymnasium, and conference facility.

SIPI needs a total of $9.3 million for its Advanced Technical Science Applications Building, according to Valorie Montoya of SIPI. SIPI, an intertribal Bureau of Indian Affairs college, is currently using two modular buildings as science labs. These buildings do not meet the requirements of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCA). For details see the SIPI website at www.sipi.bia.edu

Stone Child helps farmers get ag credit

For decades, American Indian farmers and ranchers have said that they have suffered from discrimination by lending agencies, including the federal government. A Civil Rights Report in February 1997 confirmed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had not effectively protected or promoted Indian and other minority farmers. (TCJ, Vol. 9, No. 4, page38).

Since fall 1997, Stone Child College (Box Elder, Mont.) has coordinated a USDA project to change that history on the seven reservations in Montana. The project assists Native American youth and adults to understand what credit programs are available and helps those interested throughout the application process. Stone Child College hired three outreach liaisons to cover the Montana territory for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) Agriculture Credit Outreach. The college received a five year, $201,679 grant from USDA.

In the past year, Stone Child's pilot project has focused upon credit, closing youth loans on the Rocky Boy and Northern Cheyenne Reservations and larger, adult loans (as much as $178,000) on the Fort Belknap and Crow Reservations. The college's Ag Credit Outreach Program has also assisted Tribal Extension Agents and local FSA County Offices to educate local producers about the FSA County Committee voting and election process. This has resulted in greater representation from Indian producers on these committees. The program brought W.I.R.E. (Western Integrated Resource Education program) from Montana State University-Bozeman to Little Big Horn College on the Crow Reservation for the first time.

Farm Service Agency Ag Credit Outreach Director Mary Phalen said her staff works with the Intertribal Agriculture Council Advocates when individuals need assistance after their loans are closed. By working directly with the local producers, they learn about the obstacles they face and convey that information to the county and state FSA offices. Youth aged 10-20 who live in a rural area with less than 10,000 people can apply for the FSA youth loans up to $5,000 for income-producing projects. Direct FSA loans are available to adults for both farm ownership and operating loans, with a maximum of $200,000. Stone Child College may expand the program into Wyoming. For more information on this program, contact: Mary Phalen, FSA Ag Credit Outreach Director at Stone Child College (406)395-4313 or e-mail Mary.Phalen@hi-line.net

Elders meet to define educational goals

More than 150 elders from Native American tribes in the Northwest met at the Lummi Reservation on December 11 at the invitation of the Northwest Indian College Foundation to explore their vision for expanding educational opportunities for Native American peoples in the Northwest. Sandy Finkbonner, Lummi Council treasurer, welcomed those who came to the meeting, which was hosted by the Northwest Indian College Foundation and Northwest Indian College President Robert J. Lorence. Elders from the Lummi, Skokomish, Stillaguamish, Nooksack, Upper Skagit, Swinomish, Tulalip, Quileute, Suquamish, Tsimshian and Quinault Tribes attended.

Lorence outlined goals for the expansion of Northwest Indian College services to include more distance learning programs and to add baccalaureate degrees. Northwest Indian College was accredited in 1993 and offers associate degrees and certificate programs. Lorence stressed that continued development of higher education programs on reservations will require the support and interest of everyone. "We need you to give us your ideas about your vision for our future and the future of our children," he urged.

After a program of entertainment provided by Vernell Lane and lunch catered by Lummi tribal members, the elders met for 45 minutes in small groups of four and five to discuss educational concerns and their visions for the future. They analyzed current educational experiences of Native Americans in the Northwest, looked at what factors encouraged and discouraged academic achievements, defined educational goals and ways those goals could be met, and identified individuals and groups who could help the college expand educational services. Much of the small group discussions examined how to help young people move forward with more confidence in the world while still honoring a strong sense of the past. The college is conducting follow-up interviews to further explore ideas presented at the meeting.

NINLHE offers professional development

Many education professionals working with Native American students are interested in finding new ways to enable Native American students to earn college degrees while keeping their cultural identities intact. In 1993, they formed an organization, the National Institute for Native Leadership in Higher Education (NINLHE). Their goals were to provide universities' student affairs staff and faculty with training to improve access, retention, and graduation rates for Native American students.

In 1997, the organization received a major, multi-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's "Capture the Dream" initiative. Sharing NINLHE's interest in Native students, the Kellogg Foundation sought to build partnerships between tribally controlled institutions and mainstream universities serving those students. According to Dr. Betty Overton Adkins, the foundation's director of higher education programs, Kellogg wants the two types of institutions to learn from each other for the benefit of all their Native American students.

NINLHE seeks more participation from tribal colleges in its two major initiatives--its Training Fellowship Program and Annual Institute. NINLHE awards three to four fellowships each year to noted experts in fields related to the recruitment and retention of Native American college students. The fellowships provide financial and professional support to individuals with proven records of success so they may share their expertise with others and create training programs. Fellows develop comprehensive training modules designed to impart the theoretical knowledge, training, and tools that student affairs staff and faculty need to replicate these successes at their own institutions.

Two NINLHE training fellows from last year are involved with tribal colleges, John Gritts (Cherokee) of the American Indian College Fund and Carolyn Fiscus (Winnebago), director of community education at Nebraska Indian Community College. They presented their training modules on financial aid and Native American leadership development at the March 1999 American Indian Higher Education Conference in Billings, Mont. The new training fellows (Alethea Young, Ph.D.; Kim Epley; and Carolyn Fiscus) will present their training modules August 11-16, 1999 at NINLHE's sixth Annual Institute. Each year, NINLHE selects 30-35 participants to take part in an intensive, week-long professional development institute that focuses equally on professional empowerment; personal renewal; and reclaiming a balance between work, relaxation, and fun. This year's institute will be on the campus of the Native American Preparatory School in Rowe, N.M.

Teri Dahle, NINLHE's interim executive director, said she hopes to increase the number of tribal college staff and faculty who are members of the organization. Dahle was formerly a student affairs professional at Blackfeet Community College. For more information, contact Teri Dahle at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque by phone (505) 277-2651 or by e-mail tdahle@unm.edu

Spirit Lake radio station on the air

After three years of hard work, KABU Dakota Radio went on the air in March, thanks to the support of the Cankdeska Cikana Community College. John Chaske, a tribal member, initiated the effort to form a public radio station to serve the Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota. He believed it would provide vital information on social services, tribal court, and other tribal programs. It could announce employment opportunities and provide timely information about immediate health concerns, such as immunizations and flu epidemics. Chaske wanted the radio station to preserve the Dakota culture by providing language classes, interviews with tribal elders, traditional stories, and live broadcasts of pow wows. In addition, he wanted local people to have access to the national Indian programming, such as National Native News.

Two years ago, Chaske approached the tribal college for help. The college created a community advisory board of Paul Yankton, Erich Longie, Christopher "Buddy" Alberts, Curtis Youngbear, John Chaske, and Ambrose Little Ghost. The board hired an experienced director, Pete Coffee, a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes and the director of the radio station on that reservation for many years. The community advisory board applied to the Spirit Lake Tribal Council for funding and received $66,000 for the first year plus $100,000 for radio equipment. Alex Looking Elk (Standing Rock ) serves as the technical consultant and engineer.

The radio station serves as a training site where high school and tribal college students can gain experience in broadcast journalism. The radio station broadcasts in both English and Dakota. "It has created pride in hearing our own language," said Cankdeska Cikana Community College President Erich Longie. KABU joins three other tribal radio stations on reservations in North Dakota (Turtle Mountain, Standing Rock, and Fort Berthold).

Menominee create language mentorships

The Administration for Native Americans has awarded the College of Menominee Nation (CMN) a two-year grant for Native language preservation. The project, titled "Omaeqnomenew-Kiketwan Kaekenohamowekow Mesek Natamowekow" (Menominee Language Teacher and Helper), began last October on the Menominee Indian Reservation in northeast Wisconsin.

Native speakers serve as Kaekenhamowekow (teachers) in a one-on-one mentorship with Natamowekow (helpers). Together they also develop instructional resources to be used by the project and by others. The teacher provides direct instruction in the Menominee language during the first year of the project. The helpers continue their language instruction in the second year while taking CMN classes in academic courses such as teaching methods, curriculum planning, and resource development.

The project responds to a Menominee tribal ordinance, the Menominee Nation Language and Culture Code, which mandates teaching the Menominee language in all educational institutions on the reservation. Presently, there are not enough Menominee language instructors to fully implement the ordinance in the reservation schools. At the completion of the two-year project, the Natamowekow will be eligible to apply under the ordinance for certification.

Alan Caldwell, CMN dean of student services and Menominee Culture Institute director, said, "It is clear that the language is in a serious state of decline. This is an excellent opportunity for CMN to increase the pool of native Menominee speakers and develop much needed language teachers for our schools." Estimates of fluent speakers range from 35 to 75 in a tribal population of 7,600 members.

The college opened its doors in 1993. In January 1999, it dedicated a new 15,600 square foot addition to the late Glen T. Miller, the former Menominee tribal chairman whose efforts led to the college's establishment. Glen Miller Hall nearly doubles the size of college facilities. It houses a library, computer lab, technology center, classrooms, laboratory, and offices. Money for the expansion project came from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Menominee tribal grants. Local Menominee contractors constructed the addition.

For more information on the language project, contact the College of Menominee Nation, Menominee Culture Institute, P.O. Box 1179, Keshena, Wis. 54135, (715) 799-5668 or contact Alan Caldwell by e-mail at acaldwell@menominee.com

Kellogg grant supports bison network

Oglala Lakota College offers a unique course that is best taught in the prairie, Tatanka Management-Bison Management. Instructor Trudy Ecoffey said some of its textbooks are not written but oral-traditional stories told by tribal elders. The college on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is part of the Northern Plains Bison Education Network--a group of 10 tribal colleges collaborating to develop bison courses on Indian reservations. These schools are located mostly on rural reservations on the upper Great Plains, a wide area once inhabited by millions of bison (or, commonly, buffalo).

Louis LaRose, a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, directs the network. "We believe we can help give Indian people all the cultural and academic tools to make bison restoration successful on Indian reservations," he said. LaRose himself has used bison to help young, at-risk boys build self-esteem. Each tribal college in the network is developing curriculum--including courses in agriculture, range management, prairie restoration, and nutrition--which the network's schools will share, LaRose said. One day, the colleges hope to lead national bison research efforts in such areas as ecology and brucellosis, the controversial disease associated with bison at Yellowstone National Park. The effort is funded by a four-year, $650,000 grant by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as part of the foundation's Native American Higher Education Initiative.

"There's a big gulf in people's views about bison," said LaRose. "There's a difference between producing bison for spiritual and cultural needs of a tribe and producing bison for a commercial market. The commercial production of buffalo is a hard sell in Indian Country." Given the poor economic conditions on Indian reservations, however, LaRose acknowledged that most tribes want some commercial production. The key, he said, is what kind. Most tribes, for example, favor free-range grazing over feedlots, which are considered restrictive. Developing trained bison managers could be a major responsibility of tribal colleges. "The authorities want to define buffalo as livestock, but that's like calling an Indian a 'white man.' It just doesn't compute," LaRose said.

"The colleges hold many keys to the equation," he said. "First, they are culturally-based institutions. They bring together culture, academics, and science. As Indian people, we believe the best way to solve any challenge is a comprehensive approach." For more information about the Northern Plains Bison Education Network, call United Tribes Technical College (701) 255-3285 Ext. 266 or see the network's website at www.united-tribes.tec.nd.us/npbison.htm

RSI, Sitting Bull sponsor training

Sitting Bull College co-sponsored an historic workshop in North Dakota last winter, bringing together educators from all over the Standing Rock Reservation for professional development. The full day of events included a variety of workshops, guest speakers, and a banquet. Dr. Guy McDonald, director of the Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI), coordinated the event. He said it was the first time that all teachers across the Standing Rock Reservation have come together for training.

"I think it's really important for all of us to network and come together like this;" he said "We all work with the same population and have the same goals so it is important that we are heading in the same direction..We all have to work together to help make our education system and our students successful," McDonald said. Leo Reinbold, a humorist from the Bismarck area, was the keynote speaker. The event also featured Cynthia Mala, executive director of the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission. Teachers chose from a variety of workshops offered by area professionals, such as health, math and science, cultural diversity, personal growth, discipline, and computer technology. The in-service training was also sponsored by the tribal college Rural Systemic Initiative and all K-12 schools on the reservation.

Construction begins at Crownpoint

Crownpoint Institute of Technology (CIT) has begun constructing a $6.1 million trades and technology complex at its campus on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. The construction results from a federal Economic Development Administration grant secured through the efforts of CIT Development Officer Jay R. DeGroat. The Albuquerque firm of David N. Sloan designed the complex.

The construction begins as the institute celebrates its 20^th anniversary. Twenty years ago, in response to a critical need for job training for Native citizens, the Navajo Skill Center opened in Crownpoint, N.M. As the center grew, its mission broadened to address changing marketplace requirements and heightened expectations among its students. In 1985, the center changed its name to Crownpoint Institute of Technology. The year long anniversary celebration is known as Naas hats'iid naahodit'eeh (Toward a Bright Future). As part of the celebration, CIT has planned a March to CIT Day for area elementary, junior high, and high school students; Navajo Culture Awareness Week; an Indian market; rodeo; carnival; and an arts festival.

Additional degree programs are planned in veterinary technology, environmental technology, nursing, accounting, dental assistance, and early childhood training. CIT is also constructing a new veterinarian teaching hospital, a cultural museum and visitors center, married student housing, and a women's dormitory. A student-operated fast-food restaurant, bookstore, and feed store are scheduled to open in 1999. The Domenici Library also will be completed this year.

White Bison grant to benefit colleges

The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment has awarded a three year grant to focus on addictions recovery at the Indian communities nationwide. The 31 tribal colleges in the United States are expected to play a major role in the project, Native American Circles of Recovery, according to Don Coyhis, president and founder of White Bison. Anchored by the tribal colleges, community-based recovery circles will include participation by alcoholics, addicts, youth, women, men, families, veterans, and friends, Coyhis said. Each tribal college will have an opportunity to support and participate in addictions recovery gatherings, workshops, and training programs. Each program will be culturally specific and culturally appropriate.

Mental health and substance abuse treatment programs that already exist at the community level will find new resources and a new ally in the Circles of Recovery program. One of the tribal colleges will be able to offer the Healing Forest Community Change Process as an academic program during two of the three program years. The program is expected to develop into an associate or baccalaureate degree in Native American Community Healing. White Bison, Inc., is an American Indian non-profit organization based in Colorado Springs, Colo., that has been facilitating healing programs in Indian communities since 1988.

Turtle Mountain researches noxious weed

The biology instructor at Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) and two of his students are conducting research that may be of interest to farmers and ranchers across the West. Leafy spurge was introduced from Europe more than 100 years ago. Now this noxious weed is taking over vast acreages, causing approximately $27 million in lost agricultural income each year in North Dakota alone. North Dakota considers it the most widespread and costly weed. Dr. Scott M. Hanson is researching a beetle that might control leafy spurge biologically without the use of chemicals. Two TMCC students, Cessalie LaFromboise and Trudy Martin, participated in the research, which is funded by the National Science Foundation's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

Chemical control of this weed is possible; however, it is not always economically feasible on rangeland, Hansen said. Herbicides can contaminate groundwater, especially in areas with a high water table. The beetle (Aphthona nigriscutis) has been used as a biological control agent of leafy spurge with some success. However, scientists are concerned that the beetles won't survive the harsh North Dakota winters. The Turtle Mountain research project is designed to 1) determine the beetles' survivorship in North Dakota rangeland and 2) to increase the beetles' survivorship over the winter. The researchers used hay to insulate the soil during the winter. The college is located near the Canadian border. Hansen, who earned his Ph.D. from Notre Dame University, has completed five years of research on another rural scourge-mosquitoes. His mosquito research also focused upon survivorship over winter.