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Spirit Mountain Community Fund's latest grant bolsters
Native PSU students by helping to build Native American Center.
2
By Oscar Johnson
The Grand Ronde Tribe gave
$250,000 to Portland State Univer
sity to aid in constructing the school's
future Native American Center.
The grant came from the Tribe's
Spirit Mountain Community Fund
which shares six percent of Spirit
Mountain Casino's annual profits
with a variety of non-profit organi
zations. The Fund's most recent grant is
part of about $1 million that cur
rently make up 42 percent of pro
jected cost for the center to get off
the drawing board and onto Port
land State's campus.
When completed the center will
serve as a community resource center
and meeting place for PSU students.
Classes, lectures, workshops and
conferences relevant to Native
American cultures will also find a
home at the new site.
"Native American students are
more likely to succeed in an environ
ment that recognizes their culture,"
said Daniel Bernstine, Portland
State president. He added that the
center will also be "an opportunity
to expand the general community's
understanding of Native American
culture."
"This means a great deal to our
students and our community."
Bernstine said in thanks at the May
11 event set to announce the grant.
"In recognition of that fact we will
name the center the Grand Ronde
West Entry."
The center is also meeting the long
term aspirations and efforts of Na-
The planned Native American Center for Portland State University will be named the Grand Ronde West
Entry. The Spirit Mountain Community Fund gave $250,000 to help this dream of many Native students
and faculty become a reality.
tive students and faculty over the
years.
William Elk III, PSU student and
active member of the school's Ambas
sador Group, told attendees that as
a freshman he joined other Native
students in voicing their original
quest for a campus Longhouse.
"They said, 'I need a Longhouse
at school where I can burn sage and
sweet grass; where I can smudge
and sing my song,'" recalled Elk, who
also spoke of his own culture shock
when he first came to Portland State.
The center is not a Longhouse
proper, but Elk and university offi
cials say its unique design embodies
the hopes and input of Indian stu
dents who have advocated for its con
struction over the years.
Their hopes and efforts are now
coming to fruition.
"It started out as a student idea
but now we have had the help of Gov.
Vic Atiyeh. We have had Sen. Hat
field and the full support of the ad-
Taking a moment to pose at the awarding of the Tribe's $250,000 grant for Portland State University's
Native American Center (from left): Chuck Galford, Spirit Mountain Community Fund board member- Wil
liam Elk III, PSU student; Daniel Bernstine, PSU president; Kathryn Harrison, tribal chair; Vic Atiyeh former
Gov.: Donald Sampson, center campaign chair; and former State Rep. Elizabeth Furse. '
ministration," Elk said.
The group also sought out tribal
support.
Over the last several months Elk
and fellow students made three pre
sentations to Grand Ronde Tribal
Council and also appealed to two
other Oregon tribes to help fund the
center.
Their efforts finally paid off.
"Now I know it will become a real
ity by the time I get out of here," he '
added.
Portland State is centrally located
in downtown Portland and confers
more degrees annually than any
other school in Oregon's university
system, according to school officials.
About 15,000 Native Americans
reside in the Portland-Metro region
and 900 of them are Grand Ronde
tribal members.
Samantha Wise, Grand Ronde
tribal member and Portland State
student, was at the event to thank
both the Tribe and fellow members
of the University's Native American
student group.
She said joining other Native stu
dents to get the center on campus has
helped her transform from "a shy stu
dent who didn't say much to being
more involved in the community."
Kathryn Harrison, Grand Ronde
tribal chairperson, who was also on
hand to accept the many thanks to
the Tribe also shared her hopes for
the center.
"I look at this not only as a gath
ering place but something that will
encourage our people to become a
doctor, a lawyer or an engineer that
will go back and help our people,"
she said..