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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2018)
S moke S ignals NOVEMBER 15, 2018 JOB OPPORTUNITIES INTERNAL/EXTERNAL INTERNAL /EXTERNAL n Staff Accountant Job #113-18 Finance Grade: 11 Closing date: Nov. 16 n AFC Caregiver (on-call) Adult Foster Care Grade: 5 Open until filled n Teacher Aide/Bus Monitor (on-call) Job #054-18 Early Childhood Education Grade: 5 Open until filled n Physician Job #083-18 Medical Clinic Grade: 23 Open until filled n CFS Caseworker Job #053-18 Social Services Grade: 10 Open until filled Internal applicants are 1. Current regular employee, past their six-month Intro- ductory period, receiving at least a “meets expec- tations” on most recent performance evaluation and not under disciplinary action or performance improvement within the previous six months, 2. Grand Ronde Tribal mem- bers 3. Spouse of a Grand Ronde Tribal member or 4. Parent or legal guardian of Grand Ronde Tribal 15 A natural smile Drug-Free Workplace Policy n Effective January 1, 2004, all employees are subject to random drug and/or alcohol testing. n All pre-employment offers. n When there is reasonable suspicion. n Post accident. member children Internal recruitment pro- cess For those individuals meet- ing minimum qualifications an interview will be given in the following ranking order: 1. Grand Ronde Tribal mem- bers a) Qualified Grand Ronde Tribal members who show they meet the minimum qualifications of the position during the course of the in- terview process will be given first consideration for hire and the recruitment process will end. 2. Tribal member spouses, parents and/or legal guard- ians of Grand Ronde Tribal member children and current regular employees. For more information about job positions available, please visit the Tribe's employment page at www.grandronde.org www.gr a ndr ond e. o r g WALK-IN DENTAL APPOI NTMENTS FOR KIDS <6 NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY FOR DENTAL CHECK-UPS FOR KIDS 5 AND UNDER WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE SEEN AT THE TRIBAL CLINIC. JUST COME ON IN! We will check your child’s teeth during any of our clinic hours without an ap- pointment. Dental check-ups are recommended beginning with the first tooth! Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Dental Clinic Phone 503-879-2020 Hours: Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri 8:00—5:00; Thur 9:30-5:30 Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez For another year, a giant smiley face has appeared on the hillside south of Highway 18 between Willamina and Grand Ronde, just west of the Willamina exit. The eyes and mouth are Douglas fir trees and the yellow trees are western larch. The land is owned by Hampton Tree Farms. NAJA condemns repeal of press freedom by OK Tribe By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor The Native American Journalists Association has condemned the Muscogee Creek National Council in Oklahoma, which voted 7-6 on Thursday, Nov. 8, to repeal the Tribe’s three-year-old independent Free Press Act. The new bill, which places the Tribe’s Mvskoke Media under the control of the Tribe’s administra- tion, was signed into law by Prin- cipal Chief James Floyd. “Indigenous journalism plays a critical role in supporting Tribal sovereignty and self-determina- tion,” NAJA said in a press release. “From holding the powerful ac- countable to disseminating stories of cultural significance, a free and independent Indigenous press sup- ports the goals of Tribal Nations by providing an open public forum for community voices. “The Muscogee (Creek) National Council’s actions undermine this role and demean this sacred re- sponsibility. … It is the opinion of NAJA that journalists should be bound by the ethical obligation to seek truth and report it. “We urge citizens of the Mus- cogee (Creek) Nation to contact their representatives and demand that Mvskoke Media be allowed to remain independent.” The deciding vote was cast by Speaker Lucien Tiger, who was the subject of a December 2017 story that accused him of sexually harassing a female colleague. Muskogee District Rep. Pete Beaver said he supported repeal because there was “too much nega- tivity in the newspaper. There just needs to be more positive coverage.” The bill dissolves the Tribe’s Edi- torial Board, which served as a buf- fer between government influence and independent news coverage of the Muscogee Creek National Council. The newspaper will now be supervised by the Secretary of the Nation and Commerce Elijah McIntosh. All material must now be pre-approved before publication. In reaction to the vote, Mvskoke Media Manager Sterling Cosper submitted his resignation. Cosper and the Tribe’s three-member Ed- itorial Board were not consulted regarding the bill and only found out about it less than 10 hours be- fore the meeting. In 2016, the Native American Journalists Association awarded Mvskoke Media the Elias Boudinot Free Press Award for its Free Press Act. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde won the same award in 2017 for its Independent Tribal Press Ordinance. “We are concerned for our col- leagues covering the Muscogee (Creek) Nation,” said Tristan Ahtone (Kiowa), president of the Native American Journalists Asso- ciation. “For more than three years, Tribal leadership has supported a free press and the sudden reversal of this policy is frightening. The Muscogee (Creek) National Coun- cil’s move should serve as a wake-up call to Tribal reporters and Nations that press freedom is an integral Indigenous value that should be defended, preserved and encouraged throughout Indian Country.” “This outlet is a critical component to maintaining public trust,” Cosper said. “There is no other outlet ded- icated to reporting on the activities of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and our independence is paramount to a healthy, vibrant community.” According to a recent survey conducted by NAJA, more than 83 percent of Native American media professionals reported that stories on Tribal government go unreport- ed due to censorship. The Muscogee National Coun- cil’s action reduces the number of newspapers not under the control of their respective governments in Indian Country from six to five. Attorney Kevin Kemper, who helped found NAJA’s legal hotline, attended the meeting and said he could not remember any instances of a Tribe repealing press protections. “I’m extremely concerned that this sets a terrible precedent for the rest of Indian Country,” he said. “I’m from rural Oklahoma. If you put a major improvement on a ranch, you don’t tear it up and throw it up after a couple of years if something doesn’t work right. You fix it. … This is unprecedented.” n Includes information from the Oklahoma City Journal Record.