Tribal Colleges Research Articles

Beyond Assimilation: Tribal Colleges, Basic Writing, and the Exigencies of Settler Colonialism

This article discusses basic writing pedagogy at a two-year tribal college, an institution type that has not been visible in the basic writing literature to date. Inmany tribal college contexts, socioeconomic challenges, under-resourced K-12 schools, and linguistic diversity all contribute to high student placement rates into “developmental”writing courses. Operating from the understanding that tribal college writing curricula are assertions of rhetorical sovereignty, I present a narrative of the pedagogical reasoning that ledme to structure my basic writing course around the exigencies of U.S. settler colonialism—that is, the settler state’s ongoing political, social, and economic project of controlling Indigenous peoples, lands, and resources. This approach encouragesNative American students to develop critical language awareness and invites them to consider the importance ofwriting for furthering the interests of their communities and nations while meeting the tribal college’s self-determined learning outcomes.

The Curiosity of Nations: Shakespeare and International Electronic Collaboration

The Curiosity of Nations:Shakespeare and International Electronic Collaboration Sheila T. Cavanagh (bio) The World Shakespeare Project (WSP)—www.worldshakespeareproject.org—co-directed by Sheila T. Cavanagh and Kevin Quarmby of Emory University, is crafting a model for global twenty-first-century higher education through an interconnected series of live, interactive collaborations that cross international, institutional, disciplinary, sociocultural, religious, linguistic, economic, and other disparate academic divides. As the recent Observatory on Borderless Higher Education Report suggests, traditional conceptualizations of tertiary education are rapidly becoming outmoded, but new educational constellations are often problematic: Although branch campuses and partnerships with foreign universities are on the rise, they require a level of investment and risk management that can be intimidating, even for universities with big endowments. But investment in online learning will allow universities to benefit from economies of scale and meet increasing demand from developing countries. (Katsomitros par. 1) [End Page 121] The twenty-first century offers complex financial, technological, and internationalization issues that demand more rapid change than American universities traditionally provide. In response to this need, the WSP is creating, evaluating, and disseminating a multi-faceted educational structure that can be adapted for use globally and across the disciplines. It was recognized in 2012 as the only recipient of Emory University Research Committee's "High Risk/ High Potential Initiative," which was established to promote non-traditional interdisciplinary collaborations, innovative methods, and inquiries regarding emerging areas. It has also received several other internal grants and a US Challenge Grant from the Royal Society of the Arts in order to expand its partnerships with North American Indian Colleges. The WSP links disparate international Shakespearean faculty and students together electronically. The expertise of Emory's Educational Technology staff allows us to establish live communication with institutions lacking comparable facilities. Cavanagh is WSP's founding director, and she has made regular academic visits to India since 2000. Consequently, the WSP has forged numerous connections between Atlanta and communities in India, including, for example, tribal colleges serving first-generation learners in West Bengal and other regions in Eastern India. The WSP also possesses significant links with the United Kingdom, drawing in part from Quarmby's lengthy prior career as a professional actor in London. In addition, the WSP currently works with Université Hassan II and Al Akhawayn University in Morocco, with universities associated with Fundación Shakespeare Argentina, and with Shakespearean faculty and students in Brazil. With the cooperation of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, it has also expanded its collaborative network to reach American Tribal Colleges, such as Cankdeska Cikana Community College in North Dakota and Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College in Michigan. In addition, we are partnering with Gretchen Minton from Montana State University and Scott Jackson from Shakespeare Notre Dame to investigate the further inclusion of western American Indian students. These tribal connections, along with our growing international community, deepen all WSP collaborative experiences. Our live and electronic guest lecturers as well as our undergraduate research, internship, collaborative, and exchange opportunities enable us to involve an eclectic local and "virtual" group in meaningful ways. Emory's Halle Institute for Global Learning and its Hightower Fund, for example, have generously sponsored residencies with London stage and opera director Stephen Unwin and with Peabody Award-winning documentary maker Steve Rowland. Future residencies, such as the 2013 visits of [End Page 122] Shakespeare in Prison directors Curt Tofteland and Tom Magill, will broaden the diverse scope of WSP classroom endeavors. WSP sessions typically involve live videoconference discussions and performance exercises shared between faculty and students in each location. For some of our partners, Shakespeare holds an important place in the curriculum; for others, these mutual classes primarily promote internationalization efforts or offer opportunities to join broad educational discussions. We aim to create a widely accessible learning environment, which constitutes one of the most challenging, but essential, aspects of our venture. Some of the international and tribal college students are the first in their families to receive a formal education and have had limited travel experiences. Other WSP students live in cosmopolitan regions, such as Kolkata or Casablanca. Most of our international partners encounter English as non-native speakers. Each student population, however, whether at Emory...

Mothers’ Concerns about Children’s Exposure to Pesticide Drift in the Red River Basin of the North: A Novel Application of Photovoice

Women of childbearing age and children living in agricultural regions are at-risk for pesticide exposure from many pathways, including occupational track-in from parents, residential use, dietary intake, and drift from farming. Little is known about mothers’ concerns regarding the potential for their children to become exposed to pesticides in these regions. Photovoice was used as a community needs assessment to learn mothers’ perceptions of exposure pathways to pesticides and other environmental health concerns. This article reports the perceptions of women raising children regarding children’s potential for exposure to pesticide drift. Recruitment occurred among three distinct groups living in the Red River Basin of the North: Caucasians living adjacent to actively treated farmland, enrolled in the Women, Infant and Children’s nutrition program (WIC); Native Americans surrounded by active farmland, affiliated with a local tribal college; and new American Immigrants from East Africa affiliated with a local immigrant development center. Perceived sources of exposure included agricultural-aerial and tractor spraying, and truck fogging for mosquito control. Mothers wanted advanced notice of spraying or fogging so they could take their children and toys indoors as protective measures, and education to prevent pesticide exposure, delivered in tailored formats for each group. The findings provide real-world insights from mothers and prevention strategies that can be utilized by public health professionals, extension educators, and primary care providers with the aim of reducing pesticide exposure to children in agricultural regions. Keywords: Children; Pesticide exposure; Pesticide drift; Arial spray; Photovoice Contents soley the authors' responsibitlity and do not represent the official views of any funding source. Acknowledgement: We than the following members for their contributions to this Photovoice study: Fowzia Adde, Kirstin Eggerling, Abby Gold, Stephanie Williams, Ruth Rasmussen and Kathy Smith.

Traditional ecological knowledge in the tribal college classroom

The college classroom at a tribal college offers a dynamic perspective on the discussion of traditional ecological knowledge. It provides a unique view because it is one of the very few settings in higher education where the majority of students in the class are American Indian. It is here where traditional ecological knowledge should become tangible, practical, and embraced. It is evident when students talk about their culture and spiritual practices. It is shown when they relate stories that their grandparents have passed down to them over the years. It is evident when they share their experiences of spending time in the forest and interacting with the land as if it was their best friend. My experience as a non-native instructor at the College of Menominee Nation in northern Wisconsin over the past 10 years has provided me with not only an appreciation for traditional ecological knowledge, but actually an understanding for how it is essential in the global study of environmental sustainability. This paper will detail the basis for making such an assertion.

Identity Politics: the Mixed-race American Indian Experience

This paper builds a Critical Race Theory approach to consider how mixed-race American Indian college students conform to, or resist, dominant black/non-black ideology.Current research on multiracials in the U.S. lacks the perspectives of mixed-race American Indians on the heightened disputes of “Indianness,” tribal enrollment, and tribal self-determination. Also under-explored is how mixed-race American Indian persons perceive themselves in racial terms, how they wish to be perceived, and how economic and historical perspectives inform their choices about racial self-identification.This paper provides an overview of the identity politics of mixed-race American Indians at a tribal college and highlights the need for tribal colleges to embrace a growing mixed-race population through self-determination education policies.

Welcome to a new world: experiences of American Indian tribal college and university transfer students at predominantly white institutions

This study utilizes an Indigenous methodology and phenomenological methods to better understand the experiences of eight American Indian tribal college and university (TCU) students who transferred to four-year Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). The participants attended TCUs and PWIs located in the Midwest, a geographic area that is understudied in analyses of American Indian college students, in contrast to the southwest or Great Plains. While many studies focus on the failure of American Indian college students, this study focuses on the attributes of successful American Indian college students. It specifically examines the relationship between the participants’ interaction and engagement with their campus and their successful transition to a PWI. Transferring from a predominantly American Indian institution, the participants showed a lack of interest in interacting with non-native faculty, staff, and students and faced ignorance and stereotypes not present at TCUs. This paper has important implications for future research, theory, and practice related to the successful transition of American Indian students from TCUs to PWIs.

Barriers to Cancer Clinical Trial Participation Among American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal College Students

American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIs/ANs) have some of the highest cancer-related mortality rates of all US racial and ethnic groups, but they are underrepresented in clinical trials. We sought to identify factors that influence willingness to participate in cancer clinical trials among AI/AN tribal college students, and to compare attitudes toward clinical trial participation among these students with attitudes among older AI/AN adults. Questionnaire data from 489 AI/AN tribal college students were collected and analyzed along with previously collected data from 112 older AI/AN adults. We examined 10 factors that influenced participation in the tribal college sample, and using chi-square analysis and these 10 factors, we compared attitudes toward research participation among 3 groups defined by age: students younger than 40, students 40 and older, and nonstudent adults 40 and older. About 80% of students were willing to participate if the study would lead to new treatments or help others with cancer in their community, the study doctor had experience treating AI/AN patients, and they received payment. Older nonstudent adults were less likely to participate on the basis of the doctor's expertise than were students (73% vs 84%, P = .007), or if the study was conducted 50 miles away (24% vs 41%, P= .001). Finding high rates of willingness to participate is an important first step in increasing participation of AIs/ANs in clinical trials. More information is needed on whether these attitudes influence actual behavior when opportunities to participate become available.

Erratum to: Influence of Framing and Graphic Format on Comprehension of Risk Information among American Indian Tribal College Students

Erratum to: Influence of Framing and Graphic Format on Comprehension of Risk Information among American Indian Tribal College Students

First tribal college or university to offer hydrology degree program

American Indian tribes and tribal confederations exert sovereignty over about 27% of freshwater resources in the United States. Yet only about 20–30 Native American students receive bachelor's degrees in the geosciences each year, and few of those degrees are in the field of hydrology. To help increase the ranks of Native American hydrologists, the Salish Kootenai College (SKC) in Pablo, Mont., now has associate and bachelor of science degree programs in hydrology, the first hydrology and geoscience degree programs offered by any of the Tribal Colleges and Universities in North America. SKC received approval to offer the degree programs from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities in 2010.

Influence of Framing and Graphic Format on Comprehension of Risk Information among American Indian Tribal College Students

We evaluated methods for presenting risk information by administering six versions of an anonymous survey to 489 American Indian tribal college students. All surveys presented identical numeric information, but framing varied. Half expressed prevention benefits as relative risk reduction, half as absolute risk reduction. One third of surveys used text to describe prevention benefits; one third used text plus bar graph; one third used text plus modified bar graph incorporating a culturally tailored image. The odds ratio (OR) for correct risk interpretation for absolute risk framing vs. relative risk framing was 1.40 (95 % CI = 1.01, 1.93). The OR for correct interpretation of text plus bar graph vs. text only was 2.16 (95 % CI = 1.46, 3.19); OR for text plus culturally tailored bar graph vs. text only was 1.72 (95 % CI = 1.14, 2.60). Risk information including a bar graph was better understood than text-only information; a culturally tailored graph was no more effective than a standard graph.

Ethnocentric Curricula and the Politics of Minority Incorporation at Tribal and Historically Black Colleges

Recent studies have analyzed the diffusion of ethnic studies programs at colleges and universities in the United States. This article explores a different trend: the infusion of “ethnocentric” content—perspectives that explicitly and exclusively focus on one ethnic group—throughout the curriculum at tribal, historically Black, and mainstream colleges and universities. Descriptive and multivariate regression analyses indicate that ethnocentric courses are distributed more widely across fields of study at tribal colleges than at Black or mainstream colleges. To account for this difference, this article examines how tribal and historically Black colleges have been shaped by—and continue to reflect—the socio-political logics that prevailed at the time of their founding is examined. The exceptional quasi-sovereign status of Indian tribes empowers them to charter their own colleges and implement culturally distinctive curricula.

Writing to learn ecology: a study of three populations of college students

Being an ecologically literate citizen involves making decisions that are based on ecological knowledge and accepting responsibility for personal actions. Using writing-to-learn activities in college science courses, we asked students to consider personal dilemmas that they or others might have in response to how human choices can impact coastal dead zones around the world. We explored how undergraduate students (42 biology and 47 elementary education majors at a 4-year college and eight Native studies majors at a tribal college in the United States) identified their ecological dilemmas after reading about aquatic hypoxia. About 30% of the 4-year college students’s essays demonstrated a more ecologically literate understanding of hypoxia by the end of the study. The tribal college students improved their ecological literacy by 50%, albeit with a small sample size. Biology majors made more human-centered comments than the education majors. The Native American students often discussed trade-offs between quality of life and ecological consequences, and were classified as both human-centered and ecosystem-centered.

Type 2 Diabetes Science and American Indian/Alaska Native Culture: Creating a National K–12 Curriculum Prevention Strategy for Native Youth

In Brief Preventing and reducing the onset of type 2 diabetes among American Indian/Alaska Native youth requires educational strategies to affect knowledge, attitudes, and cognitive decision-making skills. In an unparalleled effort to address the growing epidemic of type 2 diabetes in tribal communities, eight tribal colleges and three federal agencies collaborated to develop and implement a kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade (K–12) Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools curriculum. This article outlines the scientific and cultural development of a comprehensive K–12 science curriculum as a targeted health prevention strategy.

Editors' Introduction Unveiling the Masks We Live By — And Engaging the "Imperative of Hope"

Editors' Introduction Unveiling the Masks We Live By - And Engaging the "Imperative of Hope" This "camouflage in issue which begins she reality" with examines a to tour serve deforce the dominant racialized byMuskogee race, masks class, scholar and discursive K. gender Tsisanina interests strategies Lomawaima, that that in whichshe examines theracialized masks- discursive strategies that "camouflage reality" toserve dominant race, class, andgender interests - that enshroud the increasingly divisive politics ofour times. Themasking hasbeen particularly virulent inthe State ofArizona - Lomawaima' splace ofresidence and our own - where recent bansonimmigration (from theSouth), Ethnic (Mexican American) Studies, languages other than English (Spanish), and "accented" English leadustoask, along with Lomawaima, "What's going on?What canwedo?" Drawing onsafety zonetheory, which shedeveloped toanalyze historic shifts in federal Indian education policy (Lomawaima, 2002;Lomawaima & McCarty, 2006), Lomawaima interrogates the politics behind the masks designed toexclude andcontrol cultural andlinguistic practices deemed tobeso"frighteningly different" astothreaten dominant power hierarchies. Unveiling the masks isanimportant - and necessary - part ofourwork, but equally necessary, Lomawaima argues, iswhat PauloFreire called a pedagogy ofhope: "Toattempt todowithout hope, which isbased onthe need for truth as anethical quality ofthestruggle, istantamount todenying that struggle oneofits mainstays" (Freire, 1995[2004], p. 8). Andso,as westrip off themasks wemust simultaneously "unveil opportunities for hope, regardless oftheobstacles" (Freire, 1995 [2004]) - animperative, Lomawaima says, weoweto"untold generations" who have struggled courageously before us,andto"those who come after." Theremainder oftheissuespeaks toboth themasking atwork inIndigenous education and tothe "opportunities for hope." Webegin with Jeffrey C.Stotts and Myrna R.Olson, who take readers toa predominately White high school inthe Midwestern U.S. attended byNative students. Through aninterview-based qualitative study, Stotts and Olson show the multitudinous racist stereotypes faced byNative youth inthis setting, the identity tugs and pulls related tolife (inthe youth's words) "onthe rez," and the resilience they muster through the support offamily, friends, teachers, and pedagogies that embrace their culture and the "here and now" oftheir lives. Hope K.Gerde and her associates then examine the presence (andabsence) ofcultural content inAmerican Indian/Alaska Native HeadStart programs inoneMidwestern state. While "nosystematic cultural orlanguage curriculum" wasapparent inthese programs, Gerde etal.nonetheless find opportunities for hope in collaborative partnerships between the programs and Native families and communities. The issue concludes with a very hopeful Report from the FieldbyBrant G.Miller, Aaron Doering, Gillian Roehrig, andRobert Shimek that illustrates the ways inwhich science, technology, engineering, andmathematics (STEM)education canbeculturally infused. Coupling ahybrid educational approach known asadventure learning with the Indigenous placeand culture-based game ofsnow snakes, Miller etal.illuminate the many possibilities for connecting Indigenous and Western science content andways ofknowing. Finally, wenote with deepsadness the recent passing ofa heroine inthe field of Indigenous education, Ruth Wheeler Roessel. ADiñéweaver, teacher, school and college administrator, andthe "founding mother" ofthe first American Indian K-12communityJournal ofAmerican Indian Education -51,Issue2,2012 1 controlled school (Rough RockDemonstration School, nowRough Rock Community School) and the first tribal college (Navajo Community College, now Diñé College), Ruth Roessel wasamong a handful ofNative women who ledthe Indian self-determination movement ofthe1960s and1970s, blazing a newpath ofopportunities inthe field of American Indian education. Atribute toRuth Roessel byher son, Dr.C.Monty Roessel, follows this introduction. Weclosebyreturning toK.Tsianina Lomawaima's reminder, inthe first line of her essay, that "sadevents cangenerate moments ofoptimism." Likethe far-reaching legacy ofA.Oscar Kawagley towhich Lomawaima refers, sotoo will webeever uplifted bythe pedagogy ofhope left tousallbyRuth Wheeler Roessel. Respectfully, - Bryan McKinley Jones Brayboy andTeresa L.McCarty, Editors Larisa Warhol, Associate Editor References Freire, P.(1995 [2004)]. Pedagogy ofhope: Reliving Pedagogy ofthe Oppressed. New York: • Continuum. Lomawaima, K.T.(2002). American Indian education: By Indians vs. for Indians. InP.J. Deloria &N.Salisbury (eds.), Acompanion to American Indian history (pp. 422-440). Maiden, MA: Blackwell. Lomawaima, K.T., &McCarty, T.L.(2006). "To remain anIndian" :Lessons indemocracy from a century of Native American education. New York: Teachers College Press. RuthRoesselaccepting an awardfrom Navajo Nationofficials forherleadershipinDine education, ca. 2010 (photograph from ASU Center for Indian Education archives) 2 Journal of American Indian Education -Volume 51,Issue2,2012 ...

Tat Responses on Achievement Motivation among Tribal and Non-Tribal College Students of Assam

The population of Assam comprises of various tribes with their varied customs and beliefs. The current research study investigates the motivational pattern viz. achievement motivation and the differentiating cultural elements prevalent among the Tribal and Non - Tribal college students of Assam residing in Guwahati city. The sample consisted of 240 college students (120 tribal and 120 non-tribal) ranging from18-24 years, 60 males and 60 females for both tribal's and non-tribal's. Attempts were made to include all the prominent tribes of Assam viz. Bodo Kachari, karbi, Miris, Lalung, Dimasa Kachari and Rabhas.. Thematic Apperception Test and a semi structured interview schedule were used to gather information about their family types, parental deprivation, parental relations, settlement pattern and ecology. Mean, Standard Deviation, and t-test were the statistical measures adopted in this 2x2 factorial design study. In addition to this discriminant analysis has been worked out to strengthen the predictive validity of the obtained data. Results from TAT scores reveal significant difference among the two cultures on achievement motivation. Tribals were found to have low achievement motivation as compared to non-tribal students. Further the study yielded an interesting finding that tribal females are high achievers as compared to males, whereas among non-tribal's males are high achievers. Discriminant analysis results depicts n-achievement as the potent factor which has the highest weight (.811) that resulted in determining the competence and skill of the non-tribal students over the tribal students.

Faculty perceptions of the first‐generation student experience and programs at tribal colleges

AbstractThe authors extend the existing research about first‐generation Native Americans at mainstream institutions by looking at Native Americans enrolled as first‐generation college students (FGS) at tribal colleges. Using the results of interviews with faculty at tribal colleges, the authors discuss the challenges that first‐generation college student Native‐American students face, such as lack of family support and role models, lack of college preparation, and financial concerns.

The Institutional Vision of Tribal Community Colleges

This investigation provides a base-line measurement of the inspirational and pragmatic rhetoric in declarations of institutional vision at tribal community colleges. By comparing it to nontribal community colleges, this content analysis reveals the current state of utility of the mission and vision statements of tribal community colleges, their potential as guiding and governing documents, as well as their ability to communicate concrete student outcomes. Findings suggest that the language employed in these defining documents is purposeful but not nearly as functional, visionary, or outcome-oriented as that employed by other community colleges. Implications for assessment and accreditation are discussed.

Remote Sensing for Water Quality Monitoring & Watershed Assessment On the Lake Traverse Reservation

AbstractDuring the summer of 2010, three student interns from Sisseton Wahpeton Tribal College along with researchers from South Dakota State University engaged in a pilot project to assess the feasibility of using Landsat imagery to determine water transparency in reservation lakes in northeastern South Dakota. The students were trained to assist with data collection, image processing, and spatial and statistical analyses. Secchi depth measurements and lake algae bloom observations were made on cloud-free Landsat overpass days. Measurement locations were geo-referenced using GPS. Field observations and satellite image classification and interpretation techniques were used to create a land use map for the watershed and explore possible land-use-related causes of the variation in water transparency. The results of this project included a better understanding of the relationship between Landsat images and on site observations of water transparency at first and then land use and water quality in reservation lakes.

The Faculty Learning About Geriatrics (FLAG) Program: Bringing Together Experts in Geriatric Nursing Education

Strengthening geriatric content in schools of nursing is a key initiative for the Minnesota Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence. The first Faculty Learning About Geriatrics (FLAG) program was implemented in the summer of 2008. Selected nursing faculty from across the Upper Midwest and tribal colleges have successfully completed the FLAG program in the last 2 years. Participants completed a 5-day summer institute at the University of Minnesota and a 1-year mentorship program. The FLAG program is designed to broaden expertise in geriatric nursing through building teaching and academic leadership skills and to increase content knowledge through collaboration with academic and geriatric leaders. This article provides an overview of the educational experience of FLAG participants who have earned the title of FLAG program fellow. The perspectives of the FLAG mentors and fellows are highlighted.

“Tribes Sharing Life”

"Tribes Sharing Life" is an educational intervention about deceased organ donation for American Indian Tribal College and University (TCU) students. The classroom and web-based program was derived from cultural values and beliefs, and the Transtheoretical Model. The aim of this study was to develop and formatively evaluate the intervention for acceptability and satisfaction among advisory council members (n = 10) and TCU students (n = 22). Council evaluation results were strong. All items met the <3.0 mean acceptability criterion using an intervention materials review form. Content validity indices met criterion of 0.80 overall and for each item. Dialogue among tribal advisors led to culturally based changes in the images that portrayed the need for organ donation. TCU student evaluation of the revised intervention resulted in overall mean scores that met criterion for acceptability and satisfaction. Tribes Sharing Life is a formatively evaluated intervention that should undergo efficacy testing.