Volume 16 Winter 2004 Issue No. 2

On Campus

Williams Says Public Relations Important

Former U.S. Congressman Pat Williams focused upon the importance of tribal colleges and universities and the importance of their organization, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Williams, who served as a Democratic congressman representing Montana from 1979 until 1997, now is senior fellow at the Center for the Rocky Mountain West at the University of Montana.

Speaking at a strategic planning meeting of AIHEC in July in Montana, he said, "The greatest single educational success story in this country is the increase in graduation rates for American Indians," he said. "When I graduated from the University of Denver in 1961, my class had 900 graduates, and there were 66 American Indians earning bachelor degrees that year - in the whole country. This year, there are more American Indians than that earning doctorates."

Williams suggested that tribal colleges should focus even more on informing U.S. Congress members and constituents about tribal colleges and on providing good data to them. "Tell them about your success and about how you have done it on a shoestring." He said that some tribal colleges in the room were graduating more American Indians than their neighboring universities and doing it at a fraction of the cost.

"Invite them to visit your school and talk to people, find out your troubles first hand. I am surprised at the number of members of Congress who have never visited a tribal college in their district.. Inform them that Indians vote."

Williams complimented AIHEC for its advocacy work. "Your organization is widely respected by members of Congress who pay attention to education and particularly to Indian education.

At the request of tribal leaders in Montana, Williams is raising money to create a Tribal Leaders Institute at the Center for the Rocky Mountain West. He told the tribal leaders he would do it only if the tribal colleges and universities were involved. The institute will provide educational courses designed for Indian elected officials, Indian legislative representatives, and cultural leaders in the Northern Rockies and High Plains. Courses will be offered at the University of Montana and on reservations on subjects such as federal/state legislation, tribal sovereignty, judicial reviews and opinions, water compacts, etc.

During the pilot year, two conferences will be provided. Williams hopes that similar institutes will be established in the Northwest and Southwest.

Navajo Pass Landmark Law Supporting Colleges

The Navajo Nation Council passed a historic education bill in July that will allot $7.2 million annually for the next 20 years to Diné College, the Crownpoint Institute of Technology (CIT), and the Office of Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Assistance.

"It was a bold move by those who voted for it," says Ferlin Clark (Diné), president of Diné College in Tsaile, AZ. Beginning in fiscal year 2006, the law will provide $4.2 million each year to Diné College, $1.5 million to CIT in Crownpoint, NM, and $1.5 million to the scholarship office.

"This should be a model for other tribes if they believe in higher education," says CIT President Jim Tutt (Diné). He credited the efforts of Clark, CIT Vice President Elmer Guy (Diné), the council, and the president. "We all have to work together for the student," he says.


HISTORIC MOMENT. Gathered to watch Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr., sign the legislation were (left to right) Kathrine Benally (Navajo Nation Council Education Committee); Vikky Shirley (first lady of the Navajo Nation); Ferlin Clark (Diné College president); Leland Leonard (director of Diné Education); Clinton Jim (Diné College Board of Regents member); and Dr. Phillip Bluehouse (president of Diné College Board of Regents). Photo by Ed McCombs

The tribal funding will not be adequate to support the colleges by itself, Tutt says. However, by demonstrating their support for higher education, the Navajo Nation will help the tribal colleges to leverage support from other sources, such as the federal government, according to Tutt. It will also help allay the fears of the accrediting agency, which always wants to see evidence of long-term financial support.

The tribal scholarships will also benefit the two tribal colleges. Although many of the scholarship winners will attend other universities, some will enroll at the tribal colleges. The Diné Higher Education Grant Fund bill faced heavy debate but ultimately passed by a vote of 58-14, according to the Navajo Times.

Tribal colleges and universities depend upon annual appropriations from the U.S. Congress for their basic institutional support. The levels of support vary from year to year, making planning difficult. Many years the colleges do not receive their federal support until well into the school year because of Congress's continuing resolutions.

Tribal governments' financial support for their colleges also usually varies from year to year and cannot represent a major source of income. With the exception of [New Mexico] and Arizona, few states provide any financial support for tribal colleges or tribal college students.

Si Tanka, 3 Programs Receive Accreditation

Si Tanka University (STU) received 5-year accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) in June 2004. The decision follows a comprehensive visit in February 2004 by a team of six to Si Tanka's two campuses, one in Eagle Butte, SD, and the other in Huron, SD.

The team's written report commended the university for its strong mission, which reflects the unique culture of a tribal college and incorporates the values of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. In addition the team cited STU's "Spirit of Courage" retention model.

Other areas of strength noted by the review team included a mission-related university assessment plan; implementation of committees; strong buy-in of faculty toward assessment of learning outcomes; commitment to a multicultural environment; and implementation of a developmental program.

The NCA Higher Learning Commission recommended an annual monitoring report on institutional finances. The report noted other areas for improvement, including the need for mission-linked strategic planning; clarification of committee roles and functions; and development of the website. The next comprehensive evaluation will be held in 2008-2009.

Three of Si Tanka's programs also were reviewed for accreditation over the past 14 months. In October 2003, the university's athletic training academic program received initial 5-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs based in Chicago, IL. The next site visit will be prior to October 31, 2008. Several follow-up reports were required related to calibration of therapeutic equipment and student instruction from specialized medical personnel. Si Tanka is the first tribal university to have an accredited athletic training program.

In January 2004, the university's 4-year nursing program received ongoing approval from the South Dakota State Board of Nursing. The team chair said the STU nursing program has the potential to become the national model for tribal universities.

In April 2004, the university's teacher education program received 1-year accreditation from the South Dakota Department of Education. This program will undergo a focused visit in spring 2005.

LCO Official Jailed For Misuse of Federal Funds

A federal district court convicted a former official of Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College (LCO, Hayward, WI) of three counts of mail fraud for misuse of federal funds. The trial took place in federal district court in Madison, WI, in March 2004.

The trial followed internal and federal investigations that began in 2000. Thomas Flaschberger, the former director of vocational education programs at LCO, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, and a fine of $90,000.

Beginning in 1994, LCO had received funds for vocational education through the Wisconsin state government under the federal Carl Perkins Vocational Education Act. As a condition of receiving the grant, LCO agreed to share these funds with the other tribal college in the state, the College of Menominee Nation (CMN, Keshena, WI) since CMN's vocational student count was used to receive the funds.

However, from 1994 until 2001, the Menominee college never received its share of the funds. The total amount of the grant was about $900,000, a significant share of which CMN was supposed to have received based upon the number of students enrolled in vocational programs.

When this fact came to the attention of the new LCO college president, Sky Houser, in November 2000, he began an internal investigation, according to the Sawyer County Record. The investigation showed several problems with the grant, according to the college attorney's report, as reported in the Lac Courte Oreilles Times: 1) no share of the funds had ever been sent to Menominee; 2) Flaschberger had falsified grant reports, including fabricating the names of students to inflate the LCO student count submitted; 3) Flaschberger had diverted a portion of the funds in question for use in partisan Republican political activities within the state; and 4) most of the funds had been spent on administrative salaries and travel, not on direct delivery of vocational education to students.

College officials at LCO turned this evidence over to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U. S. Department of Education, which continued the investigation. Flaschberger received an award from the state Republican Party shortly before he was indicted in 2003, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. After his trial in the federal district court in Madison, WI, he was sentenced March 30, 2004.

For more information, see the OIG report at www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/invtreports/wi012004.html.

United Tribes Creates Office of Research

United Tribes Technical College (UTTC, Bismarck, ND) has centered all of its research activities into one office, the Office of Research and Development, and hired a seasoned researcher to direct that office, Kyle Patterson Cross, Ed.D.



DR. KYLE PATTERSON CROSS directs the Office of Research and Development.

Established in November 2003, the new office is responsible for a broad array of duties including conducting research, training, and gathering information about the institution.

A member of the Tuscarora Nation of New York, Patterson Cross earned her doctorate from Harvard University in 2002. She developed expertise in institutional research when she served as the academic dean at Fort Berthold Community College in North Dakota. Her dissertation was on completion rates at that tribal college.

Working with UTTC's integrated database management system, she is discovering how to extrapolate data for new purposes. The system allows better communication amongst the college's various offices, such as admissions, registrar, financial aid, housing, advising, and placement.

Patterson Cross prepares reports on American Indian communities as requested. For example, the office has conducted focus groups on ethnicity and diversity at the college. It has also gathered demographic information about five urban Indian communities for the Northwest Area Foundation.

In addition, the office is responsible for training faculty, staff, and students to conduct research, analyze data, and present results, emphasizing culturally appropriate research methods.

Like other educational institutions, tribal colleges are under increasing pressure to provide data about their students, such as demographics, graduation rates and other success indicators. Institutional research also helps administrators to guide policy development, according to Patterson Cross. Her office provides templates of institutional information to be used in grant proposals.

Under her direction, UTTC is developing an Institutional Review Board (IRB). (See separate article about IRBs in this issue.) Patterson Cross is responsible for training staff and faculty about protecting human subjects and for consulting with tribes in North Dakota about how to establish their own tribal IRBs.

She also serves on the advisory board for a landmark American Indian Higher Education Consortium project to define more relevant ways to measure student success, the American Indian Measures for Student Success initiative.

CDKC Research Reaches from Mali to Lame Deer

After months of preparation, an instructor and a student from Chief Dull Knife College (CDKC, Lame Deer, MT) traveled to Mali, Africa, in November 2003 to work with farmers and Peace Corps volunteers there. The instructor, Bob Madsen, and the student, Janelle Beartusk (Northern Cheyenne), stayed for nine days.



NATIVE TO NATIVE. Bob Madsen, CDKC science instructor, and Janelle Beartusk, CDKC student, work with farmers and Peace Corps volunteers in Mali, Africa.

They delivered Integrated Pest Management poster sets to the Peace Corps volunteers, who instruct the Malian farmers about how to combat the cowpea pest problem. The posters were developed by Montana State University. Their research trip was funded by USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant and the NSF Tribal College and University Program.

Bob Madsen and two CDKC student interns will return to Mali in December 2004 to evaluate and measure the effectiveness of the project.

The science department at the college is involved in several other research projects, including studying how honeybees regulate their body temperatures. The department works with the University of Montana on this Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) Honeybee Thermoregulation Research Project, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

In a project to document cultural and historical use of the bison, Linwood Tallbull (Northern Cheyenne) narrated the butchering of a bison. College students and staff watched the demonstration, which was recorded on video for the CDKC archives.

Title III Funds Help Build New Campuses

Several tribal colleges and universities received grants in August from the U.S. Department of Education Title III program for development and for construction. Title III of the Higher Education Act has a program for tribally-controlled colleges and universities to help them improve their academic quality, institutional management, and self-sufficiency.

Since the tribal colleges typically operated out of trailers, storefronts, and abandoned buildings, Congress several years ago authorized Title III construction grants to cover construction, renovation, maintenance, and technology. To qualify, tribal colleges must be accredited or pre-accredited and must have a high proportion of needy students.

Although the grants are substantial, the need is also substantial, according to the colleges, and many are experiencing record growth in enrollment. For example, Leech Lake Tribal College is housed in five buildings across the city of Cass Lake, MN, most of them substandard. The college received $1.4 million but needs a total of $20 million to complete its capital campaign.

Diné College received $1.9 million for technology improvement on its main campus but needs an additional $1 million to upgrade the technology on its other campuses. Northwest Indian College's 15-year expansion plan will require $30 million.

The colleges and their grants are listed below. (Editor's note: this list was compiled from several sources and may not be complete.)

BMCC Students Place 2nd In NASA Poster Contest

Earlier this year, seven sophomore and junior teacher education students from Bay Mills Community College (BMCC, Brimley, MI) entered a lesson plan contest at NASA's Pre-service Teacher's Conference in Alexandria, VA.

Sixty-six colleges and universities from across the country participated, many of which had been coming to the conference for years. It was the first time that BMCC had been invited. "We did our best and figured the first time would be a learning experience," said Wanda Hoolsema, a junior in the program.



SUPERIOR INTEGRATORS. (back row, left to right) Wanda Hoolsema, Lewis Stempke, Sheryl Sherber, and Sonya Killips; (front row) Susan Pierce, Billy Michell, and Laurie Jarvie. Photo by Maria Cantarero

When finalists were announced, however, BMCC's students were stunned to learn they'd made it to the top 10. When the college's name was called for second place, the group was speechless. (First place went to the University of Texas at Brownsville; third place to University of Oregon, and honorable mention to Prairie View A&M Texas University.)

The students are part of the 4-year teacher prep program offered by BMCC in consortium with Ferris State University. The lesson plan contest called for a poster demonstrating integration of science, math, and technology. The BMCC poster was an 8-week unit plan to guide 8th grade students through a series of scientific investigations to determine whether the Lake Superior shoreline is receding. The purpose was to teach students to "evaluate strengths and weaknesses of claims, arguments, or data" as specified in the Michigan Curriculum Framework.

In the process, students would learn NASA technology, Geographic Information Systems, and how the level of the water can be influenced by locks. The unit plan followed the 4MAT system of lesson development, which provides for a specific sequence of activities in a circular pattern and is considered one of the best designs for Native American learning styles.

The lesson plan contest called for a poster presentation. The BMCC students superimposed their poster on the Medicine Wheel and included components for learning Native teachings and prophesy about the water and global warming. The lesson plan also featured talks by community elders at the lake shore. The poster is available at the college's library as a teaching tool for future classes.

Leech Lake Studies Student Resiliency

The Leech Lake Community College Center for Career Development has launched a study to determine why some students succeed while others do not. The study will include current students and other community members who have attended college, according to Sherri Moe, associate vice president for the center at Leech Lake Community College (LLTC, Cass Lake, MN).

A series of articles in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune last spring examined the level of violence and substance abuse amongst young people on the Leech Lake Reservation and mentioned that some young people were able to escape that life through education.

The tribal college's study will attempt to understand what cultural resilience factors contribute to college success. It will also recommend cultural-specific strategies that could be implemented into the Center for Career Development's support structure to help with retention.

For more information, contact Sherri Moe by email smoe@lltc.org, or phone (218) 335-4258 at the college.

New Building at SWC Adds Form to Function

Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC, Sisseton, SD) has added a unique building to its campus - a 50-foot high, octagon-shaped drum surrounded by a fiberglass structure representing four Dakota singers.

The building is the collaborative effort of Lakota artist Victor Runnels of Aberdeen, SD, and architect Dean Marske of the architectural firm Herges, Kirchgasler, Geisler and Associates, also of Aberdeen.



DRUMMING FOR THE HEAVENS. The roof of the SWC Vocational Technical Education building will eventually be used to study traditional Dakota astronomy.

The large, open center of the drum will house the Vocational Technical Education program. The perimeter of the lower and upper floors consists of classrooms and offices. Two of the chambers of the Dakota figures will be used for storage, one for a stairway, and the fourth for an elevator. In the future, SWC hopes to use the wand of one of the drumsticks to sleeve an antenna for wireless Internet service.

The roof of the voc-ed building is designed to accommodate up to 300 people for open-air events such as banquets or graduations. It will also play a future role in a NASA-funded project on traditional Dakota astronomy in which the college is involved.

Another unusual feature of the roof is the tiling. As part of SWC's fundraising campaign, one can "purchase" a tile on which a message, memorial, or tribute can be engraved as a permanent part of the building.

Other construction nearing completion at SWC includes the Siceca Learning Center for young children; the log cabin cultural arts center, which will host cultural events and feature artists in residence; and the bookstore in the main foyer, which will carry textbooks, books of general interest for all ages, and cultural items (like art and beading supplies, jewelry, and clothing).

Blackfeet Students Involved in Research

The Blackfeet Reservation in northern Montana has long been infamous for the velocity of its winds. Residents joke of using logging chains instead of wind socks to indicate wind direction. Students at Blackfeet Community College, who thought they knew everything they wanted to know about wind, are learning about the science of wind energy.

With financial backing from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Air Force, the college in Browning, MT, is involved in a variety of wind-power projects and studies, says Terry Tatsey (Blackfeet), director of the school's USDA and vocational education programs.

For many years, the college has collected and analyzed wind and other weather data in the classroom. The Blackfeet Tribe now oversees a 100-kilowatt prototype generator. Another 10-kilowatt wind system currently provides nearly 20% of the energy needs at the college's voc-ed building, Tatsey says.

The five-year NSF grant is mainly geared to research and data collection. The combined DOE and Air Force funding helps pay for equipment and other necessities.

Tatsey says the grants provide research opportunities for about 25 students this academic year. "It's been a learning experience," Tatsey says. Some of the first wind turbines were constructed near a residential area, and people complained about the noise. The 100-watt model has ongoing technical problems that need to be ironed out.

Wind is only one of the college's research projects. Framed specimens of Native plants hang on the walls of the administration building. Student Pauline Matt (Blackfeet) worked with tribal elders to research Native medicinal plants before she collected samples of the plants and framed them along with an explanation of their uses.

Instructor Woody Kipp (Blackfeet) and his students study frogs, using them to monitor water quality.

Other students study bison, much as their ancestors did. They learn about their seasonal diet, their reproductive cycles, and their leadership and kinship. As a result of colonization, many Indian people have come to believe elk and bison meat are inferior to beef, Tatsey says. Through the college, however, students are learning the value of wild meats for fighting diabetes and heart disease.

Freelance journalist Ron Selden contributed to this story.

Rewards of Research Go Beyond Students, FBCC

Fort Berthold Community College (FBCC, New Town, ND) has been conducting research projects focusing on the environment and people for the past 10 years. Students involved in research have not only been introduced to quality research methods. They have also have been able to work closely with the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation and form relationships with agencies to help meet reservation-wide research needs.

Research projects over the years have included several on water quality (lead in drinking water; E.coli in drinking water; well-water quality; and locating pesticides in surface water). Others have studied radon; bio-control of Leafy Spurge; mosquito surveillance; endangered species; Shagella epidemiology; and diabetes.

Initial grants that enabled FBCC to begin research were provided by AhJoGun (National Institutes of Health) and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minorities Program (National Science Foundation).

Presently, FBCC is conducting research projects through several different grants: Through the NSF Tribal College and University Program grant, faculty and student interns conducted research on the effectiveness of block scheduling classes to increase student retention.

The aquaculture project (USDA) is investigating the feasibility of developing aquaculture in the local reservoir by observing attrition and growth of fingerlings in a local pond.

Through the Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) grant (National Institutes of Health), some students are researching traditional plant dyes. In a separate RISE project, students are studying the nutrient content of traditional Three Tribes diets to identify sources of calcium. Another diet-related project involves the use of the traditionally foraged Juneberries (high in antioxidants) as an alternative crop.

In a collaborative project involving North Dakota State University, Sitting Bull College, Sinte Gleska University, and FBCC, students and faculty are studying the cancer-protective properties of selenium in grains, cattle, and bison raised in the western plains of the Dakotas. That project is also funded by USDA

"Experience in conducting research, presenting at national symposiums, mentorship, collaborations, and the knowledge gained from findings have shaped our college and students," says Ruth Shortbull, FBCC faculty member. "Many of our previous research students have continued their educations and are currently working on the reservation."

Grant Offers Research Projects to Undergrads

When Northwest Indian College (NWIC, Bellingham, WA) received the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates grant in April 2004, it was the first tribal college to do so. It joined the ranks of universities such as Harvard, Cornell, Notre Dame, Vassar, and Texas A&M.

This award reflects NWIC's transition to research-based science education, according to Dr. Roberto Gonzalez-Plaza of the NWIC science faculty. The tribal college is forging partnerships with the Lummi Tribe and area universities to place students from its Tribal Environmental and Natural Resources Management program.

The grant will distribute $188,000 in this phase to qualified students. It supports research opportunities for students in the areas of science, environmental science, and natural resources as relevant to tribes in the Northwest. A faculty member at NWIC and one or more mentors at research sites will oversee student research activities.

Research projects focus on non-point source pollution, salmon restoration ecology, remote habitat assessment tools, aquaculture technologies, traditional use of native plants, DNA-based shellfish and fish population analysis, the ecology of the Salish Sea (Puget Sound), and rain forest ecosystems dynamics.

Students will be placed with partners of NWIC such as Huxley College of the Environment at Western Washington University, the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories (in the San Juan Islands) and the Natural Resources Department of the Lummi Nation. As the National Indian Center for Marine Environmental Research and Education starts functioning on the Lummi Reservation, the college expects to incorporate research dealing with other aspects of marine sciences.

For details, contact Dr. Roberto Gonzalez-Plaza at NWIC, rgonzalez@nwic.edu.

SKC Extension Service Stalking the Wild Iris

Most people consider the wild yellow iris a beautiful flower. On the Flathead Reservation in Montana, however, it is turning into a yellow plague. Iris pseudacorus infests canals, reservoirs, streams, Flathead Lake, wetlands, and the Mission Mountain foothill waterways.

By spreading rapidly and reducing native vegetation, it makes land unfit for beneficial uses, according to Virgil Dupuis, Salish Kootenai College (SKC) Extension agent. After the state of Montana listed it as a Category 3 noxious weed, the SKC Extension Service began mapping new iris infestations with GPS and monitoring existing infestations.

The extension service also began a research project to control the iris and re-vegetate with native shrubs. The Crow Creek project will assess the long-term effectiveness of herbicide and shading on iris and the ability of native alder and willow to become established.

The college is working with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the local weed district, and the state of Montana on this iris project. Working with most of the same partners, the SKC Extension Service is also researching the feasibility of reseeding rangelands that have become infested with noxious weeds and invasive plants.

While there are almost no native grasses in the area, significant populations of native forbs still exist. The tribes want to reestablish these native grasses without plowing. Three years after seeding, native grasses are becoming established, despite competition from weeds and grass invaders, Dupuis says.

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