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^ The 'Way O See Ot^\ ^ fry Dn Dean Choverw, Albuquerque, New Mexico J Finding Scholarshps for Indian Students (c) Copyright, 2001 Two of the stories about college that have stuck w ith me the most have been about a San Francisco State College student and myself. Let me tell you about them. About 26 years ago, I learned that there is a lot of money available for Indian college students. J. Ben Lucero. who was the EOPS Director at Palomar College at the time, came up to the Indian Center of San Jose to' train my education staff on applying for college, finding scholarships, and the like. ?Ben, who was also the President of the California Indian Fducation Association at the time, told us of an Indian girl who had finished at Palomar the year before. Since Palomar is a two-year college, she had to transfer to San Francisco to complete her four vear degree. She could have gotten the $4,500 she needed to pay for college in federal financial aid..(Everything was cheaper back then.) But Ben told her about private scholarships. She applied to 20 scholarships and won $10,000 a year in scholarship money. With the extra money, she bought herself a new Mustang and went to college in style. (You could buy a new Mustang then for $2,500.) Unfortunately, her story got to me about 15 years too late. When I finished high school as the valedictorian of a small rural high school, I know now I should have had the money to go to college. I should have gotten it from scholarships. But no one at my high school told me about scholarships. So 1 finished high school and started looking for a job. These were Eisenhower days, so it took me almost five months to find a job. Finally, I landed a factory job at Hercules Powder Co. in Hopewell, VA. After working there for 11 months, I had a grubstake and quit to go to college. During that year, Mrs. Collier, a lady in our church, came up to me one Sunday. She had heard I was working and saving money for college. "Son, do you need a scholarship?" she asked me. "Yes, mam," I said. "I'll bring you an application next Sunday," she said. She brought the application, 1 completed it, and got the scholarship for $200. That is the only scholarship I got as an undergraduate. I now resent that no one in my.high school told me about scholarships. The same thing is still happening to Indian students today. High schools are not telling them about scholarships. High school libraries in Indian schools do not have any scholarship directories in their holdings. Everyone- parents, teachers, students, counselors, foundation officials, principals, school board members, superintendents- assumes that Indian students will automatically be eligible for federal financial aid. Not alt of them are. If both parents are working, and the family income is $50,000, an Indian student will not be eligible for any financial aid. One of the foundation presidents told me just two weeks ago, "It has been my experience that money is no object to an Indian student. The money seems to be there for them to attend college." He is half right. But he is also half wrong. Students who qualify for financial aid, which is 90% of Indian students, can get financial aid. But students who do not qualify, because their parents make too much money, can not get any financial aid. Their alternatives are work, parents, loans, and scholarships. What is the big alternative? It is the private sector, specifically the 50,000 or more scholarships that are available. Private scholarships have been in existence almost from the time of the founding of the first college in the U.S. They are funded and overseen by a wide variety of philanthropists, educators, bankers, lawyers, special interest groups, occupational groups, doctors, dentists, and many others The two thingsJ hate hearing the most from scholarship people is; (1) "We could not give away all our money last year," and (2) "Why don't we ever get an application from an Indian student?" Ben showed me how to use the resource 26 years ago, and I have been trying to use it to the maximum extent for Indian students ever since. But sometimes 1 feel like I am swimming in molasses. The pace of change and improvement in our Indian schools is so slow. But 1 found a bright spot recently at the annual meeting of the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET). Sam Lambert, my friend from Quallah, is the Chairman of the Education Committee, and he invited me to talk to the tribal representatives about our program. He also invited a charming and enthusiastic professor from UNC Charlotte to attend. Her name is Dr. Kathryn Johnson. Dr. Johnson has developed the Native American Scholarship Database Project to "enable as mam students as possible to receive a good education," she says. "Educated men and women will be the hope of the Nations in the future." I could not agree with her more. Her goals are laudable. "I hope we can develop a nationwide program that will meet the needs of both young and traditional students" she told me. So far, she has built scholarship databases for Indians in thirteen states; Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina.X)klahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Texas. She is still working on developing databases in the big Indian StatesArizona. New Mexico, California, Washington, Oregon, South Dakota, Minnesota, and so on. These databases are available as CD-ROMs and through her web site (http://www.uncc.edu/kvjohnso/). "Students who visit the Web site will find materials regardless of which state they live in or where they attend school," she says. "However, manuals have not yet been prepared for every state. If a tribal government from a state not listed would like information. I will do the research and get the information out to them as quickly as possible." The funding she has received so far has mc fmm h<?r nnivcrtiry from NASA, and from the National Science Foundation. She is applying for corporate and federal grants to expand the program. "However, the real source of funding that keeps this project going is the human capital," she told me emphatically. "The faculty and staff of UNC Charlotte make extraordinary contributions. There is no way to assign a dollar amount to what they give." Dr. Howard Phillips (Choctaw) of the Computer Science department, her own department (Religious Studies), Admissions, Financial Aid, the Native American Academy, and the Native American Student Organization all work as volunteers on the project, "Scholarships, grants, and fellowships benefit the entire community," she stated. "By winning outside funds to pay for their own education, gifted students literally free up money that can be used for other students who truly neetf financial assistance. There are three levels of students, she told us at USET. First, there are the extremely talented. They can be admitted to Ivy League schools and win lots of scholarships. They should not get any tribal monies. Second, there are what she calls "second level students." They can get into top state universities, and also win lots of scholarships and grants, They should not get tribal monies. Finally, there are "level three students." They may be "C" students, older, married, working, need job skills, or some combination of these traits. "They are often the least able to afford to pay tuition and the least likely to be able to win a scholarship award. These are the people in whom the tribe should invest its resources." "Graduates who complete technical programs at community colleges and become skilled electricians, mechanics, and plumbers also make important contributions to their families and society," she says. She is also worried about desperate students being conned by scholarship scams. "There are a great many scams on the Internet and advertising their services to local communities. Families should beware when they are pressured to pay for information, provide credit card or bank account numbers in order to 'reserve a particular scholarship' for their student, or are told that the company will 'do all the work for them'." One of the most valuable functions of their Web site is that it provides free access to more than a hundred scholarship search sites. These sites give free access to information on thousands of scholarships and grants "It is not necessary to hire someone to find a scholarship." she says. "Don't fall for that line!" "Second," she adds, "do not send money or give out important financial information. Scam artists often tell clients they need money or an account number to reserve a particular scholarship. Organizations making legitimate scholarship offers do not require winners to provide cash deposits or their bank account numbers. Dr. Kathiyn Johnson can be reached at the Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, 214 Macy Hall, 9201 University Blvd., Charlotte NC 28223-0001, phone (704) 547-4586, fax (704)5473002. ___ !_____ Polntilllvn, a painting method developed by Georgea Seurat, uses dabs of color that are Intended to mix In the eyea of the viewer rather than on the canvas. ,icv/ I JUST SAY NOT GUILTY ! NOT GUILTY ! Did you know that it is your right as a jurist to vote not guilty ! The right to say not guilty dates back to the beginning of the United States and juries have repeatedly voted not guilty when they think or feel that government agents have lied. Today, Indians and Blacks make up over 60% of the NC prison population. Yet, Indians and Blacks barely make up 13% of the state population. Indians and Blacks are filling up the prisons on petty drug offenses and because of the lies of government agents. And these same Indians and Blacks are being forced into slave labor being made to work in NC's huge Prison Industries for S1.00 per day. Yet they produce millions of dollars for the NC Prison system. Eddie Hatcher has been wrongly charged. The government is trying to frame, convict and send Eddie Hatcher to death row. Did you also know NC's Death row is over 60% Indians and Blacks as well? We say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Please don't believe the well - spoken, nicely dressed government agents. They want only to silence Eddie Hatcher. I REMEMBER- You hold the right to sav NOT GUILTY! NOT GUILTY ! It's vour right to stop turning our young Indians and Blacks over to the slave labor prisons. It's vour right. I JUST VOTE " NOT GUILTY ! NOT GUILTY !" For more information; www.eddiehatcher.org Eddie Hatcher PO Box 2702 Pembroke, NC 28372 Thatcher2 @ PeeDee World. Net 4 I Pediatric Pointers T by Dr. Joey Bell, Pembroke Pediatrics "Stand up straight!" What allows us to do that'' It is due largely to our backbone, our spine The spine itself is made up of the bones called vertebrae, which slack on top of one another, but not in an entirely straight line The normal back has two natural curves. We can sec these as we view a person from the side: the top curve, or "kyphosis ", is at the top of the back and curv es outward, away from the chest The bottom curve, or "lordosis", curv es inward toward the belly. But when we view a person from the back, the spine is normally in a fairly straight vertical line without sidc-to-sidc (lateral) deviation Scoliosis is an abnormal lateral curve in the spine. The vertebrae do not sit correctly on top of each other, and may also be rotated. Scoliosis is usually painless in children, but the danger is that if lefl untreated, it can cause problems in adulthood. A large curve can continue to progress, causing deformity that is undesirable both cosmetically and medically, since the organs supported by the spine and rib cage (such as the lungs) can be affected As children arc growing and developing, we have the best chance to watch for any danger signs, and to treat the scoliosis that may need bracing or corrective surgery. Scoliosis can often be detected in children at about the age of puberty. Many schools now have screening programs of children ages 10-16, to detect curves that may be worrisome. and screening is also part of a routine physical exam in that age group. Scoliosis is present more often in girls, and of 100 children (boys and girls), about 2 or 3 will be found to have it Often the curv e is not even noticeable. However, trained providers can measure the curv e, and it there is a small curve present, the child will simply be observed ov er the course of several years In infants, the curve often corrects without any intervention. and in adolescents, there is often no further progression. Less than 10% of children who are found to have a significant curve will need treatment, and of those who do get treated. 85-90% can be treated without surgery Scoliosis is often passed down in the family, and there is no exercise that will prevent it. Sometimes scoliosis may be a sign of a more serious disease, and we always look for signs of that as we assess the child with a curvature. How to keep a strong and healthy back? First, keep those bones healthy, which includes an adequate amount of calcium in the young person's diet. Next, protect against injury. That means, above all, using car seats and booster scats to make sure seat and shoulder belts are placed correctly Third, encourage exercise and an active life-style to build strong bones and muscles. If you have a concern aboni v our child's back, make an appou ent to be seen, or bring it up a. eir next routine visit to the office. Reasons for concern are back pain or inability to move as your child normality does For those looking for a little more information, here is a web site to consider: http://wvvw.aap.org/ family/mnbroc. cfm EMS Record Keeping makes shift to PreMIS, a statewide database RALEIGH- Emergency medical services providers across North Carolina will soon use the Internet to help improve services. Starting today, members of 33 EMS providers begin training to use an Internetbased patient database system that also promises to help improve EMS record keeping The database system is called PreMIS, for PreHospital Medical Information System. PreMIS is an electronic medical records system. It is viewed as a critical link to the future of EMS in North Carolina. "This is a terrific way to keep track of the one million calls that North Carolina's 700 EMS providers respond to every year in North Carolina," said Greg Mears, ND, medical director for the N.C. Office of Emergency Medical Services. "Once this is fully operational, we'll have a central record that will help us to improve training and to make equipment adjustments based on the types of medical emergencies EMS crew encounter." The system is expected to give analysts a closer look at EMS services and the patient care which is provided. PreMIS has the ability to provide information to local EMS system on important information such as the cardiac arrest treatment data; trauma data such as cause, risk and vehicle information; medical records, patient maintaining patient confidentiality has been considered throughout the development process, and will be observ ed in adherence to federal guidelines. ** The reason so many people never get anywhere in life is because, when opportunity knocks, they are out in the backyard looking for four-leaf clovers. ?Walter P. Chrysler . _ _ PreMIS is being phased in across the state, starting with the following providers. Alamance County EMS, Anson EMS, Brunswick County EMS, Burke County EMS, Cary Area EMS, Chatham County EMS (First Health), Cleveland County EMS, Coastline Volunteer Rescue, Conway-Scvern Vblunteer Rescue, Farmville Rescue, Granville County EMS, Harnett County EMS, Havelock Fire-Rescue, Haywood County EMS, Hoke County EMS (First Health), Henderson County EMS. Johnston County EMS, Lee County EMS, Lenoir Memorial Hospital, Lower Currituck, Mecklenberg EMS, Moore County EMS, Northampton County Ambulance Service, Onslow County EMS. Orange County EMS, PasquotankCamden Ambulance, Polk County EMS, Scotland County EMS, Transylvania County EMS, Warren County EMS, Watauga Medics Inc., Westcare EMS, and Wilkes County EMS. Many other EMS services are expected to come on-line from July through September, Providers will be phased in until all providers have the capability to login and file reports on the web-based system. Financed through a $1 million grant from the Governor's Highway Safety Program, PreMIS has been developed for the N.C. Office of Emergen^ Medical Services, part of the Division of Facility Services, by the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The Bering Sea (and Bering Strait) are named for Vitus Bering, a Danish navigator employed by Czar Peter the Great to determine if Asia and North America were connected. I PROGRESSIVE | ; STATE BANKI This $100 Minimum Balance Checking Account Allows You To I Write Checks WITHOUT A SERVICE CHARGE As Long As I The Balance Does Not Fall Below $100.00. If the Balance. Does Fall Below $100.00, A $6.00 Monthly I Charge And 30 Cents Per Check Is Necessary. This Account I Does Not Pay Interest. DEPOSITS FEDERALLY INSURED TO $100,000.00. Substantial Penally For Early Withdrawal Rata Subject To Change Without Notice, fl ' PROGRESSIVE I STATE BANK . |! 308 N. Chestnut 4400 Fayetterllle Rd. 720 Harris Avenue 410 E. 3rd Strert I Lumber-ton, N.C. Lumberton, N.C. Par ford, N.C. Pembroke N C B' 738 ) 478 738-1418 876-2488 521-4206' ' B
The Carolina Indian Voice (Pembroke, N.C.)
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April 12, 2001, edition 1
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