First Nations clashes with Office of Minority Affairs

Frustrations were evident last night as members of the First Nations at UW and representatives from the Office of Minority Affairs (OMA) discussed concerns about the University's support of the group's spring pow wow.

The OMA had told First Nations members it didn't feel it had sufficient funds to put on the event this year, said First Nations member Jenny Serpa. Since then, the OMA has agreed to provide $15,000 and is attempting to get an additional $5,000 from the provost and University administration, but First Nations members feel their organization lacks adequate support from the OMA in general.

First Nations students were frustrated with the OMA, which they said did little on campus to promote Native American History Month last November.

"I think the support for so-called minorities on this campus is so poor," said Diane Million, assistant professor of American Indian studies. "I'm not ready to let the OMA off the hook yet. I really want them to think about what the dynamics are on this campus ... We need to meet with some of the decision-makers."

Without OMA support, First Nations would have had to find a venue for the pow wow other than Hec Edmundson Pavilion, said Jim LaRoche, First Nations vice president.

"Part of our program is trying to recognize the cultural heritage of groups," Flores said. "I want to make it very clear that we view the pow wow as a very important focal event."

The OMA is in full support of the pow wow, but funding is tight, said Victor Flores, vice provost for diversity. The OMA only has about $58,000 to spend annually for all its projects, he said.

Attendees at the meeting last night said because the UW sits on native land, support and funding of the pow wow should not even be an issue.

The First Nations sponsored an ASUW Student Senate resolution this week stating the University administration needs to provide more support for the First Nations pow wow.

What First Nation students see as a breakdown in communication between the OMA and themselves arose from OMA president Nancy Barcelo being out of town and unavailable to discuss issues related to the pow wow. Barcelo returned on Monday and the OMA informed First Nations they would fiscally back the pow wow.

The question of fiscal responsibility was still being debated less than a month before the event, which lasts three days and draws more than 5,000 people each year.

To help with pow wow organization and funding, there should be a core group of UW administrators and students who help find funding and support for the pow wow, said Rene Singleton, assistant director in the Student Organization Office.

"It would make a lot of sense for students in this room to sit down with a group of UW administrators and start planning funding," Singleton said. "Money could come from corporate and tribal sources."

The pow wow will be held April 14-16 in Hec Ed.

Reach Daily reporter Kate Rothgeb at [url='mailto:katerothgeb@thedaily.washington.edu']katerothgeb@thedaily.washington.edu[/url]