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August 27, 1973 THE POLEMIC Page 3 A Look at A.C.C.'s Natiue American Program Some Scenes from Last Year by Louis Baca "By every standard, Indians receive the worst education of any children in the country. They attend shabby, overcrowd- ed public schools whick lack even basic resources. They are taught by teachers who are untrained, unprepared, and some- times unwilling to meet their needs. They enter school late and leave early. The percentage of Indians who drop out (are pushed out) of school is twice that for all other children. Among the Indian population fully two-thirds of the adults have not gone beyond elementary school, and one-quarter of Indian adults are functionally illiterate. The educational system has failed Indians. The Federal government's obligation to support In- dian education has not been fulfilled." --- "An Even Chance"; a re- port on Federal funds for Indian children in public school districts. By the NAACP Legal De- fense and Educational Fund, Inc. with the cooper- ation of the Center for Law and Education, Har- vard University. Alpena Community College, through a special grant from the State Department of Education, Division of Vocational Ed- ucation, is working to overcome these social inequities. ACC is a pioneer in this field, and until this year was the on- ly school in the state of Michigan oper- ating such a special needs program design- ed especially to meet the educational needs of the Native American in the state. During the spring semester of 1971, Mr. Charles Curley and Mr. Robert Dom- inic laid the foundations for the pro- grarn:_5, eX-istence. With supportive assist- _ ance from the administration, in the form of a committment to house the program here,a proposal was submitted to the state office of education. That proposal was approved and the active recruitment of students began; a staff was hired; and the framework of the program was built -- it is in this framework that we continue to be housed and built today. To anyone even vaguely familiar with the social status of the Native American in today's society, they know that the quote opening this article is not an exager- ation of the truth, but rather a pure and truthful statement of fact(s). The program here at ACC has grown from recruiting 22 students that first spring semester to having as many as 45 - 50 students on campus at one time Continued next column Black Dorm at U-Penn. Investigated Philadelphia, Penn. (CPS) -- The Of- fice of the Attorney General for Pennsyl- vania is investigating an all-black dormi- tory at the University of Pennsylvania for possible violation of discrimination in housing status. The investigation was initiated earlier this year to determine if the W.E.B. Du- Bois Residence Center is in violation of three state laws concerning discrimina- tion in housing. At that time Peter kostmayer, press secretary for the Attor- ney General, said the University of Penn- sylvania was being investigated for the "possible violation of the state Fair Hous- ing Act, the Pennsylvania Human Rela- tions Act and a third law involving dis- crimination in university housing." The Attorney General's office says it has no plans to take action against the dorm at this time and has no future plans concerning the violations. last fall. This year, with many transfer- ing on to other colleges and universities and other opportunities finally beginning to open throughout the rest of the state, we hope to have 30 - 40 Native American students here with us. Our program is not an exclusively 'seg- regated and closed' program. But rather, we are an integral part of the college, operating out of the student services of- fice. We endeavor to provide the Native American with the individualized tutorial and counseling services he may not norm- ally receive due to the large number of students enrolled at ACC versus the small counseling staff. We are striving to cut the high drop-out rate to help make ourselves more employ- able through education. Thus, the social inequities as stated above will not have to be a stark reality in tomorrow's society. Although we are funded by the state department specifically for assisting the Native American student, we do not wish to close our doors there. Rather, we try to help all minority students on campus: the Black, Chicano-Mexican American, and foreign students. We do not profess to have all the solutions to all the problems the students face here on campus in pur- suing an education, but we try as much as possible to help him succeed while here at ACC. Our doors are open to all, and we would encourage you to come in and visit with us. "We only ask an even chance to live as other men live. We ask to be recog- nized as men. We ask that the same law shall work alike on all men." ---Chief Joseph Pictured above are some of the students who worked so hard to build and establish The Cave, a coffeehouse located in the basement of the Stu- dent Center. The Cave opened in March and featured some excellent en- tertainment on weekends! Watch for the fall opening of The Cave ... Nez P rce Tribe .=;::a...'""'"-~~<-= 1879 . Last year's basketball team ended the season with a mediocre 13-12 won-loss record, but things look good for this year, with the appointment of a new coach Mr. Bill Morse, and the addition of several new players . .. Local Ministers to Provide Added Counseling Services ACC students will have the privilege of some additional counselling services this fall, with the addition of several interest- ed individuals who will give up their time to "rap" with students about school life and any difficulties they may be encount- ering. These volunteer people are ministers who are giving of their time and energy to be a part of the action at ACC in help- ing students. Involved will be Reverend Sanford Wright, Reverend Jack Fitzgerald, and other volunteer ministers. Their aim is to "be involved" with the situations Alpena's college students face. These Lay-Professional counsellors will be on hand within the college from 10:00- 2 :00 four days per week. These minis- ters are not required to report any in- formation they may receive during coun- selling, and do not receive pay for their services because they are not hired staff involved with the college itself. Because of these reasons, students should feel free to discuss any number of hang-ups on their minds. In providing such an oppor- tunity, these ministers hope to provide the following things: * A volunteer service totally unrelated to the College program itself * A source of information and counsel- ling services available .to the students *T,he introduction of four new indivi- duals the students will have the opportun- ity to be compatible with in school life Because this service will be on hand throughout the week, students are wel- come to "drop in" for a chat anytime. You, as students, will be given the chance to speak with a person totally interested in what you have to say ... that's a switch from the usual, hey!? ... - ., ""'I' .. -.. r . ,~w ~- . _: ~ -~-·~ .. . ~ .. - -~~ · ... ..... ,r ~ _.. - ~f ,..... . ' .. ,.. - , ... , ij, ,,. •-' . - .;.,, ·: . . .. .. . One of last year's POLEMIC issues carried a story stating that plans to pave ACC's parking lots were progressing smoothly. Several weeks ago, however, those plans came to a halt as the Alpena Board of Education re- fused to okay the plans. So, it looks like we'll still be sloshing through the mud puddles ... FIRST BESSER AWARDS GIVEN AT 1973 COMMENCEMENT by June Hinkley Two new awards were given during the 1973 graduation ceremony held at the Al- pena High School auditorium on May 23, 1973. These awards were the JESSE AND ANNA BESSER AWARDS, and were pre- sented respectively to Glen Betzoldt and Sue Reynolds. Beginning with the 1973 year, and continuing through additional graduation years, these awards will be part of the outstanding honor of the com- mencement ceremony held for ACC stu- dents. To receive either of these awards, a stu- dent must exhibit outstanding contribu- tions to the life of the college through scholarship, student leadership, and in the expression of responsibility in the solution of social problems. (This includes student activities and organizations). The ANNA BESSER AWARD will be once again awarded to a sophomore girl, and the JESSE BESSER AWARD will be given to a sophomore guy at the 1974 graduation ceremony. Both of these awards are given in honor of Jesse and Anna Besser who established the Jesse Besser Museum, contributed to the Anna Besser Junior High School, and also con- tributed to the college by providing funds for the building of the Besser Technical Building. These students honored will, in the consecutive years that follow, have their names inscribed in a plaque located in the ACC Library, as a permanent record of their outstanding achievements. In add- ition to this honor, each student receives a check for $100.00 to be used toward his/her continued education.