INSIDE
The University Daily KANSAN
September 27, 1983 Page 6
Haskell tries to keep quality and culture despite cuts
INSIDE: Haskell Indian Junior College is the first in a series of interviews that take an in-depth look into subjects relating to students at the University of Kansas. The following package, prepared by Kansan reporter John Hoogesteder and photographer Stephen Phillips, offers interviews with Gerald E. Gipp, president of Haskell Indian Junior College, and several of his students.
Stephen Phillips/KANSAN
In the first article, Gipp talks about the future of Haskell, the college's relation with KU, and life in Lawrence for American Indians. In the second relation, Haskell students relate their experiences in Lawrence and at the college. A short calendar of some of Haskell's upcoming events is included at the bottom of the page.
Haskell-KU
Q: It seems that relations with the University of Kansas have been stronger in the past. What. If anything, has happened to these relations? Are there any major problems?
A: I don't see any particular problems with it. They still come down and recruit. As far as a standing invitation to visit our campus, that's always available. Clearly, we can improve our working relationship. There are probably a lot of avenues for that that we haven't had a chance to pursue yet. We do have sort of a standing agreement with the education department up there to send interns down here, either undergraduate or graduates.
Q. You mention other avenues that you have had a chance to pursue. What might be the main reasons?
A: Well, I haven't really gotten down into any details as far as planning anything at this point. There's probably a lot that we could do as far as faculty. I think that obviously KU has resources that our faculty might capitalize on. There's obviously a lot of expertise up there. And vice versa. Hopefully our faculty and our curriculum has something to offer to KU faculty. And I don't see why we can't develop some sort of working relationship with faculty over a regional interest. I didn't know specifically what that would be at this point. Theatre is another (average) KU and the Thunderbird Theatre have had a working relationship. In fact, they had a play which they put on last year. So I don't think our relationship is dead.
Gerald E. Gipp
Clearly we can improve (relations between the two schools). But I think it's very easy for institutions to sort of drift off and go their different ways because of different priorities. Now that I have a vice president, I hope that I will be able to off campus and begin to get involved with vice president for about two years. That's had a real effect on me in the presidency to be able to get off campa and talk to people and explore these other avenues.
Q: What suggestions do you have for making KU-Haskell relations better than they are?
A: Well, I think one of the things I'm very interested in is strengthening this relationship with the education department. I have met with the dean some time ago. We'd like to appeal (to) students who would like to come down here, especially graduate students who might want to intern down here to get an educational experience. That's something I think we could pursue. I think that it's very realistic for both of us. We could capitalize on our own strengths and that hasn't been that active. I don't know if it's a matter of us going up there ourselves and looking for the graduate students and saying: 'Look, here's an experience you might want to get involved with.' Maybe we have to be a little more active in pursuing us.
Q: You've mentioned things that relate primarily to faculty and bureaucratic relationships. What suggestions do you have for their relations with KU students and vice versa?
A: Specifically, I don't know. I guess maybe you simply start by making it clear that we would welcome students to come out and perhaps be a bigger part of our activities here. We do want students to be able to advantage of resources across the two institutions. And I
think it's perhaps continuing relationships that have been developed — like the Thunderbird Theatre working with the KU drama department.
Q: Only about 60 American Indians attend KU; what could be done to encourage more Haskell students to transfer to KU?
A: Probably the first problem is financial aid — having the ability to stay in Lawrence. The financial support takes a lot. There are probably several things that we could do to ease the transition to the University. One is having a social work program, whereby perhaps they develop a relationship and perhaps even do some work on the University campus so they understand what the university is all about and become acquainted with it. Then it's not such a foreign place to stumble into after two years at Haskell. There are probably a number of things that could be done to ease that transition.
A: Not on any grand scale, no. I think that's something that might be one of the starting point for our students.
Q: How do Indian students go about getting to know KU before going to school there?
A: I don't think there's any organized way. Even from the standpoint of going up and using their library and making those resources available. Part of it is establishing special relationships between programs to bridge the gap.
Q: Haskell offers a liberal arts education and vocational-technical training. But what about Indians who want to go on to be doctors and lawyers? What does Haskell do for them to help further their education?
A: We have academic advisors and also our counselors. And students apply for financial aid, then get help through that office. That's something again that I think we need to work on.
Q: In the late 70s some people indicated that Chancellor Dykes was working hard to improve KU-Haskell relations. How much effort do you get from Chancellor Budig?
A: The indications that I've gotten from the chancellor is that he is very interested in promoting a relationship with Haskell. I think over the course of the past year or so, with finances as they have been, we've both sort of been trying to do our own thing.
My senses with the chancellor and vice chancellors that I've had relationships with are that there is a strong interest in developing a relationship. A lot of it has to do with budget, and here, administratively. Not having a vice-president has had a real effect on my ability to get out in these other areas and I'm hoping I can begin to do that. Whenever we have activities there, we generally a representative from the University here. Even just a small thing, like welcoming our staff back this fall. Dr. Cobb was here for that. So there's interest. It isn't as if we're sitting here with four walls around us.
Q: How many times would you say you've talked with Chancellor Budig in the last year then?
A: Probably a handful of times. Pretty minimal.
Haskell
Q: There has been talk of making Haskell into a four-year college. Are those talks still going on?
A: Different people have raised this issue. Some members of the Board of Regents would like to have a study. Without a lot of study, I would venture to say there probably is potential to move in that direction, but again, with finances as they have been and with the concern for trying to ensure that our standards are at the level we would like to have, I guess the point here is that we need to make sure we run a good, sound two-year program before expanding into a four-year program. And I think that's something we need to study carefully and if it is viable, then I think a long-range plan has to be put together and presented to Washington, D.C. And it would require their full approval.
There is no four-year Indian institution is this country. There is no Indian University. I'm not saying this is what Haskell is aiming at, but clearly that's a possibility. It requires a lot of input from Indian people across the country, who perhaps better understand the challenges of Indian culture. And that is a difficult task because we're dealing with a very diverse group of people. Culturally, while they all want to put us in one bag, we're different.
Q: What would the advantages be to make Haskell a four-year college?
A: The immediate advantage is that we're beginning to see a lot of tribal community colleges being established on reservations across the country, and it appears that an advantage would be that those graduates would then be looking for a four-year college. It is possible that those schools could serve as feeder schools to a four-year institution.
Q: Have you found that those community colleges are lessening the number of students who come to Haskell?
A: If there is any possibility of that it is far down the road, because there are about 250 federally recognized tribes and about 20 tribals schools. We're not even skimming the surface at this point. There are more than enough Indian students that need to go into higher education. I think there is a need for them and a need for Haskell.
The problem is housing. We can only house comfortably 700 students. We have in planning some renovations to a dormitory to give us about another 125 beds on campus for single students. We also have the possibility of perhaps getting some married housing. If we get that, that would stabilize our population around 1,000 and we always have some students who live off campus. Right now about 120. That's declined somewhat. The number used to be as high as 300 students.
Q: Are you in danger of cutbacks in financing and salaries?
A: Over the course of six fiscal years the budget has been on a steady decline. That's meant a lot of tightening up. Over the years that has meant that some programs have been discontinued. In the last two and a-half years carpentry and nursing have not been continued. Several others dropped before 1 came.
Q: What is the future of Haskell? Is there a possibility of having budget cuts to the point where you would have to close the school?
A: I think it is going to stabilize from what I can see. We need to look very carefully at operations to make sure the programs that we are offering are providing the very best training for our students. In addition, in looking at the long-range future of the college, that brings up the question of becoming a four-year college. What we can do is show that the present program is sound and offers the highest standards and quality. The need for an institution like Haskell is great, and I think the future is sound and has tremendous potential. Perhaps by sharing resources (with KU and Baker University in Baldwin) we can make our dollars go further. The affiliation with those institutions will be a good thing for Haskell and I'd like to believe vice-versa.
Q: James Watt has continually sparked controversy with his view on Indian affairs. What effect has this had on the school?
A: I don't think it has had any effect that I'm aware of. The only thing that I am very much aware of is that Indian education has been under attack. It is being scrutinized, especially off-reservation boarding schools. Whether that's coming from the secretary or the Congress or bureau leadership, I don't know. There are people who are concerned about the programs being offered and I think that's a legitimate concern. We all have to be careful about expenditure of maximum use of our resources. The concern about resources is a move that I think is sort of going on across all Indian affairs. That's why it's doubly important, with limited resources, to make sure that Haskell is operating at the highest possible level and quality so that we don't jeopardize the future.
Q: What are the goals of Haskell?
A: Basically it centers around the philosophy that this institution is a comprehensive junior college We offer three types of programs: associate degree of arts, vo技 and the business program. The goals around that center on the fact that it is a diverse program, it's comprehensive. We're dealing with a diverse population. . . I think the majority of the students go home and look for jobs on their reservation.
Q: In the terms of the educational value of the school, do you feel there is anything that you're not doing that you have a pressing urge to correct?
A: I think the whole social aspect of coming into Lawrence is something that I'm concerned about. We're beginning to do things with them. We have started an orientation course for all of our students to go through. This is a semester-long course where we can talk to our new students about various issues they will confront as college students. Perhaps studying their relations to the city would be beneficial to KU, how to use a library. Just a whole handful of things that new students should be concerned about as junior-college students.
We've started an intervention program, both academically and socially, for students who encounter a problem. Hopefully the first thing we can do is recognize the problem and then refer that student to the resources we have available so that we get at the problem, and address it before it's too late and students feel they have to address the problem by dropping out of school and walking away from it.
HASKELL ACTIVITIES
See GIPP. D. 7 col.1
Saturday, Oct. 1
7:30 p.m. — Football game versus Baker University.
Homecoming weekend
Friday, Oct. 7
9 a.m.-2 p.m. — Open House for Lawrence Community.
7:10 p.m. — Arts and Crafts Show in Hiawata Hall.
7:30-10 p.m. — Pow Wow in Tecumseh Hall.
Saturday, Oct. 8
7:30 a.m. — "Eggs and Issues" breakfast featuring Congressman Jim Slattery in Curtis Hall.
9 a.m.-Noon — Maupintour Fall Classic 10K run in South Park.
11 a.m.-6 p.m. — Arts and Crafts Show in Hiawata Hall.
11 a.m. — Homecoming parade begins at Seventh and Massachusetts streets and goes to South Park.
1:30 p.m. — Football game against Bismark Junior College.
Haltime — Crowning of Homecoming Queen.
8 p.m. — Homecoming dance in Stidham Union.
Sunday, Oct. 9
9 a.m. — Haskell Alumni Open Golf Tournament in Topeka.
Stephen Phillips/KANSAN
Phillip Notah, a third semester Haskell student from Arizona, measures the valve head from a small engine. Vocational-technical classes such as this remain a strong part of Haskell's program.
Students at Haskell Indian Junior College think that life there is good, and they like living in Lawrence, but they admit that some city residents are not friendly.
“It’s like any other town,” said Edmund Fast Horse, from Standing Rock, N.D. “I don’t experience much trouble because of how I present myself.
Haskell students experience both prejudice and kindness
"It's what people make themselves to be that's important. If you're cool, they'll be cool."
Joseph Powell, 22, of Oneida, Wis., agreed with Fast Horse.
"For a town that's supposed to be hip there really is prejudice," he said. "You can walk down the street on any day and get a reaction. You've had pretensions it just the way people look at you."
Powell said that in Wisconsin people would at least have the courtesy to say hello when they walked down the street, but that in Lawrence many people would just walk past him or would walk out of their way to avoid him.
"THEE ARE NICE PEOPLE here too." Powell said. "The people are just a little lax on courtney. It's something you know that's there. It's just gonna happen."
Julie Governor, of Warm Springs, Ore., said
some people were friendly and some weren't.
Ethel Williams, of Sitka, Alaska, said some people in the community were friendly, but
"A few people look down on you because you're a Haskell student, and they stick up their noses," she said. "Most students just ignore it."
"People are different than where I'm from," she said. "Some are friendly, but some just want to be left alone and don't want to be bothered."
Both Fast Horse and Powless said that they liked to visit the University of Kansas and that it was a fun place. However, they said, the experience was not different from people in the community.
"You can tell some of the students are right out of the boonies," said Powell. "It's about half and half. Some are really nice and some gotta be rednecks."
However, Powless agreed with East Horses that part of the problem was the image that Powless had seen.
"SOME OF US don't put up the best image we could," he said. "They're just here to party. But most of us are serious. It works both wavs."
Many Haskell students, such as Greta Myers of Right City, Okla., like to stay on the school's campus.