American Indian/Alaskan Native Academic Social Context

This is not an April fools

There are many reasons why American Indian/Alaskan Natives drop out of college. Below are some results of a study I have been working on. Please note that this is a first rough draft but one that needs to reach as many people as possible in the hopes of better explaining this continued problem.

There is an established, historical literature indicating that individuals who obtain a college degree have significant health improvements over their life span compared to those without a college degree (1). They benefit from a College Degree Health Booster! They can also transfer that Health Booster back to their communities by completing college with a degree.

Regrettably, underrepresented minorities, especially American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AI/ANs), have very high college dropout rates (2). They do not benefit from this college degree health booster. That booster does not have the chance to be transferred back.

According to the United States Census Bureau, minorities comprised approximately 28 percent of the population (3). Minorities represent about the same rates in student populations of U.S. colleges and universities.

Currently, Whites make up about 60 percent of U.S. new college student enrollment, with African Americans representing about 14 percent, Hispanics making up about 13 percent and AI/ANs consisting of only about 0.8 percent of all college students nationwide (4).

Of the approximate 19 million college students in the United States, AI/AN students are the minority within the minority (5).

About 75 percent to 93 percent of AI/AN students drop out of college prior to degree completion (6). The fact is, if AI/AN students do get a high school diploma and begin attending college, they have the highest rate of dropping out of college compared to any other student demographic.

What happens during college is very important. Many studies try to explain college failures in the context of events in childhood and/or during high school. While those years are important, a very important factor is what is happening as someone is being a current college student.

The most powerful factor associated with college completion is being successful in college. What happening during the time when someone is a college students is much more powerful than before, or so I think.

There is a distinct and reliable relationship between academic performance (e.g., GPA) and college completion (see, 7-10). When GPA decreases, students drop out of college. On the other hand, if GPA is steady or rises, students are more likely to continue on in college.

The boundaries of academic and social activities create a context that promotes success in college. A successful academic-social context (ASC) is one that best serves the student in relation to academic performance – GPA.

For example, full-time attendance increases the likelihood that students will persist to graduation (9-15). If students can attend college full-time they can better focus fully on being a scholar. Full-time attenders have higher GPAs.

Students who are NOT in a relationship living together or who will NOT of do NOT become parents are more likely to graduate (7, 16). Again, the ASC is one that allows the student to be solely -- a student. Anything that takes the student away from being a fully focused student lowers the ASC and GPA. So, as this ASC continues, you will understand the relationship between a student's ASC and its impact on GPA.

Students who live on campus are more likely than those who live off campus to socialize as student learners, engage regularly with faculty, and have friends who are students. They are more likely to succeed (17-19).

Employment and hours worked per week are associated with college success (see, 20-22); the more time students have dedicated to scholarly efforts, the more beneficial it is to academic success.

Students who volunteer benefit personally and academically from those experiences. Many youth are eager to volunteer their time and make meaningful contributions to their society (23). Having the opportunity to connect with and put into practice their own values improves a student’s prospects both personally and academically (24).

A student’s health and wellness have been clearly linked to academic success (25-29).

It is important to understand the academic-social context (ASC) of the student. Having a good ASC increases the likelihood of having a higher GPA thereby increasing the possibility of remaining in, and successfully completing college. Again, the college graduate has a lifetime health benefit!

The present study used data with permission from the American College Health Association (ACHA).  These data were collected via four administrations of the National College Health Assessment (NCHA; Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, and Fall 2010), a bi-annual survey the ACHA has administered since 2000. 

There were a total of 116,992 students responding to the surveys. On the race question, students could check more than one response. The sample were broken up into three groups, those checking as AI/AN only, those who checked AI/AN and White only, and everyone else. Students who checked AI/AN mainly reports either solely AI/AN or  AI/AN and White only.  While there were a few AI/AN and Black or Latino, for example, just the two biggest groups are used here. Below is the table with responses and measures of ASC.

	All Else	AI/AN only	AI/AN & White
Sample	115,566	491	935
GPA	3.19	2.96	3.17
ASC	All Else %	AI/AN only %	AI/AN & White %	Effect size
Full-time enrollment**	97.3	94.7	97.2	.011
Relationship involvement ***				.025
Not in a relationship	53.7	43.8	47.8
In relationship, living together	6.8	19.4	10.1
Current Residence***				.014
On-campus	55.1	42.0	52.4
Paid Work***				.015
None	46.8	48.8	42.4
1-9 hrs.	19.3	11.8	17.4
10-19 hrs.	19.5	17.1	22.3
20+ hrs.	14.4	22.2	17.8
No Volunteer Work	63	63.2	61	.006

Note. *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

As it relates to a positive ASC, those students who report being AI/AN or AI/AN and White have a lower ASC. That is, percentage wise, they are attending college at a lesser rate than full-time, they are in a relationship, they are living away from campus, and they are working as well as going to college. They are in the context that does not best promote higher GPAs and successful completion. And the differences are statistically significant. The effect sizes are small, so there are other important factors missing.  

So, I looked at other possible factors that impact GPA and what is happening within the past 12 months in their lives, such as experiencing violence and/or emotional issues. Below is the table showing those factors. The first column identifies the issue and the impact on GPA. For instance, experiencing a physical fight lowers GPA by .23. Looking at the first roll, a little over 8% (8.24) of all other groups in college report being in a physical fight in the past 12 months. Almost 12% (11.61) of AI/ANs report being in a fight in the past 12 months. And about the same amount (11.79) of AI/AN & White students report being in a fight in the past 12 months.

What this shows is that students who report being fully or partly AI/ANs experience significantly more physical fights than any other group on campus. And recall, students who have these experiences, results in the lowering of their GPA by almost a 1/4 point. 

As you look down at the rest you will see the same pattern.

Rates and Impact of Violence past 12 months

 

Item Label (Impact on GPA)	All else		AI/AN	AI/AN & White		Total		ChiSq (pval)
In physical Fight (-.23)	9498 (8.24%)		57 (11.61%)	110 (11.79%)		9665		22.58 (.000)
Physically assaulted (-.21)	5495 (4.77%)		41 (8.35%)	75 (8.05%)		5611		35.28 (.000)
Verbally threatened (-.15)	26870 (23.32%)		138 (28.22%)	317 (34.01%)		27325		65.23 (.000)
Sexually touched w/o consent (-.11)	8309 (7.21%)		38 (7.74%)	101 (10.83%)		8448		18.18 (.000)
Sexual penetration attempted w/o consent (-.13)	3129 (2.72%)		17 (3.47%)	37 (3.97%)		3183		6.48 (.039)
Victim of stalking (-.12)	8239 (7.17%)		57 (11.63%)	105 (11.27%)		8401		37.51 (.000)
In emotionally abusive relationship (-.17)	11581 (10.06%)		71 (14.46%)	121 (12.97%)		11773		18.97 (.000)
Physically abusive relationship (.23)	2691 (2.34%)		28 (5.70%)	26 (2.79%)		2745		24.79 (.000)
Have you ever felt
Item Label	All else		AI/AN	AI/AN & White		Total		ChiSq (pval)
things were hopeless	54626 (47.62%)		254 (52.26%)	480 (51.61%)		55360		10.02 (.007)
exhausted	93874 (81.63%)		396 (81.15%)	813 (87.14%)		95083		18.86 (.000)
very lonely	68200 (59.27%)		264 (54.21%)	602 (64.59%)		69066		16.08 (.000)
very sad	72380 (63.06%)		308 (62.99%)	642 (69.11%)		73330		14.45 (.001)
so depressed difficult to function	34637 (30.14%)		173 (35.52%)	335 (35.94%)		35145		21.35 (.000)
overwhelming anxiety	56289 (48.97%)		236 (48.66%)	502 (53.98%)		57027		9.30 (.010)
overwhelming anger	44895 (39.18%)		214 (43.76%)	426 (45.91%)		45535		21.67 (.000)
Intentionally injured self	6385 (5.55%)		34 (6.94%)	82 (8.80%)		6501		20.21 (.000)
Seriously considered suicide	7171 (6.23%)		35 (7.14%)	76 (8.15%)		7282		6.51 (.039)
Attempted suicide	1264 (1.10%)		11 (2.24%)	16 (1.72%)		1291		8.98 (.011)

Within past 12 months have you been diagnosed or treated for

Item Label	All else	AI/AN	AI/AN & White	Total	ChiSq (pval)
Depression	9944 (8.67%)	38 (7.79%)	106 (11.45%)	10088	9.40 (.009)
Insomnia	2920 (2.55%)	17 (3.50%)	44 (4.74%)	2981	19.36 (.000)
Panic attacks	5163 (4.49%)	33 (6.76%)	69 (7.42%)	5265	23.94 (.000)

Within past 12 months did <item> affect your academic performance

Item Label	All else	AI/AN	AI/AN & White	Total	ChiSq (pval)
Anxiety	48835 (42.70%)	205 (42.27%)	491 (52.91%)	49531	39.24 (.000)
Assault (physical)	3898 (3.41%)	38 (7.84%)	48 (5.19%)	3984	36.96 (.000)
Assault (sexual)	3983 (3.49%)	28 (5.79%)	49 (5.29%)	4060	16.22 (.000)
Depression	26623 (23.33%)	134 (27.69%)	283 (30.56%)	27040	31.78 (.000)

 

As the tables show, again, AI/AN or AI/AN and White students experience significantly more violence and emotional events compared to all other college students. Students whose identify as being fully and partly AI/AN have a significantly poorer context in colleges/universities. That is, they do not attend full-time, they have the extra burden of being in a relationship, they live away from campus, and they are working in addition to being a scholar. This ASC lowers GPA. Furthermore, their ASC is one that experiences physical and sexual violence as well as emotional problems. These additional issues greatly lower GPA – and overall health and wellness.

 

Is there any wonder why AI/AN students do not remain in college and successfully complete? Their academic-social context is very poor. Being a successful student (e.g., getting and maintaining a high GPA) is a great challenge. Having the additional burdens of a poor ASC seems to result in dropping out of higher education. And who could blame them?

 

References:

 

1.      Lleras-Muney A. (2005). The relationship between education and adult mortality in the United States. Review of Economic Studies, 72, 189-221.

2.      Patterson, D. A. (2012). Three strategies to address Native American college dropout. Recruitment & Retention in Higher Education, 6 (10), 5-6.

3.      U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved on 1/10/13 from http://www.census.gov/2010census/data/

4.      O'Brien, E. M. (1992). American Indians in higher education (Research Briefs 3). Washington, DC: American Council on Education, Division of Policy Analysis and Research.

5.      U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). 2004. Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2002 and Degree and Other Awards Conferred: 2001–02. NCES 2004-154. Washington, DC.

6.      Brown, L. L., & Robinson Kurpius, S. E. (1997). Psychosocial factors influencing academic persistence of American Indian college students. Journal of College Student Development 38(1), 3-12.

7.      Adelman, C. (1998). More than 13 ways of looking at degree attainment. National Cross-Talk 6(4), 6–10. Washington DC: National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

8.      Adelman, C. (1999). Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor’s Degree Attainment. Jessup, MD: U.S. Department of Education.

9.      DesJardins, S. L., Ahlburg, D. A., & McCall, B. P. (1999). An event history model of student departure. Economics of Education Review 18, 375–390.

10.  DesJardins, S.L., McCall, B.P., Ahlburg, D.A. & Moye, M.J. (2002). Adding a timing light to the “Tool Box.” Research in Higher Education, 43(1), 83-114.

11.  Bradburn, E. M. (2002). Short-Term Enrollment in Postsecondary Education (NCES 2003-153), U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC.

12.  Horn, L. (1998). Stopouts or Stay outs? Undergraduates Who Leave College in Their First Year. U.S. Department of Education (NCES 1999-087), Washington DC.

13.  King, J. E. (2003). Nontraditional attendance and persistence: The cost of students' choices. New Directions for Higher Education, 121, 69-84.

14.  Metzner, B. S., & Bean, J. P. (1987). The estimation of a conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Research on Higher Education 27, 15-37.

15.  Starkey, J. B. (1994). The Influence of Prices and Price Subsidies on the Within- Year Persistence by Part-time Undergraduate Students: A Sequential Analysis. PhD dissertation, University of New Orleans.

16.  Stratton, L.S., O’Toole, D.M., & Wetzel, J.N. (2007). Are the factors affecting dropout behavior related to initial enrollment intensity for college undergraduates? Research in Higher Education 48, 453-485.

17.  Chickering, A. W. (1969). Education and identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

18.  Chickering, A.W. (1974). Commuting versus resident students. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

19.  Bean, J.P., & Metzner, B.S. (1985). A Conceptual Model of Nontraditional Undergraduate Student Attrition. Review of Educational Research 55(4), 485-540.

20.  Alfred, R. L. (1973). Student attrition: Strategies for action. Kansas City, MO: Metropolitan Junior College District.

21.  Lenning, O. T., Beal, P. E., & Sauer, K. (1980). Retention and attrition: Evidence for action and research. Boulder, CO: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.

22.  Peng, S. S., & Fetters, W. B. (1978). Variables involved in withdraw during the first two years of college: Preliminary findings from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. American Educational Research Journal 15, 361-372.

23.  Youniss, J., & Yates, M. (1999). Youth Service and Moral-Civic Identity: A Case for Everyday Morality. Educational Psychology Review 11,361-376.

24.  Fiske, S.T., & Taylor, S.E. (1991). Social Cognition. New York: McGraw Hill.

25.  Buddington, S. A. (2002). Acculturation, psychological adjustment (stress, depression self-esteem) and the academic achievement of Jamaican immigrant college students. International Social Work 45, 447-465.

26.  Case, A., Fertig, A. & Paxson, C. (2005). The Lasting Impact of Childhood Health and Circumstance. Journal of Health Economics 24, 365-89.

27.  Conley, D., & Bennett, N.G. (2000). Is biology destiny? Birth weight and life chances. American Sociological Review 65, 458-67.

28.  Pritchard, M. E., & Wilson, G. S. (2003). Using emotional and social factors to predict student success. Journal of College Student Development 44, 18-28.

29.  Chee, K.H., Pino, N. W., & Smith, W. L. (2005). Gender differences in the academic ethic and academic achievement. College Student Journal, 39 (3), 604-618.

 

Not a Bad Person Trying to Get Good

Excerpt from: An Education Saved my Life by David A Patterson Silver Wolf (Adelv unegv Waya)

 

I attended my dad’s funeral in March 1993. We had not spoken for a few years. My mom called me out of the blue and said, “David…I have been waiting a few weeks trying to figure out how to tell you this. Your father is in the hospital and he’s been told he has two weeks to live.” She thought I should know this in case I wanted to see him before he passed. I did not. After a week or so, I finally decided to visit him.

            His life had proceeded since we last saw each other, and I was on a completely different path. While my brothers had updated me on some of our dad’s activities, I had lost all contact and interest in his life. He was still in the hospital when I decided to see him. I thought about how our meeting might go, with him on his death bed and us not speaking or seeing each other for several years. What would we talk about…the weather? I was angry with him. Dying would not change this. The more I thought about all of these things, the less likely it was that I would go to his hospital room.  

            To me, he was a horrible person and father. The things he did to me and to my family were unforgivable. At some point in my young life, I promised myself that when I got big enough, old enough or whatever it took, I would never allow anyone to ever harm me. If I did go to see him, it would be brief and on my own terms.

            On my way up the hospital’s elevator, it took all of my power to walk out and toward his room. He was trying to die and I was trying for a re-birth. Why would I want to mess up this natural process? We were both men who had made our life choices. He had his chance, and to me, he wasted his life. I was determined not to do the same. My steps towards his death room were steps back in time. The sick feeling in my stomach and the overwhelming fear that was washing over me were the same feelings that happened every time his car pulled into our home’s driveway. I relived the fear of not knowing what condition he would be in lying in his hospital bed just like I did as a kid as he stepped out of his car.

            I let it be known to my mom what day and time I would see him so that news would get to him. Neither of us needed any more surprises. When I finally entered his room, he looked at me and said, “Hey…it’s David, come on in, son.”  He was in a typical hospital bed with the back tilted up. It seemed the only thing he was connected to was a heart monitor. He had aged in the two plus years since I had seen him last. His hair was mostly gray and his face looked like a layer of skin over bone. His cheeks were sunken in and his eyes were wide open. White sheets covered his large belly, but his exposed shoulders and arms were noticeably thin. His little finger on his left hand was totally black and his ring finger was black from the tip to the second knuckle.

            The only other person in the room was an older lady. He introduced her as his girlfriend, but I did not catch her name. She looked like every other girlfriend he had since divorcing my mom. We were still and hushed as our eyes tried to take in two absent years. The window in the back of the room had a few cards sitting in the seal. There were a couple of vases with flowers sitting on the night stand next to his bed. Finally, his girlfriend said, “Well…I am going to leave you two alone for a while.” This sent a pulse of panic through me. There were no buffers between my dad and me now. I just nodded as she walked past and out the door.

            As I looked back at my dad, he raised his cancerous black hand and said, “They say I have cancer.” We both looked at his rotting hand. “This cancer is not from drinking and smoking,” he said. “Some people just get cancer.” I know this statement’s purpose. It was a self-lie. It was a lie to protect the mind from the brutal, cruel truth of a life spent addictively smoking and drinking. I was not there to expose the truth to him, but to myself. I saw the truth.

            He asked me to sit down in the lounge chair next to his bed. I felt better standing just inside the doorway, but slowly made my way to sit down.

“I hear many things about what you are doing and I am proud of you,” he said. He paused, then continued, “I have wanted to tell you and your brothers how sorry I am for the way I have treated you all. There have been thousands of times I wanted to say sorry, but I never could. When people drink alcohol they do things they don’t mean to do and say things they don’t mean to say.”

As much as I wanted not to cry, I could not hold back. I tried to hold it back by rubbing my face with my hands. I was close enough were he could touch me with his black hand. He was patting me on the shoulder saying, “Don’t cry son, please don’t cry. You’re going to be ok, you’re doing good.”

            I quickly composed myself, stood and let him know I needed to leave. I leaned down, we hugged, and I walked back to the elevator and back outside. The sun was out, but it was raining lightly. It was March, spring time in Louisville. The trees and flowers were out. There was new life all around me. My life was new. My dad died March 3, 1993, a couple days after our visit. I did not see him again until he was in his casket at the funeral home. His suit covered his boney chest and arms. His black fingers were pink again.

            At the funeral home, my oldest brother told me that dad said he was going to leave me $100 but didn’t because I did not return to visit him again. In my mind I wanted to say, “Fuck him and his $100,” but I didn’t. I moved on. Everyone who cared about me said I should be respectful, stay close to the casket and support folks who came up to see him. I followed those directions. I was somewhat shocked when I overheard some of the conversations between the people who came around his casket. Some of the folks who had considered my dad an alcoholic and didn’t have too many good things to say while he was alive now had a different attitude. I heard them say things like, “Poor Buzzy, it is sad cancer took him. He was a good man. He never met a stranger. Cancer is a terrible thing.”  When he was alive and an alcoholic, he was a bad person. Cancer and death cured his badness. People did not feel sorry for him when he was suffering from alcoholism. They saw him as a terrible human being, just like I did. The disease of alcoholism causes no one to feel sorry. It causes harm and leaves a path of destruction. Trying to clean up this mess in the last two weeks of life is pointless.  I was not going to follow this path. I did not want to be a bad person trying, at the end of my life, with two-weeks remaining, to become good again.

            I admitted I was sick. I have an illness and it is called alcoholism. I did not want to be in a hospital bed with a black hand and heart, explaining to one of my kids that my behaviors were in no way connected to my health. Behavior and health are inseparable. Honesty is also connected with health. Untreated alcoholism (e.g., harmful behaviors, lying, etc.) is worse than cancer. Cancer allows for some level of sympathy.

Bone Marrow Donation Results

In earlier posts here: http://nacwr.blogspot.com/2012/10/mitakuye-oyasin-all-my-relations-we-are_31.html and here: http://nacwr.blogspot.com/2012/11/native-american-beliefs-or-coincidence.html I discuss my process of being contacted to donate bone marrow. Below is an email I received from the bone marrow folks. My wife Nicole tells me that the boy is too sick to proceed. I continue to pray and keep him on my mind. I wish you would too, Peace DAP

January 8, 2013

Dear David,

Thank you for participating in additional testing to confirm if you are the best marrow match for the patient. The results of your testing indicate you and the patient are a suitable match; however, the patient is not ready for a transplant at this time.

If the situation changes and the patient does become ready to receive a transplant, you may be contacted again to donate. Additionally, your likelihood of being selected for another patient increases now that your additional test results are included on your donor record.

It is important to call us if you have any questions, need to update your contact information, or if there are any reasons that affect your ability to donate marrow.

Thank you so much for your willingness to help save lives. If you’d like to get more involved, you can encourage others to join the Be The Match Registry^®, make a financial gift to the Be The Match Foundation^® or volunteer your time. Visit BeTheMatch.org/help to learn more.

Thank you again for your patience during this process. Your compassion and selflessness give hope to patients and make our life-saving work possible.

Sincerely,

K### U###

Supervisor, Donor Contact Team - West

Oakland, CA 94621
Phone: (855) 558-XXXX Ext. XXX Fax: 510-834-XXXX

Native American Education: Some Thoughts after talking with Haskell students

“An education saved my life.” These were the words I spoke to a class room of Native American students attending Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence Kansas. There have been other words spoken at Native American schools that were intended to support the education of “Indians.” Rev J.A. Lippincott, in 1898, gave the commencement speech to Carlisle Indian School graduates. Here was his message to advocate for Native Americans becoming educated.

"the Indian is DEAD in you.” "Let all that is Indian within you die!...You cannot become truly American citizens, industrious, intelligent, cultured, civilized until the INDIAN within you is DEAD."

That statement in 1898 during the time when America was trying to figure out how to educate “savages” benefited the expanding America more than Native Americans. Haskell began educating Natives Americans in 1884 mainly as a way to train young Native Americans on how to become just, Americans. Although the boarding schools in the 1880s forced Native American children to attend educational institutions, Haskell School today is a university for any enrolled tribal member.

            Another predominate statement from the past efforts of forced cultural assimilation of Native American children was “Kill the Indian save the man.” Brigadier General Richard Henry Pratt was the founder and superintendent of the Carlisle Indian School. His plan was to kill the Native American by way of teaching them to be an American. Genocide was becoming much more difficult to justify so his ideal was to send out an army of teachers to produce cultural genocide.

            Schools were built or existing buildings were converted. Native American children were forcibly removed from their parents and communities. Children had their hair cut, made to wear military-style uniforms, not allowed to speak any language other than English, and physically, mentally, spiritually, and sexually abused.  Although the official policies that allowed for boarding schools ended around the 1940s, some schools converted into typical teaching institutions. Haskell Indian Nations University is one of the converts. It has a long and complicated educational history. Some of the children who were forced to attend in the 1800s did not ever have a chance to make it back to their parents, communities, or cultural ways of life. Haskell Indian Nations University has its own grave yard. The little white head stones with names of children who passed while attending the school and not returned back to their parents represents both standard genocide and cultural genocide. Native Americans and education have a complicated relationship. Trying to deal with this issue is complicated. So, my talk at Haskell had to be unpretentious, humble, and most important, helpful.

I was set to speak at three different classes: two back-to-back classes in the business department, with Dr. Jim Bliven, and one social work class after lunch.

The building where Dr. Bliven’s classes were held looked like the high school I attended in the late 1970’s. The hallways were bland, with institutional non-colored walls and tile floor. Like me, Dr. Bliven is a mixed blood, except he is Hispanic and Native American. He had coal black hair and goatee. He came in to class with baked goods and drinks for everyone. As he introduced me he asked that everyone be sure to help themselves to the food. It was obvious that his class is very laid back, as he is.  I stood in front of a large chalk board that already had my name written across one side. I looked out on the students, seated in perfectly even rows of tables and chairs. Many of the men wore coats and ties, and the women were in dresses. It turned out to be “Dress up Day” on campus.

I wanted to send three very strong points about what it takes to be successful in college. My agenda that morning had been stewing in my mind and developing over several years.

“Getting an education has nothing to do with intelligence,” I told them. Although they seemed a bit surprised at first, some shook their heads in agreement. “A person does not have to have a high IQ to succeed in college. A strong belief system is much more powerful than a strong IQ.” There were more heads nodding in agreement.

 A strong support system is also very powerful; in order to be successful, students must have a group of people who bolster their efforts of getting an education. I have never heard of a successful student who finished college without outside support. It takes help from family members, friends, professors, and any other person who has a positive, motivating influence. The “loner” does not do too well in college. A loner is someone who is isolated, cut off from connections of supportive others. They could miss a class, several classes and no one would notice. American public universities are not designed to accommodate individuals or an individual’s personal problems. Having a support system in place when personal problems do happen, it vital to success in higher education. 

The final thing I wanted these students to leave with was hope. I told them, if I could succeed in college, anybody can. Students are doomed without some level of hopefulness about thriving in college. A strong belief system, a strong support group and hope are the primary ingredients for success in any educational institution.

Clearly and efficiently expressing these important themes is the challenge. In the midst of attending college, I think young people depend more on their overall survival skills than thinking about or strategizing specific productive actions. Entering college is an entirely new environment that young people are expected to navigate on their own; they have left the security and familiarity of their home base, and face new responsibilities and demands, academically, socially, and financially. This reliance on survival skills is especially true for minority youth and particularly for Native Americans, who face far more obstacles than the general challenges of adjusting to the college environment. The only reason Native Americans still exist today is because they fought to survive. From the time that Columbus arrived, throughout the great American expansion, there was an enormous, coordinated effort to rid America of these “savages.”

 

Survival instincts are in our blood, a hereditary response that has been passed down from our ancestors, whether they were warriors or peace keepers. Our strong survival methods can either be a gift or a curse. During times when our lives are stressed or challenged, like getting an education, if we use these survival skills in a good way along with following a planned-out, organized strategy, we can accomplish just about any task we might face. However, if we only use our survival skills with no plans, we are more likely to retreat to a safe, familiar stance, which often results in rigidity, defiance, and overall failure. Armed with passed-down, gene-level resilience and well-designed plans, we can conquer any challenge.     Peace in the New Year, DAP

American Indian/Alaskan Native College Success Stories

As you may know American Indians/Native Alaskans have some of the highest college drop rates in the US. We are trying to understand why this problem continues. Because you graduated from a college/university with an undergraduate degree, you are a success story.

I would be honored if you would consider answering the question below. We are collecting stories, hoping to create a document and book that can be used to understand the issues for American Indians/Native Alaskans remaining in college. We hope to compile and provide these stories for students who are thinking about attending college or currently a student.

Please note: We will seek your full approval before any of your words are provided to the public.

Thank you very much and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Please send response to dpatterson22@wustl.edu.

I look forward to hearing from you soon, Peace, DAP

Question: Given the fact that American Indians/Native Alaskans have such a high dropout rate from college, what was the main factor for you staying in college when you were an undergraduate student?

Native American Beliefs or Coincidence

Coincidence: A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged

What many people think might be a simple coincidence, Native Americans would believe as being a message. As I discussed in my past post (http://nacwr.blogspot.com/2012/10/mitakuye-oyasin-all-my-relations-we-are_31.html) , I am a potential bone marrow match for a two-year old boy with bone cancer. Further testing was set for me Monday, November 5^th, 2012. It was set many days ago and I have been willing, ready and able. I have tried to patiently wait for that day to arrive. When it did finally arrive I got to the hospital early and signed in.

All I could think about was that little boy and his family. They have probably spent many hours in a medical setting, similar to a place where I sat to give my blood. My appointment was at 8am and I was called back about 8:10am. I was asked for my ID and insurance card. I explained that I was there as the result of the bone marrow agency’s request and they had made the appointment and instructed me not to give my insurance card. The worker asked how the appointment had been made – fax, email, phone call? I was not sure and said that.

She looked through a file of papers, and then left the room. I tried to remain calm hoping that all would be well and she would find what was needed. After several minutes, she returned stating that she had “found it.” She was smiling now and less cold toward me as she had been when I first sat down. I wanted to make sure that all things were in order and my blood made it to its destination in a timely manner and safe. As she began to complete some forms, I explained that a two-year old boy needed a transplant and I was a potential match. I said this not to direct any attention toward me, but to signal to her that this situation is serious and the blood sample must get to the boy’s doctor safely.

I was happy to feel the mood turn from just collecting blood for general medical tests to an act of helping a boy and his family. After she collected all of the blood needed and was done with me, she let me know I was all done and that she would make sure the paper work was correctly completed and that she would pray that this was a match.

These past days have been emotional for me. If I think too much about this situation I become overwhelmed and have to hold back tears. I can’t speak about it without crying. I left that hospital praying and thinking about this family. Good thoughts have been part of my daily routine.

As I traveled to work, running late for a meeting, I approached the bridge crossing the Missouri River. The water has been down in the River and every time I cross I always try to look over the River and monitor what is happening. I cross the Missouri almost every day, so it is familiar to me. While I have a purpose to look closely at the River, sometimes I get distracted and miss my chance to look at the water moving along, the changing river bank, the tree leaves transforming their colors, and boats moving along the water.

While my mind was still on this boy, his family and the safe travels of my blood, I looked out to my right and spotted a Bald Eagle flying along parallel to me and traveling at the same speed. He was crossing the Missouri at the same height, speed, and time as me. As we both reach the River’s bank, I continued on my route and He, his.    

For readers who do not know the significance of seeing a Bald Eagle, especially in St Charles Missouri, I will not go into it. For those who know, there is no need to go into it. Returning back to the idea of the title of something being a coincidence or not, some folks would label this event as being a coincidence, happenstance, or some kind of a fluke. On the other hand, my People’s beliefs would label this as a message, a signal, a sign. They would say I should pay close attention to this message. They might say it is a Spirit Guide. Coincidence is a word used when someone is unsure about an event.

This event indicates, at least to me, that I am on a good path. How could I not be…my Spirit Guide is on the same path! Also on this path are the sick boy and his family. We have joined together. Although we have never met and I do not know their names or where they live, our paths have crossed. It is not a coincidence that I live in Missouri. It is not a coincidence I got my cheek swab in 1994 for the bone marrow registry. It is not a coincidence that I received a message as a potential match. And it is not a coincidence that a Bald Eagle crossed the Missouri River on the same time and important date as me.

This is a message…a strong one. We are all on a path, a good one. How do I know this for sure? Just stay tuned!   

Peace, DAP