Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1998)
February f, 1998 MCC Tribe creates Hatfield Fellowship By Tracy Dugan The Grand Ronde Tribe has created the Hatfield Fellowship honoring Senator Mark 0. Hatfield for his accomplishments as Governor of Oregon and United States Senator on behalf of the Tribe, Na tive Americans, Oregonians, and all Americans. The fellowship is also meant to honor the memory of Susan Long, who worked in Hatfield's office during the Restoration struggle. The fellowship will enable a Native American to serve as a mem ber of one of the staff of one of Oregon's Congres sional delegation. The Hatfield Fellow will serve as a liaison between the Congressional member and the tribes in Oregon on issues that affect Native Americans and as a resource for the entire Oregon delegation. The Hatfield Fellowship will be nine months in length and consist of an annual stipend of $55,000. It will begin in 1998. . The Tribe hosted a banquet for Hatfield on January 15 at Willamette University, Hatfield's alma mater. Guests included members from several Oregon tribes including the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Rep. Elizabeth Furse, a congresswoman from Oregon's 1st District, and friend of the tribes as well as Hatfield, was an honored guest. Her hus band, John Piatt of Oregon Intertribal Fisheries Commission, was the Master of Ceremonies. Rep. Furse worked with Hatfield on tribal issues in the 1970's and 80's when the Grand Ronde Tribe was trying to get restored. She said, "In 1970, I first heard the name Senator Mark Hatfield. He was like a light in a very dark time. It was a time when no one was fighting for tribes except this man in the Senate. We visited the Senator in Washing ton, and we were greeted with warmth and under standing." Furse spoke of her relationship with Hatfield during her years as a member of NAPOLS and the Grand Ronde Tribe's Restoration Coordinator, as well as the years she has spent in Congress. "Senator Hatfield always recognized that tribes are truly governments. There was always one place in Washington, D.C. that was a haven... Senator Hatfield's office. He was a voice for Indian people when there was no one there," she said. Other speakers included Council member Mark Mercier and Council Chairperson Kathryn Harri son, who shared special memories of both the Hat- continued on page 12 . , ( . . , , ! : . . i , i ll ! AN 1 I ! i i I t; ! ) 1 "A H v i i I : t - U w, m & 4 s m t t S ; '' V i if I St ' f m ; V; if; A ! . !; : I' .1 i - . - i i i t i ill i Ml mi fe fe ! Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse, retired Senator Mark Hatfield, and Tribal Chair Kathryn Har rison celebrate their years of friendship at a banquet in Hatfield's honor. (Photo by Tracy Dugan.) What about that $2.9 million jackpot? A computer chip malfunction causes "mystery jackpot." By Tracy Dugan By now many tribal members in Oregon have heard about the "mystery jackpot" that flashed on a nickel progressive slot machine a few months ago. A woman was playing the machine when the computer flashed a message indicating she had won a mystery jackpot of almost $3 million. This jack pot was clearly an error due to a computer chip problem. Chuck Galford, Marketing Manager at Spirit Mountain said that the malfunction occurred in the progressive computer chip on the carousel, not within the slot machine itself, and said this is the first time a machine has ever malfunctioned at Spirit Mountain. "We want our patrons and tribal members to know that all of the computer chips are tested at a lab before they even get here," said Galford. "Then the Gaming Commission verifies that they have been tested. When a chip is installed into a ma chine, the Commission must be present to ensure it is being installed correctly. But I want to empha size that this was a problem with a progressive chip, not a chip in the machine." Galford added that Spirit Mountain Casino pays all true jackpots, and the Casino has paid billions in jackpots since it opened $900 million in 1997 alone. The customer who received the mystery jackpot message lined up three double bars on the Power Play nickel slot; and the pay table showed that she earned 60 credits, or $3. A sign on the progres sive board states that the maximum payout for that progressive machine is $10,000, and at the time the customer was playing, it had reached $230. There was no special promotion or sign indicating that it is possible to win more than that amount. "No reasonable person could think that they had won several million dollars," said Galford. "It's like receiving a bank statement when you know you have $200 in your account, but the statement says you have $2 million. Obviously there has been a mistake, and it will be corrected. Com puter mistakes happen in modern life. We have checked all of our progressive machines, and ev erything else is defect-free. This was an isolated incident." The customer has exercised her right to a fair hearing before the Grand Ronde Gaming Commis sion, an independent body. The Commission is reviewing the evidence and will hand down a rul ing in the near future. The Grand Ronde Gaming Commission is the Casino's regulating body, and monitors incidents of this nature, as well as pre serves the integrity of Spirit Mountain by approv ing or denying all gaming licenses.
