BEAT OF THE DRUM. Men sitting at the drum can help each other overcome problems, according to Dr. Leander “Russ” McDonald. Photo by Mary Annette Pember, courtesy of Cankdeska Cikana Community College

Sam Wiggins began pursuing a second career after getting laid off from his job as a welder. He enrolled at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College (LCOOCC, Hayward, WI). Attending college was a new and unfamiliar experience for him. “At one point I was completely broke with no money for gas to get to school,” he says. “I thought I was screwed.”

However, Wiggins (Bad River Ojibwe) participated in a Men’s Talking Circle at the tribal college. Through this network, he was referred to a program offering emergency funding that enabled him to continue attending classes. “The Men’s Circle is a safe place to vent if you have problems. If you gotta swear, you swear,” he laughs. “Sometimes we may start out talking about football but end up discussing difficulties dealing with restraining orders.” Since many of the participants have dealt with similar situations, they can offer suggestions and support for one another.

LCOOCC is just one of the tribal colleges across the country looking for innovative ways to attract and retain more men. Postsecondary enrollment and graduation rates for men continue to lag behind numbers for women. This is hardly a new story for either tribal or mainstream colleges and universities. Since there is a dearth of data regarding this gender disproportion, however, the causes remain elusive.

The most detailed data regarding this issue at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are available from the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) American Indian Measures of Success (AIMS). AIMS data indicate that in fall 2008, the majority of degree-seeking students at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) were American Indian females, at 53.4%. Among the 35 reporting TCUs, 31% were American Indian males. (The remainder were non-Indian.)

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) show that beginning in 1976, there was near equality in the overall number of American Indian men and women enrolled in degree-granting colleges and universities. By 1978, however, the number of females enrolled began to exceed numbers for males. In 2002, there were 20% more American Indian females than men enrolled in colleges and universities; in 2004, 61% of the total American Indian/Alaska Native students were female.

ADDING ‘MALE’ PROGRAMS

In an attempt to address that issue, a number of TCUs have added disciplines such as agriculture and farming, automotive technology, building trades, computer science and technology, corrections, engineering, and environmental science, according to the AIHEC-AIMS 2007 Fact Book (see sidebar below). They have also seen growth in the numbers of American Indian male students.

“Several of our traditionally male programs such as construction technology and auto technology have absorbed a lot of growth in male students, as has criminal justice and business administration,” says Nathan Stratton, associate vice president of enrollment and student finance at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC, Bismarck, ND). UTTC has also recruited heavily among males and employs a man as its primary recruiter.

To date, Stratton and his counterparts at other TCUs cannot assign a firm connection between recruitment efforts and/or course offerings to account for increased enrollment among male Native students. Anecdotal information, however, is emerging that peer-to-peer support services rooted in Native culture and traditions are especially effective for recruiting and retaining American Indian male students.

LCOOCC Student Services Director Paul Grahovac started the Men’s Talking Circle to help male students deal with problems and challenges that affect their enrollment and attendance at college.

The circle is modeled on a traditional Native talking circle in which a talking stick is passed from one participant to another who then speaks free from interruption. “Participants chose to acknowledge the importance and influence of Ojibwe culture in forming and naming the circle but refrain from describing the meetings as ceremonies,” says Grahovac.

Although elders and tribal leaders as well as college staff and faculty may join the meeting and give presentations, the tenor of the Men’s Talking Circle is informal. “We close the door during our meetings and talk about real world problems that keep guys from staying in school and graduating,” says student Sam Wiggins.

Karen Breit (Ojibwe), who directs LCOOCC’s recruitment and retention office, points out that the Men’s Talking Circle mimics the basic ideas of the talking circle in which people can sit on a peer level and interact. Student Services provides a light lunch for the 30 or more participants who attend the bi-weekly meetings. “Feed them, and they will come,” laughs Breit.

Recent topics have included academic issues, concerns, and progress; personal issues including relationship and legal concerns; financial aid; internships; career and life planning; tutoring; cultural enrichment through the tribe’s spiritual advisor; and networking opportunities with staff, faculty, and students.

Although there is no empirical evidence that the Men’s Talking Circle works, Grahovac and other staff and faculty, as well as students, are convinced that it has played a major role in recruitment and retention of American Indian males at LCOOCC.

If not for the support he received from the Men’s Talking Circle, Wiggins is certain he would have dropped out of school. He recently earned his Associate’s Degree in Land Management and Renewable Energy and currently is finishing a degree in Agriculture and Natural Resources. He is scheduled to begin working part time with the U.S. Forest Service through a career incentive program he learned about at LCOOCC.

ASKING FOR HELP

HELPING HANDS. Three students from the United Tribes Technical College’s Automotive Technology Program compare notes during the start of Student Professional Development Day. From left: Lynes End of Horn (Standing Rock), Chato Wiest (Standing Rock), and Mikkell S. Starr, Jr. (Eastern Shoshone). United Tribes News photo by Dennis Neumann

Many tribal college leaders who were interviewed for this story note that American Indian men are unaccustomed to asking for help. They may view such requests as a sign of weakness.

Grahovac and others working to recruit American Indian males believe that historical trauma has played a large part in creating this attitude. The traditional role as protector, warrior, and provider has changed, often leaving men adrift regarding their roles in family and society. “Traditional initiations into manhood have been lost through the legacy of U.S. history and the boarding school experience,” he says. “The new initiation rights for Indian men are drugs and alcohol.”

All too often this results in “raising men to be boys,” he says. “That history and legacy have done a magnificent job of stripping away power and self-worth of American Indian men,” says Grahovac.

During his 13-year career as a clinical social worker on the reservation, Grahovac has observed that Native men (and men in general) fear intimacy and the vulnerability associated with asking for assistance. “The Men’s Talking Circle emerged from my interest in helping to create an environment that would give guys permission to talk with other guys without drinking and drugging,” he says.

Intimacy and vulnerability do not conflict with traditional roles for American Indian men, says Dr. Leander “Russ” McDonald (Dakota), vice president of academics at Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC, Fort Totten, ND). He notes that emotion is considered healthy in traditional Dakota culture. “Our funeral songs, for instance, encourage people to cry,” he says. “We know that expressing emotion keeps us healthy.”

McDonald has created a credit class that includes a men’s drum group at the college. There, students and community members can come together in a healing environment where it is acceptable to ask for help. He hopes that those men who are drawn to participate in the drum group may be motivated to enroll in more classes at the college.

The society associated with the drum, its protocols, language, and behavior, encourages men to embrace and internalize Dakota culture, he says, which emphasizes respect, humility and leadership. “I believe in my heart that knowing our language and culture results in self-respect and healing,” says McDonald, who also believes in the power of the drum to heal.

“Men sitting at the drum can help each other overcome problems,” he says. “Many of us may share the same struggles, such as problems with drugs, alcohol, or family violence.”

According to McDonald, the role of TCUs is to provide support for its students. “Many of us have come from similar backgrounds,” he says. “This gives us insight into their struggles.”

TRIBAL CONNECTIONS

There is a growing body of research showing that success and persistence for American Indian men in higher education is directly tied to knowledge of and connection to traditional tribal language and culture. Dr. LeManuel Lee Bitsóí (Diné) has found that successful American Indian male graduates at Harvard University shared this knowledge and connection.

In research for his doctoral dissertation, “Native Leaders in the New Millennium: An Examination of Success Factors of Native American Males at Harvard College,” Bitsóí found that a strong foundation in language and culture enhanced the ability for men to persevere in their studies and imbued them with greater resilience to difficulties. Currently, Bitsóí directs the Minority Action Plan Program at the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Weaving the wisdom of traditional Native culture with retention and recruitment efforts is proving successful for many TCUs.

While the Wa Wo Giya “Offers to Help” program at Fort Peck Community College (FPCC, Poplar, MT) is not aimed exclusively at men, Public Liaison Director Ron Jackson (Assiniboine) conducts programming with an eye toward the unique needs of Native men. “Many of our men have changed roles here,” he says. “They may be staying home with the children while the woman goes to work or school.”

Sometimes problems with the law, such as outstanding warrants or battles with drugs or alcohol, influence men to seek the safety of home, says Jackson. Men are often more reluctant to accept welfare or help with daycare so they can attend school, says Jackson. “They see asking for help as weakness.”

In addition to his work with Wa Wo Giya, Jackson also helps coordinate traditional spiritual help and guidance for those men who approach him. “Our male spiritual leaders are not afraid to cry in front of others,” he says. “They show them that it is okay to show your feelings and ask for help.”

“I tell them that if they don’t find some spirituality, they will be lost for the rest of their lives,” he says. “I tell this from my own experience.”

Wa Wo Giya also has a comprehensive approach to its retention program. The brightly colored “Sunshine Room” of Jackson’s office includes hands-on interventions to help students struggling with transportation, lack of childcare, funding, or anything that prevents them from attending classes.

Jackson created a protocol and spreadsheet to track Wa Wo Giya staff efforts. Jackson and his “staff ” of ten (who are drawn from current college staff and instructors) fan out, keeping tabs on students who miss classes. They contact students, offering help where necessary, and encouraging them to contact instructors if they miss class.

The best way to keep Native men in school, says Jackson, is to tell them that other men have gone through similar struggles and have been successful: “We have to let them know that we are here for them and will continue to guide them in the best way we can.”

TALKING IT OUT. LCOOCC Student Services Director Paul Grahovac (yellow sweatshirt) started the Men’s Talking Circle to help male students deal with problems. Photo by Mike Smith

According to the AIMS Fact Book and staff at many of the tribal colleges addressing this issue, TCUs that have seen an increase in enrollment among American Indian men also offer a number of student engagement programs that touch on areas of culture and support.

For instance, although Leech Lake Tribal College (LLTC, Cass Lake, MN) does not report any specific programming for Native males, The Washington Monthly recently rated it as the seventh best community college in the nation. The rankings are based on data collected as part of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, which looked at five categories of data, including active and collaborative student learning, student effort, academic challenge, student-faculty interaction, and support for learners.

According to a press release from the college, LLTC scored second highest in the nation in active and collaborative learning and in student-faculty interaction, confirming the value of the college’s holistic, student-centered approach to learning.

NATIVE RATES NOT UNIQUE

According to data from the College Board, in general, 10% more women complete college than their male counterparts. The differences among people of color, however, are far greater. African American females, for instance, earn two-thirds of all associate and bachelor degrees awarded to African American students.

In summing up findings from its 2010 report, “The Educational Crisis Facing Young Men of Color,” College Board President Gaston Caperton said, “The United States is facing an educational challenge of great significance, with the crisis most acute for minority male students.” The report’s authors gathered insights and responses from 60 scholars, activists, and representatives from the African American, Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islanders, and American Indian/Alaska Native communities.

Participants noted that males of color are faced with an aggressive culture that expects them to conform socially, to be “macho” and cool, and to not take school seriously. Adolescent boys want to be “big men” in the eyes of their peers, not in the eyes of those running the school system.

Dr. Boyce Watkins, professor at Syracuse University, wrote in NewsOne.com for Black America that there are too few African American professors even at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. “If your professors look like you, you are more likely to relate to that individual and enjoy the class,” he wrote. In response to why there aren’t more African American men graduating from college, he said. “We need to value education as much as we value basketball, hip hop, and other BS.”

Universities and colleges are working to gain more enrollment and persistence among African American males, using programs that address the lack of African American role models and offer peer support and encouragement as well as other resources. For instance, Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York has implemented a Male Development and Empowerment Center that includes a “Word is Bond” support component that is designed to encourage male-to-male communication.

‘DON’T QUIT NOW’

The forces that influence college attendance among African American and American Indian males appear to share similarities. For Indian men, “it’s not cool to be in school,” says Larry Baker (Yupik), agricultural and natural resources instructor at LCOOCC. “Indian men often want to get out and make a little money, buy a car, and have a good time rather than go to college.”

Todd Brier (Cherokee/Ojibwe) knows the financial challenge of staying in college first hand. A recent graduate of LCOOCC, he currently works as research manager for the college’s Sustainable Agriculture Program. He is also pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Superior in Sustainable Resource Management.

He knows of several men who have come close to leaving school over financial problems and daycare challenges. “A lot of guys don’t have money and may be eating a lot of commodity peanut butter sandwiches,” he says. “That lunch they serve during the circle may be one of the best meals they eat all week.”

A long-time member of the Men’s Talking circle, he routinely shares his experience and strength with other members. “I tell them, ‘Don’t quit now; it will help in the long run both for you and your kids.’”

He notes that many different men attend the circle. Some are retired police officers, he says, while others have just graduated high school or are even right out of jail. “The circle lets them know that someone is believing in them,” he says. “The circle lets them know that it’s all right to be here and that we’re actually here to help—but you have to ask. Some may have gone to a larger institution where things didn’t work out. The circle helps them know that they can try again here.”

Baker is enthusiastic about the potential of the Men’s Talking Circle to grow future tribal leaders: “Who better to help out and guide the tribe than our own tribal members?”

Mary Annette Pember (Red Cliff Tribe of Wisconsin Ojibwe) is an independent writer and photographer based in Cincinnati, OH.