Smoke Signals 9
JANUARY 1, 2004
Lane Community College Native American
Coordinator Still After Campus Longhouse Funds
Frank Merrill keeps the fight alive, despite semi-retirement.
By Ron Karten
Frank Merrill, formerly and still
the Native American Coordinator
for Lane Community College (LCC),
wanted more than anything to see
a longhouse built on campus before
he retired. Well, he retired at the
end of June last year, but then
came on half time the very next
day. "They haven't even advertised
the position," he said recently from
his office.
LCC donated a nice piece of land
on the northwest side of the college,
and earmarked $250,000 for the
$750,000-$800,000 project. The
Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde pledged $50,000 and an
other $50,000 in matching funds
but about $450,000 remained to be
raised when Merrill's retirement
came last spring.
In the time since, the Coquille
Tribe is considering contributions of
materials and cash, the Klamath
Tribe is also a possible contributor
and one anonymous soul chipped
in $50,000.
"So word is finally getting out,"
said Merrill, "and once the word gets
out, things are going to happen."
To make things easier for the
Tribes without all that much to give,
Merrill is proposing an installment
plan.
' "I have a good feeling about this
right now," he said.
In the meantime, he remains a
force in Native American affairs at
LCC, and according to his assistant
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Frank Merrill
at the college, Richard
Archambault, Merrill's name will
be placed on an Honor Wall within
the Smithsonian's Museum of the
American Indian which takes up
the last available section along the
Capitol Mall.
Merrill began his association with
the college as a student in the 1970s
and returned in 1992 as the pro
gram coordinator, according to Bar
bara Delansky, Director of Student
Services for LCC. "Through his ef
forts," she wrote, "there is now a
good support system in place for
Native students at Lane, as well as
opportunities for all students to
learn about Native American
cultures. The college cur
rently has over 10 classes on
Native American culture and
language as well as one of the
largest pow-wows in the
Northwest. With over 250
Native American students on
campus, and another 350 or
so who identify as part Native
American, the longhouse
would be a gathering spot for
all students to learn about
Native American culture as
well as to provide additional
classroom space to the college
and a much needed resource
to the community."
"What I see here," said
Merrill, "is that our students
are coming here in many
many different fashions.
Some from dark holes (drugs, alco
hol, ones that grab us families and
everything), and we start putting
those families together, and what
ever it took to put everybody back
in the balance so they can get on
with their life. So, that's what it
all became. Building up family
circles and extending it into the
families. If a family in involved in
alcohol, it's like a dominos situation."
He said that as program coordi
nator, he takes it as his job "to find
that balance in their life. We can
either be all mad at the water and
our balance is off. We can be in
drugs and alcohol, and our balance
is off."
"When the balance is on," he
added, "then everything starts to
work for you. Your education starts
coming. You could be angry. You
can't receive the education you
need with that type of energy but
if your life is in balance, it comes a
lot easier. So, students that come
in here in those situations, they can
get that sort of help. What I really
try to do is extend the families like
they did in the old days."
"While attending school here at
Lane," wrote Michele K. Fetterman
affiliated with the Algonquin Tribe,
"I have continued to celebrate my
heritage. . . We need a place to carry
on our traditions. The Longhouse
would serve as a place for guidance
for young people to learn from
Tribal Elders many precious things
such as heritage, stories and the
history of their Tribe."
"The best thing I guess you need
to know about when people like
myself come into the colleges," said
Merrill, "it's not just me. It's my
whole family. My grandkids, great
grandkids are here drumming, and
when people see this, they want to
have a family just like what they
see here."
"Some," he said, "just come in and
sit in my chair. They don't want to
talk. They just sit for awhile and
then leave. The place just feels like
a place where I can feel the relief.
Everything in my office I bless." B
Community Recycle Center Is Not A Garbage Dump
"Sad" abuse of recycling area continues.
By Toby McClary and Ron Karten
Has the recycling cen
ter on McPherson Road
become a dump site?
That is a question John
Mercier has been asking
a lot lately. Mercier, how
ever, who is Director of
Public Works for the
Tribe, is determined to
keep it open.
"We will still have to
clean it up when people
use it for refuse. It's a sad
thing."
"We need to look at its
short and long term fu
ture," Mercier added. "So
far, the recycling center
is safe even if it means we
have to keep guys out
there cleaning it up ev
eryday," he said. Mercier
wants to try to prevent
sneaky dumpers instead
of penalizing them. "I'm
not ready to admit defeat
(get rid of the whole thing)
but the thought has
crossed my mind."
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Looking For A Solution The community recycle center located at the corner of Grand Ronde Road and
McPherson Road has been abused by some locals who have insisted on using it for a garbage dump instead
of its intended purpose. This person intended to dump an unwanted mattress on the site, but picked it up again
when informed that the area was not intended for dumping unwanted items. Tribal Public Works Director John
Mercier said he wishes people would treat the land as sacred and doesn't want to penalize people, just educate
them. Mercier said he wants to appeal to people to use the site properly and view it as a privilege before security
measures are taken. Among the proposed security measures are video surveillance and fencing.
The rubbish has become
an eyesore for passers-by, particularly the homeowners at Grand Meadows across
the street, who are concerned about keeping up the value of their homes. Unless
dumpers take it on themselves to bring only recyclables to the center, the problems
may result in video surveillance, fencing, or some other attempt at prevention.
Mercier acknowledged, however, that Tribal efforts at catching garbage dump
ers are not likely to succeed,
and hoped that through com
munity support and neigh
borly concern, dumpers will
be convinced to find appro
priate places to dump their
garbage. In fact, Mercier
said, he would be happy to
talk to anyone who has
dumped their garbage at the
recycling center, to find al
ternatives or solve existing
garbage disposal problems.
Feel free to contact him with
your name or anonymously,
with ideas or concerns at
503-879-2400, or by mail to
John Mercier, Public Works
Director at the Tribe.
Tribal members know
how sacred the land is. For
others in the community, a
look at the Veteran's Memo
rial will give you an idea of
how to treat sacred land. You
do not see trash bags, beds,
or couches strung out all over
it. Mercier said that the re
spect we see given to the me
morial is the respect that all
Tribal land deserves.
There was no budget in 2003 for the recycling center but in 2004 there will be
funds for low-cost prevention measures to keep it being used as a recycling
center. This could mean signs or surveillance of one kind or another.
Help us make this work because the recycling center benefits us all.
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