JANUARY 1, 2000
5
TLX IRITIS Y
Pete Wa Iceland:
First Fellow reflects on experiences
mm
By Brent Merrill
Afte
1
hi
fter being the
Jrand Ronde
Tribe's first-ever
Hatfield Fellow,
tribal member Pete
Wakeland said he
is better for the ex
perience. ,
Wakeland was
selected as the first
recipient of the fel
lowship in late
1998 and spent
nine months living
and working in the
nation's capital
Washington, D.C.
Wakeland, who
works as a forester in the Tribe's
Natural Resources department,
worked in Oregon Senator Ron
Wyden's office.
Wakeland said a professor at the
College of Forestry at Oregon State
University took an interest in what
he was doing.
"I talked with him (his professor)
about policy issues and natural re
source policy issues," said Wake
land. "I decided I wanted to go to
Washington, D.C. to pursue a So
ciety of American Foresters intern
ship that the college set up. The
professor said it looked like a good
opportunity, but thought he could
get me something better (the
Hatfield Fellowship). So, he did the
initial groundwork and I inter
viewed over the phone and got the
fellowship. It was incredible. That
was my first taste of policy making
at the national level and it proved
to me that I could make a differ
ence in people's lives."
According to Wakeland, many
things happen behind the scenes
at the nation's capitol.
"I got exposure to that (the inner
workings of the legislative process)
and it really fueled my desire to
keep pursing policy and politics,"
said Wakeland. "When the Tribe
was advertising for the Hatfield
Fellowship, it looked like a perfect
opportunity to get back to Wash
ington and try to do some things
that were more relative to Native
American issues and I got an op
portunity to do that."
Wakeland said he liked the big
city if he is there for the right rea
sons and is interested in public of
fice in the future, maybe the near
future.
In what appears to be a smart
career move, Wakeland is prepar
ing himself and his family for pub
lic service in a public office.
Wakeland said he wished he
could have seen more projects
reach fruition, but understands
how things work now.
"I like Washington," said Wake
land. "Working on 'the Hill' was
more frustrating than working off
the hill or with the hill. But, both
experiences were great. It is frus
trating in that you want to see
some good things happen and you
want to see it happen now. You
want to see it happen in this ses
sion of appropriations, but unfor
tunately when you are talking
s
, -- inniign-, -- iiitBriTTr r r a,
('- T" i i i i mi 1 i T'n n i im mi liiiwum i hi ii
Y
0 I
4 : -
- - Q.
about appropriating money you
have to make your case three or
four times before you can actually
feel certain. You have to keep talk
ing to the committee and keep try
ing to get those appropriations be
fore they might actually act. That
is where the frustration comes in.
Laying the groundwork for some
one else to see to completion.
"I love what I do here working for
the Tribe, but in the long run, I
think there is more for me to do and
I'm looking for those opportunities,"
said Wakeland of his future in poli
tics. "If I don't go back to Washing
ton, then I will think about running
for legislature here in the state."
Wakeland said he wants to re
main connected to the Tribe wher
ever he goes and whatever he does.
"I want to do the work of the
people that will benefit everyone,"
said Wakeland.
Tribes need to work together
more often, especially during ap
propriations periods said Wake
land. "Then, the tribes are connected,"
said Wakeland. "As we move into
the future, the more things tribes
support each other on, the more
power we will have. Now, if we can
get some connectivity there; some
cohesiveness, then I think we will
see the tribes continue to do better."
When asked if his time in D.C.
changed him, Wakeland said it did.
"One of the biggest changes for
me was being more creative in the
way I think," said Wakeland of
what he brought back with him.
"If there are things you want to get
done back there then one of the
things you have to do is be creative
in the way you think. You can't
always use the most obvious way
to get things done. You have to
learn the level of involvement
needed and you have to do your
research and maybe I'm a little
more patient now. What I brought
back here was the knowledge that
the Senator and his staff want to
know more about what issues af
fect Indian Country, why they are
important that will help us in
the long run."
Wakeland ended the interview by
saying he wanted to encourage
other young people to follow his
path to the nation's capitol and he
said he would be willing to listen
and help others interested in the
Hatfield Fellowship.
IL
HOUSING NEEDS
All Grand Ronde tribal member households will be sent a survey this week as
part of the Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority's effort to find out more about
the housing needs of Grand Ronde tribal members. The last housing survey was
conducted five years ago and tribal membership and individual circumstances
have changed.
All households that return their completed survey by the deadline will be eligible
to participate in a drawing for several cash prizes! The information that is collected
from these surveys will be kept confidential and will be incorporated into a Housing
Needs Analysis. This report will be the basis for making certain decisions about
how to allocate funds for various housing programs over the next five years.
This is a very important opportunity for you to tell us about your current and
future housing needs. The survey will only take about 15 minutes to complete,
and housing staff will be available by phone to answer any questions you may
have. If you receive more than one survey at your address, you will need to
determine who is the head of the household and return only one survey per
household.
Watch for your survey in the mail and return it quickly for your chance to win a
cash prize!
2
. To help us prepare for the 2000-2001 class schedules, the
Education department is seeking your input. We would like to hear
your ideas and suggestions for course offerings to be conducted at
the Grand Ronde Tribal Education and Training Center.
Please take a few minutes to share your course interest.
1. The following courses were offered in Grand Ronde. Would you like
to enroll in these courses if they are offered again?
Please check classes you would like to have offered:
English Composition, Writing 121-123
Speech (Intro & Professional Development) SP111SP130
Algebra (Intro & Intermediate) MTH 052-095
Intro to Microcomputers, CS100-101
2. List other classes or training courses you would like to see offered.
Please list specific levels of study (i.e.freshman, sophomore, junior, senior
or graduate levels), if applicable:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
3. Circle the day(s) you would like to attend:
M TU WED TH FRI SAT
SUN
4. Specify the time frame that would best fit into your schedule:
Daytime Evening Weekend
5. Here is a list of training classes being offered in 2000:
B Images of Native Americans in Film. This series is about
the journey of American Indians. It is rich with history and
culture and the curriculum is about American Indians and taught
by American Indians. NOTE: May 19, 2000, Sherman Alexie,
writer for the movie "Smoke Signals" will be the presenter. At Mr.
Alexie's request, admissions for his presentation will be two cans
of food that will be donated to Native American Rehabilitation
Association (NARA). (On-going from 1999.)
B Tribal Administration Program (TAP) with Portland State
University graduate program. (On-going from 1999.)
6. Here is a list of classes suggested by tribal members:
FreshmanSophomore level Sociology
First AidCPR course
Early Childhood courses
7. Your input is very important, so please make any comments or
suggestions so we can better serve you:
Return this form to: CTGR Education Office
Attn: Deena LaRue
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, OR 97347