The Haskell Rocketry Club recently hosted a competition at Haskell in which four teams from Lawrence and Topeka including Boy Scouts and a 4H team got a chance to experience all the various aspects of a real rocket competition, very similar to the one our Haskell students will be competing in a few weeks from now.

The rockets these young men and women were shooting off were estimated to travel a height of around 800 feet before parachuting to the ground. By comparison, the rocket Haskell plans to launch is anticipated to approach 10,000 feet, depending on wind conditions.

The Rocketry Club will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 25-27 for the First Nations Launch. They recently joined an exhibition hosted by the KloudBusters in Argonia, Kansas.

For all those who want to stay in the loop and help cheer the team on, you can follow the club’s official Twitter feed at #haskellrocket. They plan to update this with photos and announcements throughout the competition. Good luck and Onward Haskell!

On May 1st at 10:00am, Haskell Indian Nations University’s Facilities Management, in coordination with the Lawrence Police Department and Lawrence Fire Department, will be conducting a drill on campus designed to simulate an on-campus active shooter. This will take place mainly in Sequoyah Hall, but other portions of the campus will react accordingly and follow other emergency procedures.

The purpose of this drill is to educate students and faculty on how to handle a similar situation if it ever occurs in the future. In addition, this gives the Police and Fire Departments the opportunity to practice their responses and to familiarize themselves with the layout of our campus, should they ever need to answer such a call.

One of the biggest concerns on the minds of Facilities Management and the Police Department is communication. Students need to contact their families and friends, as well as other students in case they do not know, and make them aware of the drill. Parents, families, and friends can easily mistake the drill for an actual event, and none of us want to put our families through that situation. This was a reality at a recent drill held at Charlotte Amalie High School in Virginia, where unnotified parents became worried and phoned the school and police with their concerns, according to an article in the Virginia Islands Daily News. In that case, students and parents were told of an upcoming drill, but were not given the exact time and date, presumably to help simulate a real occurrence.

Facilities Management wants to ensure that this does not happen here and in order to help disseminate the information, as well as receive any questions or concerns that students may have, they are holding a General Assembly on Wednesday, April 26th at 3:30pm in the Auditorium. Students and Faculty are encouraged to attend to get more information about the drill if at all possible. Those that cannot attend, or if you have additional questions or concerns, are encouraged to contact Leah Pahcoddy, Director of Facilities Management, at (785)749-8467.

Please note that in order to maintain a safe area for all the individuals involved, including students, faculty, police, and paramedics, students backpacks and other similar items will be secured prior to the drill, and may be subject to search to prevent any weapons from entering the area. It is extremely important that no one is injured or hurt in this drill, and preventing any weapons from entering this area is vital to the success of this drill.

College is a stressful time for most college students in one way or another. Stress is a normal part of everyday life and in many cases can be beneficial. However, if not managed properly stress can become unhealthy and dangerous.

According to MentalHealthAmerica.net, too much stress in your life can “cause relatively minor illnesses like insomnia, backaches, or headaches, and can contribute to potentially life-threatening diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease.” It is important to effectively manage stress and take steps to reduce it whenever possible.

WebMD says that stress can come from many places, such as anxiety about work-related situations like promotions and deadlines, to general life situations such as an increase in financial obligations, changing routines or schedules, and moving into a new residence. You can even be the source of your own stress, such as creating unrealistic expectations of yourself.

As you can see, college students clearly deal with several of these issues every semester. For some of us, just coming to college can drastically alter our financial stability, and with changing schedules every semester comes the need to alter our routines, sometimes dramatically. In addition, the constant moving in and out of dormitories and moving back and forth from home to school can be very stressful.

In order to deal with stress properly, however, it is important to identify where it comes from. Once you identify the source of the stress, you can figure out a better way to handle those situations. Luckily there are a few general tips that can help just about anyone with any situation. Baldwin Wallace University suggests students exercise regularly, eat healthy foods, get plenty of rest, and avoid drugs and alcohol. The number one tip? Proper time management. Constantly being in a rush combines several areas of stress.

Stress can sometimes be a helpful tool to push us towards our goals, but we have to make sure we are managing our stress, not allowing our stress to manage us.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The drive was no more than four hours, and the excitement was up. It was a last minute decision to go watch Louisville Cardinals vs Tennessee; However this would be the second time I’ve seen Shoni, and Jude Schimmel play. But for any Native this would be a moment to play Rez Ball.

Shoni, and Jude Schimmel

While walking towards the arena it was raining and a bit windy but you could hear the sound of hand drums, and singing. A group of Natives from the area gathered out in front of the arena to sing in honor of Shoni, and Jude. One quick glance at the crowd you can see many Natives coming together to support the Schimmel Sisters, handmade fan signs displayed, “Show them how to Schimmel!”, or “Umatilla Thrilla!”

Louisville vs Tennessee game was another win, Shoni (23) had 24 points, and Jude (22) had 15 points. The final score for Louisville 86-78, and the crowd was wild for the Schimmel sisters. In the stands you can feel the excitement of the Indian country’s very own Shoni, and Jude Schimmel heading to play in the Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana. At the end of the game the last few spectators were Natives from the area waiting to have the opportunity to take pictures with the Schimmel Sisters.

Later on I had the opportunity to interview Shoni Schimmel.

Starting out with the interview I asked, How does it feel to be one of the first few Native American athletes at a D-1 level to head off to the Final Four?

Shoni Schimmel: “It just shows you that can go out there do it yourself. You can go out there to live your dreams because that’s exactly what I’m doing right now.”

A lot of Natives have taken to a quote online, “You can take girl off the Rez! But you can’t take the Rez out of the Girl!” how does that fall into play?

Shoni Cutting the Net.

Shoni Schimmel: “The reservation is alway going to be apart of me. I was born on the Rez, and come from the Rez. That’s all I do is play Rez Ball!”

How was your transition of playing basketball from the rez to a collegiate level?

Shoni Schimmel: “My Parents have instilled in my head that you can go see the world, and live your dreams.”

Shoni what do you think about the talent that hasn’t left the Rez?

Shoni Schimmel: “It’s sad to see that because there are so many talented Native’s out there in whatever it is. I want to see a lot of Native’s go out there, and show them because it’s our time to shine!”

For being Native, and being a female athlete how do you deal with the stereotype of a Native American?

Shoni Schimmel: “It’s different because there has never been a Division 1 Native, Besides Tahnee that’s all I really know of. We gotta go out there and prove that we can be on top. That’s what I’m trying to do right now is to be a role model.”

Shoni, and her sister Jude have proven to a lot of people, that you can go off the Reservation, and follow your dreams.

Did you hear just before the game a group of Natives from the area gathered out in front of the arena, and had a small round dance for you, your sister Jude?

Shoni Schimmel: “I heard about that later on, it’s an honor to be apart of that. Even though I’m not there, it’s still a big thing to me.”

Schimmel sisters are members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, from Pendleton, Oregon. Both Schimmel’s are excited to head to the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, Louisiana. – “Show them how to Schimmel!”

The KU Student Senate passed a resolution to create a task force that will further examine the issue. Haskell Student Senate executive board and the entire student senate also attended the meeting to show support along with many Haskell students, faculty and staff.

Brian Sultana speaks at KU Student Senate Meeting on behalf of the Wetlands Preservation Organization

“We want KU to know that it’s not just WPO that is interested in getting the 20 acres back. It is Haskell students and that’s what we are hoping to show here today,” said Cleta LaBrie, WPO President.
In addition to LaBrie, speaking on behalf of WPO was Brian Sultana, KU senior, Haskell student, Robbie Wood, and Michael Caron, community member and longtime WPO advocate.
Sultana presented information covering Wetlands history highlighting the educational value for KU, Haskell, and Baker University students. Sultana reported 4,790 credit hours recorded over the course of one year through 18 different courses of study.

Wood emphasized the importance of the plant life at the Wetlands. The KDOT has proposed moving the Wetlands to a location near the current site as part of the SLT construction plan.

“The native section has some of the rarest plants, not only in the Wetlands but in the state of Kansas…close to 400 species and it’s a very diverse area. These plants contain different foods, dyes, and medicines, all of which we’ve gone out and collected, researched, cataloged, located and mapped,” said Wood.

Caron explained how the land was taken from Haskell by E. Raymond Hall, former head of the KU biology department, whose intentions were to save the Wetlands from locals wanting to turn the area into an airport or a golf course. Through Hall’s many contacts in Washington, D.C., he was able to get pressure on the BIA to surplus the land.
Caron ended his speech with a compelling statement drawing applause from Senate and audience members. “You have the power to right an incredible wrong done to Haskell,” said Caron.

According the University Daily Kansas, the task force will consist of representatives of KU Environs, First Nations student organization, Haskell Wetlands Preservation, KU faculty and administration, student senators and the student body president.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Kansas Department of Transportation in July 2012 and the deadline for WPO to file for a Supreme Court Review passed in October 2012 with no action taken. With legal options exhausted, a letter was sent to KU administration requesting the return of the land.

“The Student Senate is in full support of WPO and all of their endeavors. The University (Haskell) stance is separate from our stance as the student body. The administration, their hands are tied because we are a federally funded program, so it’s up to us as a student body to go out and speak out on behalf of the animals that live in the Wetlands and on behalf of the land itself and to support WPO in their initiative to stop this road from being built,” said Shere Wright, Haskell Student Senate President.

Students are encouraged to participate by attending the WPO meetings held each Wednesday at 5pm in Tommaney Library.

By Ryan Coody

Quietly he made his way to the stage. Everyone waited patiently to find out who he was and why he was there. Jay Mule had been invited onto the stage without an introduction, an overview of his background, or a brief preview of what he planned to say. At the time it seemed awkward and unusual; guest speakers are almost always preceded by a lengthy introduction.

However, once Jay got rolling, it was easy to see why – he had such an interesting story that no introduction would have got it right. He began by detailing his former life. Growing up, he struggled through school, eventually being designated as a “special ed” student after inadvertently passing a test for the program (it turns out he should have failed the test to stay out). He was comfortable with these classes because the workload was lighter, and they rewarded students with candy, not with grades.

A few years later, he began to hang out with the “wrong crowds,” becoming in his own words a “juvenile delinquent.” He lost interest in school and academics, and acknowledged that no one expected much out of him anyways, saying that the “teacher gave up on [him].” One night following a lot of drinking with a few friends, he got into a wreck and woke up covered in blood and sitting in jail. Looking around he realized his shoelaces were missing, and began to try to piece everything together, eventually deciding he must have got in a fight with someone, because of the blood, and they must have stolen his shoelaces for some reason.

Once he got the deputy’s attention, he was taken out of the cell. The deputy brought him over to his desk and got his shoelaces out of a drawer. Handing them back, he said it was their policy to remove the shoelaces of “suicidal” people, and explained to Jay that when they found him, lying in the street, he was talking about dying. They were afraid he would hurt himself.

It was then that Jay realized his life was going nowhere. Forget the teachers – at this point he didn’t expect anything out of himself either. He knew things needed to change and that he wasn’t happy with how things were going, but it wasn’t until a school counselor suggested that he was still able to graduate if he wanted to that he realized what he needed to do.

Jay enrolled in night school and summer sessions, working hard to make up for the time he had let slip away. He issued a challenge to himself to accomplish something he had never even dreamed of: graduation. This dedication and perseverance paid off in the end, and he graduated high school with a GPA of 0.7.

He wanted to continue this and enrolled in Haskell, but because of a former obligation in court, a judge sent him to rehab and he missed his chance to attend. After rehab he stayed in a halfway house, but eventually he found himself heading back towards his former life. He started to get into trouble again, but this time he stopped himself; he began to attend church in an attempt to fix the things in his life that he couldn’t do on his own.

Once again he set out to attend Haskell, despite his peers trying to bring him down and keep him out. They didn’t support him, but instead claimed that Haskell was “nothing but a party school” and that he wouldn’t be able to stay sober if he attended there; they said eventually he would go right back to his old ways.

Determined to prove to them, and himself, that he could graduate Haskell, he enrolled and set to work. This path wasn’t without temptation however. His roommate was out one night, and after a nap Jay woke up thirsty. Grabbing some orange juice out of his roommate’s refrigerator, he realized at the last second it was mixed with vodka, and spit it out as fast as he could. He knew this was a close call, and that if he had drank it he would be right back where he was, and all those naysayers would have been right. He was determined to stay on the right path, and there was “no going back to the alcohol.”

Jay worked hard and graduated Haskell completely sober. He said all those that tried to tell him he couldn’t make it where the ones who dropped out after partying too much. He had accomplished something that a few years before wasn’t even an option to him. Like so many other Haskell students, he credits the amazing turnaround in his life to Haskell.

Haskell played a “significant” role in his new life, and provided the foundation for the change that he needed to make. Without Haskell, he would never have started with a “clean slate”, would never have graduated, and would never have his education.

Jay delivered an impressive and inspirational address to the Haskell convocation, receiving applause and support from all the Haskell community members in attendance. His story is one of strength, will, determination, and a desire to improve. For Jay, Haskell will always be a place of opportunity, and he challenged all of today’s students to take this opportunity and use it to make the changes in their lives they know they should; “If you want a complete change – welcome to Haskell!”

Photo by Ryan Coody

Perks for Proper Parking

By Ryan Coody

Students will start noticing something new on campus when they park their cars. The old blue and green signs that labeled the various parking lots have been replaced by shiny new purple and gold signs. Purple signs indicate staff parking, and gold signs point out where students and visitors can park.

This move is not changing the number of spaces available to students or making changes to where they are located. Spaces are identical to the layout they were in before. However, Mr. Lee Pahcoddy in Facilities explained that they are currently entering the process to try and rearrange a few spaces on campus. On the list are the spaces just north of Ross Hall, and the spaces north of Coffin along the road that cuts through campus. Both of these lots are currently Faculty only, but they may soon have a few spots set aside for students. This process may take some time as it has to be agreed to by both the university and the faculty’s union, but it is expected to pass through both as was done with the parking lot outside Blue Eagle.

Students are urged to continue parking in the student, or gold, sections as they did before. Student vehicles found to be parked in the Purple sections will be fined $25.00, or $35.00 for those without parking passes.

A small discount on fines is not the only perk the Haskell parking passes provide students. Those that find themselves locked out of their vehicles or stuck with a dead battery can call Facilities at 785-749-8467 during normal business hours to receive free assistance. These parking passes are free the first time you register your vehicle, although a small fee may be charged for replacements. If you sell or trade your vehicle, be sure to stop in at the Parking office to update your registration.
Stephanie Fernando in Facilities had just one request of students in exchange for these services: please follow the stop signs. The students, faculty, staff, and visitors of Haskell travel the roads and sidewalks all over campus and following the stop signs and speed limits are an important part of keeping the area safe for all of us. We all have to do our part to keep our campus a safe place.

Students are also encouraged to keep the fire lanes and other emergency access areas free of parked vehicles, such as the area on the west side of Roe Cloud. These areas need to be kept clear in the event emergency services such as ambulances are required. They need to be able to get close to the building and doors quickly, and vehicles parked in these areas prevent them from being able to provide the care and assistance our fellow students may need.

Even though sometimes the parking situations on campus can be frustrating, you can save yourself a lot of extra cash by parking in the proper areas and making a short walk to class. Facilities are working to add extra spaces, but staff and faculty also need the ability to park as well. We all have to come together to share the space that we have with each other.

A Haskell alumni, and current Haskell faculty, Ms. Rhonda LeValdo, received the prestigious award for the Native American 40 under 40. The event took place at a new two-day Reservation Economic Summit on November 14-15, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, OK. Mrs. Levaldo states, “I was honored to be named a recipient of the 40 under 40 awards. The other awardees are extremely talented people as well; Indian country has some great leaders.

In honor of its 40th anniversary in 2009, the National Center for American Indian Economic Development (NCAIED) introduced the Native American 40 under 40 awards. this award is to recognize emerging Native Americans Indian Leaders between the ages of 18 to 39. These recipients “demonstrated leadership, initiative and dedication to achieve significant contributions business, communities press release. The award winners ere nominated and then selected by a panel of NCAIED representatives. Some of Mrs. Levaldo’s accomplishments for receiving the award were: Current President of th Native American journalists Association; she helped launch WEllboundstorytellers.com a Native American Wellness blog site for people blogging about their paths to a healthier lifestyle; LeValdo is a freelance journalist, and current faculty at Haskell Indian Nations University, where she sponsors 3 clubs and advise the Indian Leader association LeValdo had an Academic journalism story called “Hand in hand: Support networks are making a difference in the trailing graduate rates for Native Americans” in the Chronicles of Higher Education “Convergence: Diversity and Inclusion’ and she does a lot of freelancing Native Media sites including the graduation of the Navajo Code talker for Native News.”

However on November 14th 2012 in Lawrence,  Kansas, it was cold, windy day outside of Parker Hall. It was a perfect day to stay indoors, and relax with a good book; and that is exactly what the children of Little Nations did. The children came into the book fair all huddled together, and each child was excited! They were pointing, awing, staring at all the posters, which had little baby puppies, the books like Ben 10, and the little toys like chocolate calculator, it was a calculator that looked, and smelled like chocolate!

However the children were not the only ones excited, the adults were excited as well! They said: “Being at the book fair reminds me of my own childhood.” “I liked the book fair as a child because I could find a book I actually wanted to read!” When I asked them what book would you read at the book fair? They responded: “I would read Captain Underpants book and I would read one of the books by Haddix!” When they asked me what I would read? I would read James Patterson’s final maximum RIde novel: Nevermore.

After the children got their books, posters, and toys like the fruity smelling erasers, the all went back to huddling together, like a herd, and left, ready to return back to little Nations. AS for the adults, who hadn’t left, they started to look around to see if any younger relatives would like anything from the book fair for Christmas. AS for me, I got my sister a National Geographic book on the Angry Birds, and their real like counterparts!

So next year to get if you  want your kids get excited about reading, or you want to find the perfect Christmas gift for a younger sibling, or a younger relative, come to the book fair! Hope to see you there.

Please take a few minutes out of your day to check your mail and tell all your friends to check their mail for the Red change of address cards. The post office needs you to fill these out and turn them in as soon as possible. The post office needs a forwarding address if you are not returning for the spring 2013 semester – especially graduates, ineligible to return due to suspensions, or withdrew. If you will be continuing students, fill out a card anyway to let them know to hold your mailbox open over the Christmas break or forward for the 2 weeks (Warning: it will take about 2 weeks for your mail to be rerouted and arrive to a forwarding address so it’s best to just keep it here. special exceptions can be made for individual checks, grades, important mail, etc.) You can keep receiving your mail here and only have your grades forwarded to your house if that is what you prefer. The post office will remain open and their hours will be the same except they will be closed Christmas and NEw YEars Day! IF you have any questions please feel free to contact Althea Eaton the mail clerk/collection officer during regular business hours at the post office.