Published each Thursdav in Pembroke, N.C. H K Carolina Indian Voice "Building Communicative Bridges In A Tri-Racial Sett in UNcp'^^or Volume 27 Number S4 Thursday, August 17, 2000 ^ ^-'brary 25? CP&L endows scholarship for Native Americans at UNCP PEMBROKE. N.C.--Representatives from CP&L Energy. Ine.'s Weatherspoon Plant in l.umberton met with L'NC Pembroke officials this week to finalize a gift to an endowed scholarship for Native American students. Plant Manager Mark Frederick delivered a check for S5.000 to support the North Carolina Native American Scholarship, which was established last spring. "This gift represents several ideals that CP&L values very highly." Mr. Fredrick said. "We at CP&L was Robbie Brayboy, of Pembroke, who is a technician at the local electric generating facility. "The idea for supporting this scholarship came as part of CP&L's diversity initiative," Mr. Brayboy said. "I am a memberofthe company's Diversity Council. Chancellor Allen C. Meadors welcomed CP&L to campus. "We are most grateful to CP&L for contributing to the enhancement of the lives and of Native American students," Chancellor Meadors said. "Endowed funds allow students who may otherwise be unable to attend college to do so." "We know there is no one factor as significant as a college education to project the economic success of an individual." he said. "We need so many more of this type of endowment, 50 we can open the door of a better life for more worthy individuals." Both Mr. Frederick and Mr. Brayboy have personal reasons to support scholarship in their community . Mr. Brayboy is a recent graduate of Robeson Community College, and Mr. Frederick will graduate this year from Mt. Olive College. "We really do believe in education at CP&L, and this contribution to UNCP is a logical one for us," Mr. Frederick said. "We're proud that UNC Pembroke is one of the most diverse universities in the nation." Headquartered in Raleigh, CP&L Energy. Inc. (formerly Carolina Power and Light Co.) is a full service provider of electric and natural gas service to customers in portions of North and South Carolina. To support this or any other scholarship program at UNCP, please call the Office of Development at (910) 521-6533. Three-Year-Old Wins Pageants Evita Saybrianna Sanderson has recently won two more pageant titles. Her first win is the 2000 Wee Miss Millennium Heavenly Angel. Her second win is the Mini Miss Carolina Dream Girl Picnic Queen. She also won Photogenic, Sportswear, and Just Jeans in her age division. She also won the 0-6 Overall Personality. Evita is the 3 year old daughter of Sabrina Sanderson and Michael Floyd. She is the granddaughter of Sylvia L. Sanderson and the late James Edward and Mary Francis Floyd and the great-granddaughter of the late Gus Howard and Eva Mae Locklear and the late Ira and Nancy Sanderson. Palmer Prevention Program to Provide Stage for Local Performers at Coffee House If you are a musician, poet, or artist of any kind, the Palmer Prevention Program (PPP) wants to provide a stage for your talents. The non-profit agency whose mission is to prevent, delay, or reduce the use of alcohol and other drugs in the youth of Robeson C.'ounty has created Cafe Palmer. In response to the need for alternative activities. Cafe Palmer will be based on a coffee house atmosphere with performers of all types and ages. Initially, the PDPP will transform itself into Cafe Palmer one night a month. "We arc going to see how the response is going to me," said Mark Schwarzc, Outreach Specialist II for Palmer. "If it is a hit, we will look at adding more nights." Cafe Palmer is another effort by PPP to provide alternative activities for Robeson County youth. The agency already holds one Friday night function a month and has provided many weekend activities such as camping and field trips. "The coffee house idea will be a little different than anything we have tried before," said Schwarzc^ "I know there is a lot of talent out there, and very few places to let it shine." Cafe Palmer will be complete with refreshments, food, and atmo sphere. "We want to try and set a mood that is hip and creative, but safe and healthy as well," said Schwarze. In 1999, PPP proved services to approximately 1200 clients. The program provides services to juveniles on probation who are suspended from school, a 12-hour parent/child curriculum focusing on substance abuse prevention, support groups, and inschool prevention programs. Schwarze hopes to have the coffee house talent night up and running in September as part of a series of events promoting the month as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. It will also serve to further the effort by PPP to reduce underage drinking in Robeson County. "I think drug and alcohol free events and activities are needed in a rural county with limited opportunities for kids to have fun," he said. "They can express themselves here or they can express themselves on the street comers and parking lots." Anyone interested in participating in Cafe Palmer as a performer can contact Mark Schwarze at the Palmer Prevention Program at (91010 618-1135. Shown left to right: Calvin D. Webster, Nicholas B. Dimery, Ashleigh T. Johnson, Kresa M. Cumntings, Rebecca A. Jacobs, Crystal R. Bollard, Jessica E. Lock/ear and Sweta V. Patel. UNCP Students Reaping Rewards Through Clinical Health Summer Proaram Mid May of this year, eight (8) talented UNC Pembroke students entered local hospitals and clinics in and around Robeson and Scotland County. The program is designed to giving promising students who are interested in health careers "real-life" exposure to careers in health as early as their freshman and sophomore year, according to the program director Sylvia Johnson. The students began their work as summer interns through the Clinical Health Summer Program (CHSP), sponsored by the North Carolina health Careers Access Program (NC-HCAP), For six weeks, UNCP students worked full-time in a hospital or health clinic learning the duties and responsibilities of a health care professional and how a health care delivery system operates. During the students' formal presentations these comments were shared front Ashleigh Johnson, a rising sophomore. "I knew that I wanted to have a career in a health profession, but I was not sure of the area. Placement at Pembroke Pediatrics enabled me to see and know what I want to do with my life. Each time I entered an exam room with a child, I felt stronger and stronger about the pediatric field. My love and attraction toward children are gifts from God, and my future career will definitely be associated with pediatrics." Jessica Locklear said, "Anyone can say they want to become a doctor, but being placed in a clinical setting provides an opportunity to see first-hand if that is what they actually want! I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience the CHSP program. It has helped me to realize a career in the health field is absolutely for me!" Rebecca Jacobs' comments were, "Getting a first-hand look at health care, as well as getting some 'behind the scenes' exposure to the tasks that occur in taking care of people, remind me that 'EVERYONE' works together to provide efficient health care." Rebeca Jacobs, a senior biology major is continuing to "reap the rewards of CHSP." At the end of her six-week internship at Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton, the hospital offered Jacobs a permanent pari-time position to continue her work in the Medical Technology Laboratory. Three other students, Kresa Cummings, Ashleigh Johnson and Sweta Patel were also offered a part-time position for the upcoming academic year. The Clinical Health Summer Program is just one example of how the NC-HCAP Health Careers Center at UNC Pembroke is helping to increase the number of minority and disadvantaged students entering and graduating from health training pro grams. "We have had a good track record of CHSP Participants going on to professional school to pursue health captcre. Since '96 we have had half our CHSP graduates to enter health professional programs," said Sylvia Johnson, Director of NC-HCAP at UNC Pembroke. Internships were wide ranging, including Southeastern Regional Medical Center and Scotland Memorial Hospital. Pembroke Pediatrics, Robeson Health Care Corp., Robeson Family Practice, and Robeson County Mental Health also provided internship opportunities. Interns were: Crystal R. Bullard, a sophomore biomedical major from Pembroke; Kresa M. Cummings, a sophomore biology major from Pembroke; Nicholas B. Dimery, a chemistry major form Pembroke; Rebecca A. Jacobs, a senior biology major from Pembroke; Ashleigh T. Johnson, a sophomore biomedical major from Pembroke; Jessica E. Locklear, a sophomore biology major from Lumberton; Sweta V. Patel, a senior psychology major from Greensboro; and Calvin D. Webster II, a junior biomedical major from Newport, NC. For further information about the program contact Sylvia T. Johnson (910) 521-6493 or visit our webpage at WWW.UNCP.EDU/HCAP. ort ps The v.? er Support Group will meet Thursday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. in the library of Southeastern Regional Rehabilitation Center of Cape Fear Valley Health System, located behind Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. The Cancer Support Group, for cancer patients and their families, meets on the second Thursday of each month. For more information, please call 609-LINK (5465). The Transplant Support Group will meet on Thursday, Sept. 14, at 11:30 a.m. in the Conference Room on the first floor of Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. The group meets on the second Thursdays of each month at the same time and location. For more information, please contact Jennifer Davis at 609-6801. The Cancer Center of Cape Fear Valley Health System will hold a free STAR Trial information session on Thursday, Sept. 14, from noon to 1 p.m. at The Cancer Center Conference Room at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Lunch will be provided. The information session is being held for post-menopausal women who are at increased risk of breast cancer. STAR is a research study that will compare two different drugs for their effectiveness in reducing the occurrence of breast cancer. Eligible participants must be postmenopausal women age 35 or older and have an increased risk of breast cancer (as determined by their age, family history of breast cancer, personal medical history, age at first menstrual period and age at first live birth). For more information, or to reserve a seat, please call (910) 609-4606. . ? University Theatre Auditions for How I Learned to Drive The University Theatre at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke will hold open auditions for the Pulitzer Prize winning play, How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel, August 28-30 from 7:00 pm on the mainstage of the Givens Performing Arts Center. Roles are available for 2 men and 3 women. Production dates are October 5-7. For more information, call David Thaggard at 910-521-6287 or 1-800-367-0778. A Closer Look at Indian Housing: NC Indian Housing Authority & LRDA Currently there is a tremendous amount of discussion taking place in the Lumbee tribe regarding housing money. This article is first in a series of articles to attempt to explain the Lumbee Indian Housing program as it is administered by Lumbee Regional Development Association, Inc. (LRDA). A discussion of the history of the Housing Department and the various programs available through the Department is necessary to clarify the current confusion some tribal members have regarding the Indian Housing program. It is the hope of the agency that this series of articles will assist in this matter. In 1996 the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) was passed. This legislation focused on providing affordable homes in safe and healthy environments for Native Americans. Monies to be awarded under NAHASDA would be given directly to tribes or their tribal designated entities (TDE) to allow them to continue their right to govern their own affairs. The amount of the monetary assistance provided to tribes would be based on the number of tribal members. State recognized tribes were included in this legislation. Lumbee was one of the four state recognized tribes in NC to be eligible for housing assistance funds through NAHASDA. The Coharic, Waccamaw-Siouan and HaliwaSaponi Indian tribes were also eligible. These tribes were included because they were part of the NC State Indian Housing Authority created in 1977 by the NC General Assembly to provide housing services to Native Americans. The Authority is governed by five Commissioners appointed by the Governor. They are selected from the major Indian tribes in NC, as well as the urban Indian organizations. The NC Indian Housing Authority established and maintained several housing projects in the various tribal communities. For example, the following housing projects were built for the l.umbee tribe: Red Hills Housing Project in Robeson County. Hawkeye' Sands Housing Project in Hoke County, and Eagles Nest Housing Project in Cumberland County. These projects continue to be maintained by the NC Indian Housing Authority. The l.umbee tribe first applied for NAHASDA monies in 1998. However, in the midst of the tribal controversy regarding the legitimate representative governing body of the tribe, both LRDA and the Tribal Council accepted applications from tribal members and submitted a housing plan to HUD. This created a dilemma for HUD in trying to determine whom the monies would be awarded to. In an effort to ensure the tribe received the monies, a compromise was reached. It was decided that the NC Indian Housing Authority would be designated as the TDE and administer the housing monies for the Lumbee tribe. An advisory committee comprising members from both LRDA and the Tribal Council was established to advise the Housing Authority on matters regarding the funds received on behalf of Lumbee. Those applica tions received by LRDA and the Tribal Council were given to the NC Indian Housing Authority for processing. The Authority continues to administer the 1998 Lumbee Housing monies. However, it is important to note, the Authority was not able to process all of the applications they received from the Tribal Council and LRDA. In 1999, LRDA submitted a housing plan according to the NAHASDA regulations. This time the organization was given the authority to administer monies to the tribe by virtue of a court order in the case between the Tribal Council and LRDA. Judge Howard Manning issued a court order in January 1999 giving LRDA "limited authority" over tribal matters. This would include, specifically, administering Indian housing monies received from HUD. LRDA received applications from tribal members for the 1999 monies. In addition to those applications, the agency also received the remaining applications the NC Indian Housing Authority had on file and was unable to process. LRDA is currently administering the 1999 Indian housing monies to the Lumbee tribe. Various types of housing services are being provided to tribal members. Next week we will review the LRDA/Lumbee Housing Department. We will discuss the eligibility requirements, the application process and begin our focus on the different programs provided to tribal members through the Department. $5.3 Million to Fight Crime and Improve Public Housing Washington, D.C. U.S. Representative Mike Mclntyre announced recently that more than $5.3 million in federal funds has been awarded to southeastern North Carolina to fight drugs and improve public housing. Congressman Mclntyre stated, "These funds area good example of our federal tax dollars coming back home to help local housing authorities eliminate drugs and crime in public housing communities. In addition, the funds will be used for modernization and improvements of public housing units. I commend our local housing authorities for taking the initiative to improve our streets and neighborhoods." These federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development were awarded in two categories: Capital Fund (CFP) and Public Housing Drug Elimination Program (PHDEP). Wilmington Housing Authority, CFP: $2583,140 / PHDEP: $356,213; Lumberton Housing Authority, CFP: $1,384,163 / PHDEP: $167,562; Pembroke Housing Authority, CFP: $500,991 / PHDEP: $55,701; Elizabethtown Housing Authority, CFP: $51,303; Clarkton Housing Authority, CFP: $111,667; and Bladenboro Housing Authority, CFP: $167,314.