National Tribal College Week: Scenes from Capitol Hill

Volume 28, No. 2 - Winter 2016

Bradley Shreve ♦ November 13, 2016

Each year, tribal college students and administrators travel to Washington, DC for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium’s (AIHEC’s) annual advocacy effort, known informally as Capitol Hill days. In 2015, Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) honored AIHEC’s work and helped raise awareness of the tribal college movement by proclaiming Capitol Hill days “National Tribal College Week.”

Regardless of the name, AIHEC’s annual advocacy effort enables tribal college delegations to meet with their respective Congressional representatives and senators to discuss issues of importance to American Indian higher education such as funding, facilities development, programming, and student loans. Before arriving in the nation’s capital, AIHEC helps prime students and administrators through an informative webinar, which offers a crash course in advocacy and gives a bird’s eye view of Washington’s political terrain. Still, nothing can quite prepare tribal college delegations for the excitement, importance, and sense of empowerment of takin’ it to the Hill.

SLIDESHOW

Tribal college students and faculty begin National Tribal College Week with a general assembly to review AIHEC’s priorities and hear from a variety of speakers and government officials. In 2016, speakers included William Mendoza, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education; Ann Marie Bledsoe Downes, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior; Arthur Blazer, the Deputy Under Secretary of Natural Resources and the Environment in the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Iris Pretty Paint, the Western Region director for the Administration for Native Americans in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Leonard Haynes III of the U.S. Department of Education; and Joel Packer, Executive Director of the Committee for Education Funding. Photo by TCJ
In advocacy, AIHEC works closely with Washington Partners LLC, a public relations consulting firm that specializes in networking with members of Congress and their staffs. During AIHEC’s general assembly, Washington Partners—along with Little Big Horn College president David Yarlott, and AIHEC staffers Alex Grandon and Nikki Pitre—offer an interactive session on how to have an effective Capitol Hill meeting. Photo by TCJ
Day two is National Tribal College Week’s D-Day. But before students and administrators meet with their respective Congressional delegations, they gather in the Dirksen Senate Office Building to present their concerns and priorities to staffers for members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
On behalf of Montana’s seven tribal colleges, Little Big Horn College president David Yarlott clarifies why they are there: “With funding and support, tribal colleges and universities can make a great contribution.”
Cynthia Lindquist, president of Cankdeska Cikana Community College and AIHEC’s executive board chair, reminds the Senate Indian Affairs Committee of the federal government’s trust responsibility. “We have a political relationship that is treaty based—and they are treaties we believe in,” she states.
Although assertive, tribal college leaders are always gracious and welcoming. Here Sitting Bull College president, Laurel Vermillion, invites members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to visit the tribal colleges to see first-hand tribally controlled higher education in action.
It’s not just tribal college presidents who address staffers of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Indeed, tribal college students offer some of the most powerful narratives on why support of American Indian higher education is so vital. Here, Veronica Skinaway discusses how Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College transformed her life.
One of AIHEC’s top priorities in 2016 was that participation in the federal student loan program must remain voluntary at the institutional level. Navajo Tech student Derrick Lee explains how mandatory federal student loans would impede Native and other low income students from pursing a higher education.
Students and administrators from Minnesota’s tribal colleges make their way into the Hart Senate Office Building to meet with the U.S. senators from their state.
Everyone has butterflies before their first meeting with a member of Congress. For students and presidents from Leech Lake Tribal College, Red Lake Nation College, and Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College that meeting was both nerve-wracking and exhilarating. Pictured from left: Arnold Dahl Wooley, Adriana Kingbird, Aurora Villiard, Warren Mountain, Veronica Skinaway, Fond du Lac president Larry Anderson, Red Lake president Dan King, Bryce Premo, and former Leech Lake president Ginny Carney.
Students and administrators from Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Navajo Technical University, the Institute of American Indian Arts, and Diné College quickly review AIHEC’s priorities as they wait anxiously in the office of Representative Ben Ray Luján (D-NM). Photo by TCJ
Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) listens as students explain how tribal colleges offer quality higher education to Native students in remote tribal communities. Most members of Congress from states with tribal colleges clear space on their busy schedules to meet with these important constituents. Photo by Felicia Salazar
Before the Capitol Hill visits, AIHEC carefully prepares folders with a variety of handouts and useful information on tribal colleges for members of Congress. Here, Senator Heinrich listens as Elmer Guy, president of Navajo Technical University, reviews AIHEC’s top priorities. Photo by Felicia Salazar
In a hallway of the Rayburn House Office Building, Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) listens as Theresa Hatathli of Diné College explains inequities in funding for tribal colleges. Sometimes an important vote on the floor of the House or Senate calls members of Congress away from scheduled meetings. Photo by TCJ
Meetings with members of Congress are an important way for AIHEC and the tribal colleges to solidify support and maintain important relations with federal lawmakers. Although such meetings are policy driven, they typically end with smiles and a group photo. Here, Senator John Thune (R-SD) poses with students and administrators from Oglala Lakota College, Sisseton Wahpeton College, and Sitting Bull College.
Sometimes tribal college delegations give members of Congress a gift to show gratitude for their continued support. Representatives from Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, Bay Mills Community College, and Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College present Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) with a dreamcatcher. Photo by Alex Graf
It can be intimidating meeting with nationally known figures who wield a great deal of political influence. But quite often, those who come to Washington, DC for Capitol Hill days discover that senators like Al Franken (D-MN) are friendly, hospitable, and down to earth.
Northwest Indian College is the only tribal college in the State of Washington. Nevertheless, strong supporters of the tribal college movement like Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) make time in their schedules to meet with representatives from the college.
In 2016, AIHEC organized a special briefing for Congressional staffers in the Rayburn House Office Building. The session proved especially informative, as many of those in attendance represented Congressional districts or came from states that have no tribal colleges. AIHEC president and CEO, Carrie Billy, opened the briefing with an overview of American Indian higher education and the important work that tribal colleges do. Photo by TCJ
Comanche Nation College president, Robbie Wahnee, built on Billy’s introduction by offering an intimate portrait of her college and how it’s working to preserve Comanche language and culture. Tribal colleges like Comanche Nation College are vital in preserving Native languages that are rapidly disappearing. Photo by TCJ
Chris Sidone explains how prior to enrolling at Haskell Indian Nations University he had few options and was headed down a path of self-destruction. Haskell, the only college or university to accept him, enabled Sidone to turn his life around. He is now an outstanding student and president of the AIHEC student congress. Such personal narratives are moving and dramatically underscore the importance of tribal colleges and universities. Photo by TCJ
Each year, National Tribal College Week is commemorated with a group photograph in front of the Capitol building. While their trip to the Hill makes a lasting impression on students and administrators, it’s their testimony on the power of the tribal college movement that inspires lawmakers and builds support for American Indian higher education.