Kim Kalliber, Author at Tulalip News

UW to require diversity course

Undergraduate students at the UW will be required to complete a class in some area of social, political or economic diversity before they can graduate.

By Lornet Turnbull, The Seattle Times

Saying it has an obligation to prepare students for a more global society, the University of Washington will require undergrads to complete a course in some area of diversity — economic, cultural or political — before they can graduate.

The new policy, initiated by a group of mostly minority students, followed three failed attempts over the past 22 years to introduce changes meant to ensure that all graduating students know a little more about other cultures and people who differ from them than they did when they first arrived.

The three-credit course won’t add to the number of hours students now need to obtain a bachelor’s degree. And it won’t apply to current undergrads, only to the incoming class in the year the policy takes effect — possibly next fall.

Helen Fillmore, a graduating senior majoring in environmental science and resource management, is a member of First Nations @ UW and of the UW Students for Diversity Coalition, which began pushing for these changes nearly three years ago.

“Students come from different places with different backgrounds and … arrive at the university where we’d become part of this huge melting pot,” she said. But the differences that students bring with them aren’t always positively recognized.

“Here we are in a place where we have a lot of ability to grow, not just while we’re here but after we graduate and enter the workforce. We’re so much more connected than ever before … yet there’s still so much bickering.”

The new requirement is tailored around a broad definition of diversity, covering areas such as sexual orientation, disability, class, race, age, gender, religion and politics.

To satisfy it, students on the UW’s Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma campuses would be able to choose from among 400 and 500 courses that are already part of the curricula, such as Peasants in Politics, Class and Culture in East Asia, Gender and Spirituality and World Music. Two-thirds of UW students already take classes that satisfy the diversity requirement.

The three credits would count toward the general-education requirement students already must meet to graduate.

Fine-tuning proposal

To be sure, the UW isn’t blazing any new trail here, and in fact may be behind the curve with this requirement, which has been approved by President Michael Young.

A majority of four-year institutions across the country, including Washington State University, already have a diversity requirement for graduation.

At least three other times in the 1990s, UW student groups tried, but failed, to get a similar policy implemented. Fillmore said at first she worried this effort would fail as well.

Some faculty members thought the definition of diversity in the proposal was not broad enough, excluding areas such as politics and economics, and some raised concerns that it put too much emphasis on concepts such as power and privilege.

Fillmore said initial questions also suggested some faculty members felt the minority students were angry about something or that their effort amounted to a political statement of some kind.

Over two years, faculty members in various committees worked with the students to fine-tune the proposal and expand the definition of diversity. The requirement also was changed from five credits to three.

James Gregory, chairman of the Faculty Senate, which must approve all such changes, said “there was a lot of wordsmithing and adjusting the resolution at various stages.”

“There were changes in executive committee, more changes on the floor of the Senate,” said Gregory, a history professor. “A lot of the things that bothered certain faculty members were worked out.”

In retrospect, Fillmore believes it helped, too, that students met repeatedly with faculty members to make sure they understood the significance of what the students wanted to accomplish, even before the proposal was brought up for a vote.

“In the last part of last year and first part of this year I spent more time in meetings with faculty than I spent with my friends,” Fillmore said.

The Faculty Senate approved the measure in April.

Now, the dean of each school and college within the UW must approve a list of courses to satisfy the diversity requirement for their students.

Some opposition

Comments on a UW student newspaper article about the new policy reflected some opposition, including from one person who noted the UW is not a liberal-arts school and referred to the requirement as another hoop students with coursework-heavy majors would have to jump through.

Gregory, though, characterized the final policy as “a very modest curriculum requirement.”

“It doesn’t complicate the curriculum,” he said. “We were careful not to do that.”

Universities, Gregory said, are preparing young people for adulthood and for jobs that in many cases will involve visits to countries around the world and interactions with people of different cultures abroad as well as at home. UW students “have a chance to explore that in a classroom environment,” Gregory said.

“The fact that so many students are already taking courses that deal with some aspect of diversity shows a recognition among students that this is valuable.”

Indigenous resistance, arrests continue against fracking in New Brunswick

Susanne Patles in prayer, as New Brunswick RCMP confer. [Photo: M. Howe]

2 more charged as New Brunswickers rally against seismic testing

By Miles Howe, Halifax Media Co-op

ELSIPOGTOG, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA – About 25 RCMP officers in uniform, along with about a dozen police cruisers, today continued to flank equipment owned by gas exploration company SWN Resources Canada as they proceeded with their seismic testing of highway 126 in Kent County, New Brunswick.

Pushing the scattered crowd of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people back “50 metres distance” from the southward approaching seismic trucks – or ‘thumpers’ – the RCMP first arrested one demonstrator and chased another into the woods before arresting Susanne Patles.

Patles, a Mi’kmaq woman, had scattered a line of tobacco between herself and the approaching police, then proceeded to draw a circle of tobacco in the highway, where she then knelt and began to pray. After about two minutes, the police proceeded to arrest Patles. An officer Bernard noted that she was being charged with mischief.

Today’s two arrests follow another three made last Wednesday, when people again placed themselves in the path of SWN’s thumpers. Residents fear that the tests will lead to hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – of the area.

Lorraine Clair, arrested on Wednesday, continues to recover from nerve damage suffered from the rough treatment handed down on her by RCMP officers.

Patles_arrest — RCMP arrest Patles. [Photo: M. Howe]

Resistance to SWN’s presence, which is located in a part of traditional Mi’kma’ki territory known as Signigtog – or district 6 – has so far been strong. Thumper trucks have for days now been met with people who object to fracking from the surrounding communities, as well as supporters from around the Maritimes who are now beginning to flock towards the focal point of the highway.

Arctic melt spurs global spread of disease

By Kieran Cooke, Common Dreams

A cow grazing on the lush pasturelands of Cornwall in southwest England and a seal swimming in the ice cold waters of the Arctic might not appear to have much in common. The link between the two is tuberculosis, with a strain of the disease threatening cattle populations in Britain and elsewhere now showing up among seals in the high Arctic.

Dr Claire Heffernan, a trained vet and a specialist in global health and disease interaction between animals and humans, says that as the climate warms in Arctic regions, more and more diseases from Europe and elsewhere are spreading there, threatening both animal and human populations.

“In the past diseases might not have survived in the cold temperatures and the ice of the Arctic but as the region warms a new dynamic is introduced” Heffernan told Climate News Network.

“We need to fundamentally alter the way we look at disease in the context of climate change. We should recognize disease as a harbinger of a warming world.”

Dr Heffernan, a senior fellow at the Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford and director of the livestock development group at the University of Reading says a wide variety of diseases have recently become evident among Arctic animal populations.

Toxoplasma, a parasite common in European cat populations, is now being found in polar bears in Greenland. Erysipelas, a disease of domestic pigs, is being found in Musk Oxen in the Canadian Arctic: the animals have also been found to have contracted Giardiasis, an intestinal parasite of humans. Meanwhile West Nile virus has been found in wolf pups in the Canadian Arctic.

Transmission

Such diseases could have been transmitted in a variety of ways, says Heffernan. The spread of Toxoplasma, for example, might be the result of people flushing cat faeces down toilets in the US and Europe which are then carried by tides to the Arctic. More people are visiting the region. Tourists defecating in the wilds might be the cause of the spread of Erysipelas.

“The Arctic is like a Heathrow airport in terms of bird, seal and other migration patterns so that’s another way disease is easily spread” says Heffernan. “And the disease pathway is not all one way – they can also be transmitted from the Arctic to elsewhere in the world.

“The point is no one is really joining up the dots between climate change and the spread of disease. There’s a whole new disease transmission cycle appearing in the Arctic which we just don’t understand.”

Impact on humans

Human disease levels in the Arctic are a continuing concern says Heffernan. Rates of TB among the Inuit of northern Canada are far higher than in the general population.

Major economic change and development now taking place in the Arctic means previously nomadic people are moving to towns in search jobs. Ice melt is also forcing more into settlements. With people living in close proximity to each other, disease tends to spread faster. Infant mortality in the Arctic, much of it due to diseases curable elsewhere in the world, is considerably higher than elsewhere.

“In 1930s there was a temperature spike in the Arctic which led to an outbreak of malaria” says Heffernan. “In subsequent years chloroquine was used to combat it. But what happens now, with temperatures rising and the prevalence of chloroquine resistant malaria?”

Anthrax alert

Early in the last century there were periodic outbreaks of anthrax in the Russian Arctic, resulting in the deaths of thousands of deer and cattle. Some Russian scientists and officials have warned that burial sites of those anthrax infected animals are now being exposed.

“As the Arctic melts, ancient pathogens can suddenly escape” says Heffernan. “No one knows for certain how many livestock burial sites there are in the Russian Arctic – I’ve seen estimates ranging from 400 to 13,000.”

In recent years there have been several anthrax outbreaks affecting both cattle and people reported in the region, particularly among communities of the indigenous Yakut, who often live near to such burial sites.

With Arctic temperatures rising at more than twice the rate of the rest of the world, Heffernan says there’s an urgent need to link disease and climate change and tackle health issues.

But there are a number of problems preventing concerted action: the Arctic is governed by different states with different laws. There’s not even a common agreement among Arctic nation states on the region’s boundaries. There’s a dearth of trained medical staff and research across the region. When it comes to statistics, the Arctic is something of a black hole with health data subsumed into more general country wide statistics.

“There’s very little biosecurity work going on in the Arctic” says Heffernan. “Yet we have the means to control so many of these diseases. There must be urgent, concerted, joined up action.”

Gray Wolves Would Be Removed From Endangered Species List Under New Plan

Indian Country Today Media Network

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed taking the gray wolf off the federal Endangered Species List, saying it is no longer in danger of extinction, and replacing it with the Mexican wolf, a species under siege.

The move, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe in a teleconference with reporters, allows the agency to focus on the much more endangered Mexican wolf. (Related: Shooting of Mexican Gray Wolf Being Investigated by Federal Government)

Gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains and the western Great Lakes are already out from under federal protection. Today’s announcement lifts the federal restrictions from all lower 48 states. The wolves will still be managed, Ashe said, but the states will do it. Tribes are also important in these efforts, he said. (Related: Proposed Settlement Would De-List Idaho, Montana Gray Wolves)

Working with state partners in Arizona and New Mexico, “our goal is to reinvigorate our Mexican wolf recovery program,” Ashe said. “No one is suggesting” that gray wolves require less protection, but the question is whether they still require federal protection, he added.

Tribal input will be key during both the gray wolf’s transition away from federal management and the Mexican wolf’s continued regeneration, Ashe said.

“We have worked historically through the reintroduction and recovery effort with tribes, and our principal partner is the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho,” he said. “In fact, during key juncture in the recovery effort, when the State of Idaho was not participating—government and political leaders had prohibited the state fish and game agency from participating—the Nez Perce Tribe played a critical role with us and was really a vital partner in the early stages.”

“Regarding the Mexican Wolf, the White Mountain Apache have been a key partner so far to recover the Mexican Wolf,” he said, “and tribal partners will be increasingly important in the Southwest as we reinvigorate our efforts to recover the Mexican wolf.”

The dual move reflects the fact that the federal government has fulfilled its responsibility under the Endangered Species Act, which turns 40 this year, to ensure that “the gray wolf is going to remain a part of the landscape of our nation and for future generations of Americans,” Ashe said. The gray wolf population has grown from a few hundred in the early 2000s to :at least 6,100 gray wolves in the contiguous United States, with a current estimate of 1,674 in the Northern Rocky Mountains and 4,432 in the Western Great Lakes,” according to the Fish and Wildlife Service on its website.

“About this time next year we should be talking about a final proposal,” he said. The clock on a 90-day public comment period begins on June 7, after which the Fish and Wildlife Service will evaluate the results and come up with a determination and a plan.

The wolves have been considered endangered for the entire tenure of the protection law. Ashe admitted the government had “persecuted” the animals before they were listed for protection—hunting them from the air, gassing them in their dens and poisoning them in the wild. But in 1995, wildlife officials had released a few dozen wolves into Yellowstone National Park and in Idaho, and today there are more than 1,700 in that region alone, he said.

Eight Native Basketball Players You Need to Know Better

Vincent Schilling, Indian Country Today Media Network

Remember these ladies!? ICTMN takes a look back at the Conversations With Champions series, including a sit-down with the sensational Sisters.Read more at https://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/06/09/eight-native-basketball-players-you-need-know-better-149785 — Remember these ladies!? ICTMN takes a look back at the Conversations With Champions series, including a sit-down with the sensational Sisters.
Read more at https://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/06/09/eight-native-basketball-players-you-need-know-better-149785

After the incredible, unprecedented run through the 2013 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament that Shoni and Jude Schimmel, Umatilla, led the Louisville Cardinals on, ICTMN reached out to some of the most amazing and historically important Native hoops players to get their thoughts on the state of Native basketball, how to succeed in life and where they’re headed next–including from the Sisters themselves. “Let’s give them somethintg to talk about!,” we promised. And so we kicked off a Conversations With Champions series, sitting down with eight basketball trailblazers, champions and builders for some one-on-ones. Here is a recap of the series, in case you missed any of the engaging discussions. These are men and women you need to know.

ONE: Cliff Johns, the first Native American to play for legendary NCAA coach Lute Olsen at the University of Arizona, shared his thoughts on how to overcome tough circumstances and succeed in life, what the amazing Jim Valvano taught him and how the Schimmels have inspired him and Indian country.

Cliff Johns

“There were three simple factors about life and basketball that Jimmy Valvano would share with his players and basketball campers. One: Your family. Jimmy would talk about family and how important they are. They are your support system and number one throughout the whole process. You have to love and respect your family and listen to them.

Two: The love for the sport. The passion, the dedication, the blood sweat and tears and how much time you put into it into learning the fundamentals is the second most important part.

Three: Your spirituality. You have to have some sort of spiritual roots and spiritual identity going through this process.

You have to keep these three concepts in mind to be successful in life and successful on the basketball court. I have always kept this in my mind. In paralleling this with the Schimmel sisters, they have all of these qualities. It is obvious through their parents and the support and love that they have. They also have that cultural aspect, which drew a lot of attention.”

For more, read “Hoops Pioneer Cliff Johns Talks About Schimmels, Valvano and Life“

TWO: In catching up with Kenny Dobbs, the all-universe dunking star, he discussed the great accomplishments of Native Americans on the hardwood in 2013 and about his own life choices that have led to his success and which drive him to help American Indian youth.

The sky-walking Kenny Dobbs

“Part of the testimony that I share with kids when I go out and do tours and speaking engagements is figuring out what your dream is and what your goal is in life. Whether you believe in God or not, we have a greater purpose instead of just partying it up. There is something that each one of us has a destiny to fulfill. We have all been given a talent to be used for that purpose.

You have to figure out that talent. Maybe you’re not a basketball player or dunker – maybe you write poetry, or sing or make beats, or you are a doctor. Whatever it is, if you have different dreams and talents, the main message is to focus on those things and put energy into it now instead of later on.

I was given a second chance at life. I capitalized on that opportunity. I tell kids, ‘either change your life right now hearing my story and watching these cool dunks’ or later you might remember this message and change your life out of desperation. Make these changes because of inspiration, as opposed to being back against the wall and make the changes out of desperation.”

For more, read “Catching Up With Slam-Dunking Legend Kenny Dobbs“

THREE: University of Kansas star guard Angel Goodrich sat down with ICTMN soon after being drafted into the WNBA, only the second Native American to be so. A contemporary of the Schimmel Sisters, Goodrich is now starring with the Tulsa Shock. Among a wide variety of subjects, the Cherokee hoopster shared on how she has overcome obstacles to succeed.

Goodrich is now a Shock.

“I am teachable. I like to learn new stuff and if it is going to make me better or help me adjust to a different style of play I am willing to learn, listen to others, be a sponge and take everything in. If they’re going to make me better I am willing to do whatever it takes. I think that is how my personality has always been. I want to get better every single day. If someone comes in and wants to teach me something new, I’m down for it no matter what their age is or whoever it is. That taught me how to get where I am.”

For more, read “A Conversation With Star Kansas Jayhawks Guard Angel Goodrich“

FOUR: ICTMN was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with Hall-of-Famer Reyneldi Becenti, who was the first Native American to play in the WNBA and the first woman to be inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. She discussed her climb to the top, what it takes to succeed as a Native woman hooops player and what her thoughts are about the accomplishments of Native American basketball players today.

Becenti, during her Scottsdale CC days. She’s in that school’s Hall of Fame.

“You cannot teach passion and you cannot teach heart toward the game of basketball. It comes from within you. At a young age I was instilled with a passion to love the game of basketball. I wanted it so much. I was inspired by my parents who played in Indian reservation tournaments. They had passion and heart and loved basketball.

I grew up being a gym rat and at that time I didn’t have a Native American who was out there playing college ball or anything, so that was one of my motivations. When I saw Cheryl Miller playing on the Olympic team, and I saw that she was African-American, she became one of my role models. On top of all this, I thought, maybe I could be the first.

For me, I just had that driving force to accomplish so much. My dad said that I was given talent and I was given the gift of basketball. He told me about peer pressure and that people would be jealous. I was given that push from him. Once I became a good player, I knew I had to push 10 times harder to get where I wanted to get to.”

For more, read “ICTMN Talks With Hall-of-Famer Ryneldi Becenti“

FIVE: Two-time Continental Basketball Association champion with the Yakama Sun Kings Richard Dionne was about to complete his master’s degree in counseling when ICTMN caught up with the Fort Peck small forward. A truly great player who played his way into a professional contract with the Sun Kings, a childhood dream, Dionne will be inspiring generations of Native youth by becoming a student counselor–another dream of his that he realized through hard work and dedication. Dionne told what it was like to win titles, shared about his personal accomplishments in education and offered what he thinks about the recent successes of Native basketball players.

Dionne: proud Native, master’s degree earner

“I think in any situation, there are going to be barriers [to success for American Indian youth]. It depends on the choices you make. I knew the choices that I had to make to get where I needed to be.

It was also nice having a great support system from my family growing up to include my Mom and Dad growing up, and now my wife, Nettie, and my kids. That is now my motivation, to do better for them each and every day.

A lot of students and a lot of kids growing up probably do not have that support system. They might choose the wrong friends and hang out with the wrong people. The big thing is the choices that we make growing up. Yes, there are all these different obstacles and barriers, but you can choose whether to do that or not.”

For more, read “ICTMN Talks With Hoops and Education Champion Richard Dionne“

SIX: Cofounder of the Native American Basketball Invitational basketball tournament GinaMarie Scarpa was nothing but positivity when she spoke with ICTMN, and the bearer of good news about the upcoming 2013 NABI tournament. While she isn’t a player the way the other of our seven stars are, Scarpa is a major player in helping Native youth succeed through basketball. And in our eyes, that makes her a champion we needed to speak with. Scarpa discussed the state of the NABI, its exciting growth, and her thoughts about the accomplishments of Native American basketball players this year.

Scarpa, with NIGA’s Ernie Stevens Jr

“NABI’s ultimate goal is for the advancement of Native American athletes. Through our tournaments, programs and college fund, NABI is a tool to showcase and create opportunities for our talented youth. Sports are a tool in which we create these opportunities. We want to encourage our Native youth to know they can accomplish anything if they put their minds to it and tap into the power of believing in themselves. We will be there to assist them in their journey.”

For more, read “Talking Native Basketball With NABI Cofounder GinaMarie Scarpa“

SEVEN AND EIGHT: Finally, we caught up with the Sisters themselves, Jude and Shoni Schimmel. These young women thrilled Indian country and are inspiring girls to aspire to follow in their footsteps–on the court and off. The Schimmels sat down with ICTMN to discuss their devotion to basketball, the hype that has engulfed them and what they will do next.

“Shoni: It’s an honor for both Jude and I to be an inspiration to so many people. To represent Native American people just by playing basketball and for us to do something we both love and get so much out of is a privilege.

Jude: It’s fun to do something we love and at the same time affect people positively. It is a privilege and a blessing.”

Diabetes Care and Prevention Garden Grand Opening, June 11

Join the Tulalip Health Clinic staff and WSU Master Gardeners in planting new gardens, Tuesday, June 11 10am-4pm. Garden walk, salmon lunch and health screenings and prize giveaways!

Seeking Cooks and Cook Helpers for Salmon Ceremony Event

The Tulalip Tribes Salmon Ceremony Event

June 15, 2013

Job Title(s): Cooks and Cook Helpers

Note: The Tulalip Tribes publicly announces that Indian Preference to hiring shall apply to the Tulalip Tribal job opportunities.

Requirements:

Have a valid state driver’s license, reliable vehicle and auto insurance. (PREFERRED)
Food Handlers Permit. (PREFERRED)
Must pass initial criminal history background check.
Dependable and willing to work.
Must be able to work non-traditional hours which may vary due to participation.
Able to work independently, follow direction and work well with others.
Must be at least 16 years of age.

Physical Characteristics and/or Prerequisites:

Stamina to sit, stand and/or walk for prolonged periods of time.
Mobility to bend, stoop, and/ or climb stairs.
Ability to lift/push/pull heavy objects.

Tribal Department: Community Services

Job Summary: To prepare and help serve food for the traditional dinner provided to The Tulalip Tribes Community and Public. Provide support to The Tulalip Tribes annual Salmon Ceremony which offers Tulalip Tribal Members with a forum to participate in their origins, beliefs, values and lifeways. Provide support to the traditional ceremony and dinner held to honor the first salmon caught of the season.

Employee Reports To: Head Cook

Responsibilities:

Assist cook in preparing and serving meals for up to 200 guests.
Ensure safe and sanitary conditions at the site.
Clean up after meals and as assigned.
Wash and sanitize dishes, equipment and all surfaces regularly.
Assist with food orders and shopping if needed.
Assist with putting away delivered food and items as needed.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by incumbents within this job. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications and working conditions required of employees assigned to this job. Management has sole discretion to add or modify duties of the job and to designate other functions as essential at any time. This job description is not an employment agreement or contract

Terms of Employment: This is a stipend position that can be up to but no longer than two days (48 hours) of services rendered
Pay Rate: STIPEND

Opening Date: June 7, 2013

Closing Date: June 12, 2013 at 4:00 pm

For more information or questions; please call Sasha Smith at Central Employment # 360-716-4284

Larsen Leads Bipartisan Legislation to Help Students in Schools Serving Military Bases and Indian Tribes

larsen.house.gov

WASHINGTON—Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, is the lead cosponsor of a bipartisan bill introduced today that will provide critical funding to schools that serve military families and Indian tribes. The Local Taxpayer Relief Act of 2013, which Larsen cosponsored with Rep. Kristi Noem, a Republican from South Dakota, continues funding for Impact Aid, which provides payments to school districts that serve large numbers of military families and Indian tribes.

“Without Impact Aid, schools in Oak Harbor, Marysville and La Conner would not be able to keep teachers and textbooks in classrooms,” Larsen said. “This bipartisan bill will provide permanent reliable funding to our schools, allowing them to provide the best opportunities to our students today and well into the future.”

The majority of public school funding comes from local property taxes. Families on military bases and on Indian lands do not pay local property taxes, denying local schools their traditional funding source. Impact Aid makes up the difference, providing direct payments to school districts that serve large numbers of federally-connected students.

“It’s important that we level the playing field for these districts who experience a lower local property tax base due to this federal land or educate federally connected students,” Noem said. “I was proud to work with Rep. Larsen in crafting this common-sense, bipartisan bill to make sure we are supporting our schools and students.”

The Local Taxpayer Relief Act of 2013 will:

· Make the Impact Aid program permanent;

· Require the Department of Education to make Impact Aid payments to school districts within three years;

· Make school districts whose student bodies consist at least 45 percent federally-connected students eligible for Impact Aid;

· Make it easier for school districts to receive the grant funding they need to make major school repairs.

Larsen successfully included his Impact Aid Timely Repayment Act in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act. But that provision is due to expire. The Local Taxpayer Relief Act of 2013 will make that provision permanent.

The Oak Harbor School District receives more than 10 percent of its funds from Impact Aid. Superintendent Rick Schulte endorsed the legislation and thanked Larsen for his leadership on the bill.

“Congressman Larsen has been a leader on Impact Aid since the day he was elected and has been extremely helpful to Oak Harbor schools,” Schulte said.

The National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS) also endorsed the bill.

“We thank the sponsors of this bill and urge members of Congress to consider cosponsoring this important piece of legislation that is a critical lifeline for federally impacted schools,” said NAFIS Executive Director John Forkenbrock.

The text of the bill is available here. Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and John Thune, R-S.D., introduced companion legislation in the Senate today.

Learn more about the Impact Aid program here.

Lummi Food Sovereignty gets a big boost

The Northwest Indian College project was awarded a $65,000 grant by The ConAgra Foods Foundation

– Northwest Indian College

Food sovereignty is a topic that is discussed more and more in Indian Country these days. Tribal leaders and members are realizing that they can’t be completely sovereign if they rely on outside sources for their food. That idea has prompted Northwest Indian College’s (NWIC) Cooperative Extension Department to implement food sovereignty programs at two of its reservation sites: Muckleshoot and Lummi.

The Muckleshoot project was the first of the two to launch about four years ago. From the get go, the program was popular in the Muckleshoot community and received national attention from other tribes, donor organizations and the media.

Last year, motivated by the success of the Muckleshoot project and requests from the Lummi community, NWIC launched the Lummi Food Sovereignty Project. Now this younger project is beginning to see its share of support.

Most recently, that support came in the form of a generous $65,000 grant from The ConAgra Foods Foundation.

NWIC is one of 12 nonprofit organizations in eight states across the nation selected to receive a 2013 Community Impact Grant from The ConAgra Foods Foundation. Grantees are selected from areas with the greatest number of children at risk of experiencing hunger as determined by Feeding America’s study “Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity Estimates,” and/or where 100 or more ConAgra Foods employees reside.

“A grant of this size allows us to move forward with this project,” said Susan Given-Seymour, director of NWIC’s Cooperative Extension Department. “With The ConAgra Foods Foundation’s support, we will expand the project to meet the Lummi community demand for a project that serves the entire community, including youth, elders, schools, healthcare programs, and more.”

The ConAgra Foods Foundation funds allow NWIC to pool resources of people, facilities, and curricula with the resources of the Lummi Commodity Foods Program and the Lummi Nation Service Organization to form a Lummi Food Sovereignty working team.

“We can use all of these resources to support the desire of the Lummi people to get back the health and healthy lifestyle they enjoyed before European contact,” Given-Seymour said.

The Lummi Food Sovereignty Project evolved out of a four-year research project, the Lummi Traditional Food Project, which tested a culturally-based approach to wellness that emphasized lifestyle changes based on increased consumption of traditional and healthy foods and related educational programming. Vanessa Cooper, Traditional Plants program coordinator at NWIC, has headed the project since it kicked off. She said the program’s success, just like its roots, is community driven.

“I love to watch the ripple effect of the work that we do,” Cooper said. “When one person is impacted, they tell others, their friends and family members. Word of mouth is powerful and our program has grown based on the experiences that families are sharing with others. It paints a very clear picture of the need for this kind of programming and the hunger that people have for it.”

The ConAgra Foods Foundation grant will support activities that promote healthy, traditionally-based food behaviors that produce the following outcomes and activities:

Teaching and supporting cooks in commercial kitchens (schools, elder centers, etc.) to prepare healthier meals
More community educators will work in a variety of venues
Giving the entire community increased information about the availability and use of traditional foods in healthy meal preparation
Commercial kitchens will implement policies promoting healthier foods
The community will ultimately experience improved health and wellness

“We are very grateful to The ConAgra Foods Foundation for giving us this support and we look forward to getting to know some of the ConAgra Foods employees through their on-site volunteerism,” Given-Seymour said.

Now in its fourth year, The ConAgra Foods Foundation has invested more than $2 million in Community Impact Grants programming – including enrollment in government-assistance programs, nutrition education, advocacy and direct access to food. The program aims to provide more than seven million meals to children across the country.

“Without access to healthy food – even temporarily – children can face life-long wellness consequences,” said Kori Reed, vice president, ConAgra Foods Foundation and Cause. “That’s why programs like Northwest Indian College’s are so important. Being on the frontlines every day, Northwest Indian College is nourishing these children so they can unlock their highest potential, and we want to empower that success.”

Northwest Indian College is an accredited, tribally chartered institution headquartered on the Lummi Reservation at 2522 Kwina Road in Bellingham Wash., 98226, and can be reached by phone at (866) 676-2772 or by email at info@nwic.edu.

New support for moms-to-be

Dan Bates / The HeraldAisha Bone, 25, reads "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to her daughter, Paige, who turned 1 on Friday. Bone is expecting her second baby in December and became interested in Providence Regional Medical Center Everett's new prenatal program offering support and education. — Dan Bates / The Herald
Aisha Bone, 25, reads “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to her daughter, Paige, who turned 1 on Friday. Bone is expecting her second baby in December and became interested in Providence Regional Medical Center Everett’s new prenatal program offering support and education.

By Sharon Salyer, The Herald

With her second child due in December, Aisha Bone is something of a veteran when it comes to pregnancy and delivery.

Yet the Everett mom, 25, was quick to sign up when she heard about a new group being formed for expectant mothers.

The Centering Pregnancy program provides moms the opportunity to attend 10, two-hour sessions where they can spend time with a nurse midwife.

It substitutes the typical prenatal office visit of about 15 minutes with a two-hour session each time the group meets. Moms can ask questions and learn from each other, said Jamie George, a certified nurse midwife who will lead the group.

Over the course of the pregnancy, that adds up to about 20 hours of personal attention.

“That’s a huge difference in the face-to-face time you have with your provider,” George said.

The ongoing series of classes begins June 18 at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. Moms join when they’re about six months from their scheduled delivery date.

New groups are scheduled to start each month. The groups are kept small, with about a dozen members, so that each woman can get personal attention. The group meets monthly for four months, then every two weeks after that.

Over the next year, the classes, which are covered by insurance, could serve up to 400 women. Services also will be provided on a sliding-fee scale. No one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay.

Moms practice the breathing techniques used during birth and get questions answered about topics such as the aches and pains of late-term pregnancy and tips on breast-feeding.

“I think it opens your mind up to different things that you may not have thought about compared to if it was just you and the midwife,” Bone said. “If someone else has a question, it may make you think about something you may never have thought of before.”

There will be belly checks to monitor the baby’s development, checks of the mom’s weight and blood pressure, and listening to the fetal heartbeat.

The sessions also will provide friendship and emotional support for mothers. This can be especially important for women who don’t have family nearby or those who are separated from their spouses through military deployment.

“It can be a scary thing if you’re pregnant to be alone,” Bone said. “To have that support system is good for the mom as well, not just for the child.”

For this reason, contacts are being made with Naval Station Everett to inform women about the program. Information also is being provided to the Tulalip Health Clinic. The Tulalip Tribes are the state’s second largest tribal group.

The program was begun in Everett through a $20,000 grant from the March of Dimes. The goal is to reduce premature births and low-birth weight babies, who can develop physical and developmental problems.

In Snohomish County, nearly 9 percent of all babies are born prematurely and nearly 5 percent have lower that normal birth weights, according to the state Department of Health.

A birth is considered premature if it occurs three weeks before the typical 40-week pregnancy.

Infants born prematurely often have compromised lungs, problems with feeding and other medical problems, said Lori Wilson, a physical therapist at Providence Children’s Center.

The babies also are at higher risk for developmental problems.

Everett joins Centering Pregnancy programs that are now offered in nearly every state. In Washington, Madigan Army Medical Center has been offering the program for a number of years, said Gina Legaz, director of program services for the March of Dimes.

The state chapter began offering start-up grants for Centering Pregnancy programs in 2011, including one to the Columbia Health Center in South Seattle.

Bone said she was familiar with the Everett hospital’s midwifery program, where her first child, Paige, was delivered by a midwife.

“I liked the idea of having the best of both worlds,” she said. “The midwives were respectful, but in the off chance that something did go wrong, I would be at the hospital and have great health care resources.”

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.

Centering Pregnancy

The first Centering Pregnancy group begins June 18 at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. New groups are scheduled to start monthly, with the next beginning July 15. For more information, call 425-303-6500.