PAUR Report

Please Note: The NDHRC distributes a bi-weekly PAUR report to inform our members and friends about news, events, and other human rights related information around the state. The opinions expressed within the articles are those of the authors and are not endorsed by the NDHRC.

New NDHRC members: as a membership benefit you have received an e-mail subscription of our weekly e-mail newsletter, the NDHRC PAUR Report. If you would like to be removed from the PAUR Report mailing list, please send an email to humanrights@ndhrc.org.

Testers are volunteers who receive a small stipend for their expenses. Testers do not try to trap the landlord or cause them to discriminate. The tester’s job is to gather information or to observe how a housing provider treats potential tenants or buyers, much like anyone on a housing search.

Find out how you can help women in the FM Area who run for elective office:

As you know, despite many gains women are still vastly underrepresented in elective office. Women hold only about one-fourth of city council seats in small U.S. cities and approximately one-third in large cities. In 2005, women held 15% of the 535 seats in Congress, one of the lowest percentages of women in a national legislature of any advanced industrialized country. In Minnesota, women held 29.8% of state legislative seats, ranking 12^th in the nation for highest percentage of women state legislators. North Dakota, where only 16.3% of legislators are women, is currently ranked 37^th in the nation.

Women’s Political Action is a non-partisan organization of individuals from the Fargo-Moorhead area working to change the face of political leadership by identifying, recruiting, and supporting progressive women candidates. Women’s Political Action is working to build a database of individuals in our community who are interested in assisting women candidates. This information will be used to help progressive women candidates locate volunteers. A candidate will contact WPA with volunteer needs and they will be mailed out to all people on the listserv. WPA will then follow up with 10-20 people that match up with the candidate’s profile, political race, and issues. We ask that you forward this message on to your group of supporters or anyone you believe may be interested.

If you would like to be included in our database, please click on the link below to fill out our brief survey.

Please forward this to friends who are interested in helping local women run for office!

Mackenzie Taylor, President                             Deb White, Member
Women’s Political Action                                  Women’s Political Action
taylorma@mnstate.edu                                      whitede@mnstate.edu

Minneapolis, MN—As rural populations decline, community leaders across the country find themselves concerned about how to hold on to young residents—and attract young families to rural places. But young people are, in fact, making lives for themselves in rural America—launching new businesses, keeping family farms in production, starting new farms, and becoming involved in their local communities. Moreover, young people in both rural and urban areas are engaging in rural development by participating in farm-to-school programs, community gardens, and exchange programs that give young people a taste of rural lifestyles. Forward-thinking communities are finding new and innovative ways to engage the next generation in building a better future for their original and adopted hometowns.

Consider contributing your story or photo to Youth Renewing the Countryside, a book in progress that will capture the best stories of hope and youth-led renewal in rural America. The book will be produced by young writers and photographers who tell the success stories of young adults crafting rural livelihoods that support themselves, their families, and their communities, and of youth programs that build social capital while strengthening local food systems. The book will form the basis for a national public education campaign about the role of young people in sustaining and revitalizing rural communities.

Renewing the Countryside, a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization, in partnership with the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, is now seeking stories and story ideas, as well as young writers and photographers to be part of the Youth Renewing the Countryside production team this summer. A national committee composed of representatives from farming, youth development, and entrepreneurship networks, along with writers and photographers, will select the stories to be included in the publication and the writers and photographers who will create it. Selected contributors will be paired with professional writers and photographers who will act as mentors throughout the process. Renewing the Countryside will provide modest compensation to writers and photographers for their work.

The deadline for nominating stories, writers, and photographers is June 15, 2006. Submissions and nominations will be reviewed beginning in early June.

Renewing the Countryside is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides support and resources for individuals and communities who are looking for sustainable ways to strengthen their rural communities and reduce poverty. The organization does this by sharing stories of rural renewal, building public awareness of and support for sustainable endeavors, connecting people interested in sustainable rural development to each other, providing practical assistance and networking opportunities for people working to improve rural America, and fostering connections between urban and rural residents.

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(BISMARCK) – The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on a repeal of the nation’s tax on multi?millionaire’s inheritance, possibly this week. Responding to pro-repeal ads in North Dakota that were paid for from out-of-state, several North Dakota groups today provided reasons to keep the tax.

Citing the recent news that 18 super-wealthy families are the primary influence behind the drive to repeal the estate tax (NY Times, 4/29/06), Don Morrison, Executive Director of the North Dakota Progressive Coalition, said, “The ads paid for by these wealthy families are a perfect example of why we need to keep the tax on millionaires’ inheritance. Hardly any North Dakotan could bankroll ads like that. In a democracy, we expect to be able to participate. You shouldn’t have to ante up millions to participate. Repealing the estate tax would only make matters worse.”

The estate tax affects only a tiny fraction of North Dakotans - less than .05 percent – but it accounts for a substantial amount of tax revenue nationally. Currently, no tax is paid on the first $2 million for an individual or $4 million per couple. Repeal of the tax would cost close to $1 trillion in the first 10 years of repeal.

“Many of our ancestors came to this country to escape from aristocracies run by the super wealthy in Europe, Asia, or South America,” Morrison said. “One of the things American democracy put in place was the estate tax so we would not return to how medieval Europe or Chinese dynasties were ruled.”

“We need to ask what kind of country we want?,” Morrison said. “It really is up to us. The goal of these 18 families is not good government.”

The ads for repeal claim that the estate tax “is a vulture of a tax on…the family farm…everything.” However, very few North Dakota farmers actually pay estate taxes or would benefit if it is repealed. The reason is almost all North Dakota farmers are already exempt. The North Dakota Farmers Union has long had policies prepared and approved by its membership that oppose repeal of the estate tax.

Robert Carlson, North Dakota Farmers Union president, said, “Estate taxes are intended to protect economic opportunity for family farmers and small businesses while discouraging excessive concentrations of land and wealth. The best way to encourage the next generation to continue farming is by making it profitable. Congress would be well-advised to spend their efforts in that pursuit, rather than on ill-conceived plans like this one to eliminate estate taxes.”

Also, repealing the estate tax will hurt non-profits by discouraging charitable giving, according to Dana Bohn, Executive Director of the North Dakota Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

“A Congressional Budget Office study in 2004 reported that repeal of the estate tax could decrease charitable giving by $17 billion annually,” Bohn said. “From job training programs to symphonies, charities play a substantial role in communities across the country, and the monetary resources they receive from bequests are crucial to their continued success.”

When the top tax rate was reduced in 2003 from 55 percent to 49 percent, the IRS found an 18.2 percent decline in charitable bequests compared to the previous year, a loss of $3.32 billion dollars.

“From a variety of perspectives,” Morrison said, “the repeal of the estate tax should be opposed. It really is about making sure we live in healthy communities.”

People with Medicare can switch Medicare drug plans by merely choosing and enrolling in a new plan. They are then automatically disenrolled from the first plan. The person needs to contact the first plan to disenroll ONLY if he or she does not want any Medicare drug plan at all. In recent weeks, Medicare has heard that some people with Medicare are disenrolling from their first drug plan. This counts as an enrollment choice. These beneficiaries might have intended to enroll in a different plan, but didn't take this action immediately. When they later tried to enroll in a different drug plan, they weren't able to because they had used their one chance to change their drug plan choice.

Medicare has told drug plans to process enrollments from people with Medicare in this situation. All people with Medicare should know that if they have disenrolled from their first drug plan, they can still enroll in a different drug plan before May 15, 2006.

Q: If an individual enrolls in a Part D plan (using his “Initial Enrollment Period for Part D” opportunity) and subsequently submits a disenrollment to the plan, will the individual have another opportunity to enroll in a different plan?

A: Since November 15, 2005, every Medicare-eligible individual has had an opportunity to join a Part D plan using the initial enrollment period – or "IEP".

In addition to this initial opportunity to elect a plan, individuals have the opportunity to change their election one time after January 1. That is, individuals may either join another Part D plan OR discontinue their Part D enrollment entirely.

To enroll in Part D, individuals enroll in plans that offer Part D. Similarly, individuals who no longer wish to be enrolled in Part D should submit a disenrollment to their plan – disenrollment from a Part D plan equates to disenrolling from the Part D program.

To switch plans with no break in coverage, individuals should simply submit an enrollment request to the new plan he wants to join (unless otherwise directed by the Part D plan). It is not necessary to submit a disenrollment request to the current plan because enrolling in a new plan will automatically cancel enrollment in the current plan. But if the individual submits both a disenrollment request to the current plan and an enrollment request to the new plan with the same effective date, it will simply count as one opportunity.

To discontinue Part D coverage, an individual submits a disenrollment request to the current plan (or 1-800 Medicare) during a valid period, which would be either the annual coordinated election or special enrollment period. This disenrollment will use the individual’s opportunity to make a change.

Individual selects a Part D plan in January 2006, and coverage is effective February 1, 2006. The individual wants to switch to a new plan in May 2006. He does not need to submit a disenrollment; rather he only needs to submit an enrollment in May to the new plan, which will result in an automatic disenrollment from the old plan. The individual will be enrolled in the new plan effective June 1, 2006.

Individual selects a Part D plan in January 2006, and coverage is effective February 1, 2006. The individual submits a disenrollment to the PDP in March 2006, and does NOT submit a corresponding enrollment to another plan during that same month. That individual will be will be disenrolled from the plan effective April 1, 2006. As a result, the individual has used his opportunity to make a change in drug coverage. He normally will have to wait until November 15, 2006 to join a Part D plan.

In recent weeks, we have received reports that some beneficiaries have chosen to disenroll from a plan--which constitutes an enrollment choice--without enrolling in another plan at the same time. To address situations where this occurred, we have instructed plans to accept enrollments from these individuals, even if they had otherwise used up their enrollment opportunities under the mistaken impression that they could later select a different Part D plan.

Bismarck – Recent college graduates led a morning rally today in front of the Bank of North Dakota in downtown Bismarck to protest tuition hikes, student loan cuts, and low wages. Speakers charged the problems amounted to a lack of leadership by state policymakers.

Ryan Gustafson, North Dakota Progressive Coalition Communications Director, said the problems added up to more out-migration.

“For all the wailing and gnashing of teeth about out-migration, our elected leaders talk the talk but don’t walk the walk,” he said. “We’ve seen big tuition increases year after year. The state funds colleges less and less, despite the huge surplus in the state treasury – part of which comes from students paying back their student loans to the Bank of North Dakota. And all this on top of the multi-million dollar disaster ConnectND, which is funded directly by student fees.”

John Edison, who graduated Saturday from the University of North Dakota, encouraged policymakers to focus on solutions.

“It’s not a matter of convincing students to stay,” Edison said. “It’s about creating opportunities so they can stay.”

Edison praised North Dakota as a good place to grow up and learn, but he’s disappointed many of his friends have to leave the state to find higher-paying jobs to afford their student loan payments.

About 25 protestors held signs saying, “Don’t Cut Student Loans to Give Tax Breaks to Millionaires” and “Stop Making It Worse!”

Promoting good jobs with good wages, cutting the interest rate on student loans, and curbing excessive tuition hikes each year are priorities, according to Gustafson.

Protestors used cell phones to call Gov. John Hoeven and ask him to stop supporting tuition hikes, and Sen. Kent Conrad and Rep. Earl Pomeroy to continue supporting “Reverse the Raid on Student Aid,” a bill pending in the U.S. Congress to cut student loan interest rates in half.

The North Dakota Progressive Coalition is a statewide advocacy group focused on social and economic justice.

North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Position On:
Use of School Nicknames, Mascots and Logos at Educational Institutions in North Dakota

UND Fighting Sioux Name Controversy
KFYR-TV - Bismarck, ND, USA
The University of North Dakota`s Fighting Sioux nickname has come under fire from some of the state`s Native Americans, and most recently by the NCAA. ...

Standing Rock Sioux table discussion on UND nickname
Grand Forks Herald - Grand Forks, ND, USA
... Council on Thursday tabled discussion on the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux ... appeals, in large part because they have the support of namesake tribes.

University of North Dakota: Sioux tribes support nickname
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
The University of North Dakota says it now has the backing of both Sioux tribes in the state to continue using its "Fighting Sioux" nickname, though an officer ...

Chowan drops Braves mascot to comply with NCAA ruling
Macon Telegraph - Macon, GA, USA
... NCAA ruling affected 18 schools, including the University of North Dakota, which uses ... won appeals to keep their mascots because of support from Indian tribes.

Help name a mascot
Tulsa Native American Times - Tulsa, OK, USA
... David Gipp, the Lakota president of the United Tribes Technical College, also based in North Dakota, applauded the UND decision. ...

Replace Pacers leadership
Indianapolis Star - United States
... arrogance in dictating how universities may name and use symbols and mascots. ... Any native American who takes umbrage at Chief Illiniwek really is saying "ignore ...

UND should move on
Bismarck Tribune - ND, USA
... of the NCAA that forbids schools with nicknames, logos or mascots deemed to ... system and not some policing organization or by a phoney Native American leader or ...

Replace Pacers leadership
Indianapolis Star - United States
... arrogance in dictating how universities may name and use symbols and mascots. ... Any native American who takes umbrage at Chief Illiniwek really is saying "ignore ...

Changing Identities

Some colleges that haven't replaced American Indian nicknames and mascots feel the heat from the NCAA...UND, also rejected for the second and final time on April 28, could be forced to remodel everything from basketball jerseys to the hockey arena... a school with offending logos and nicknames cannot host championship play and must cover up all images.... Officials at UND, home of the Fighting Sioux since the 1930s, haven't even begun to tally the cost of complying with the new policy...

Boren accidentally signs wrong mascot bill
Tulsa Native American Times - Tulsa, OK, USA
... on to a law that would “provide an educational grant for schools that wish to do away with offensive and derogatory Native American mascots," Choate said. ...

Kupchella: All name options on table
Grand Forks Herald - Grand Forks, ND, USA
... schools have been able to show that they have the support of their namesake tribes. UND hasn't been able to produce clear evidence of North Dakota Sioux tribal ...

Waukee: Pick your mascot
DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines, IA, USA
... to narrow the list of possible mascots from six to ... original decision to shed the American Indian mascot ... we should stay connected to Native American heritage in ...

Special to ESPN.com
ESPN - USA
... at the University of Illinois, which is barred from playing host because of the NCAA's prohibition on the use of certain Native American symbols and mascots. ...

'A Leader in Every Sense of the Word'
Harvard Crimson - Cambridge, MA, USA
... was excited to meet the president of Native Americans at ... I personally do not support these mascots, feeling they ... Leech Lake Ojibwe, and for all American Indians ...

Forum editorial: Extremes dominate logo mess
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... that schools with NCAA approval for American Indian symbols have the full support of the tribes the symbols represent, which is not the case in North Dakota. ...

Schools have advice if UND changes name: Lessons learned
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
If the University of North Dakota decides to change its Fighting ... the process of switching to the new one ... American Indian groups outside of campus said the name ...

Tribe tables UND nickname discussion
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... Council on Thursday tabled discussion on the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux ... s law school in 2004, said UND is “marketing the racism” with its ...

Will Dakota sue for Sioux?
South Bend Tribune - South Bend, IN, USA
... North Dakota president Charles Kupchella was surprised by the rejection after the ... and Central Michigan all used supporting letters from nearby tribes to win ...

NCAA shoots down mascot appeals
UW Badger Herald - Madison, WI, USA
... of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of North Dakota will not ... providing written endorsements from American Indian “namesake” tribes in their ...

NCAA declines Illinois' appeal on Indian mascots; adds Bradley to ...
Belleville News-Democrat - Belleville, IL, USA
... Illinois, the executive committee also rejected appeals by North Dakota and Indiana ... Vernon Bellecourt, president of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports ...

NCAA shoots down mascot appeals
UW Badger Herald - Madison, WI, USA
... “In general, there was concern with schools having Native American mascots,” Kathy Fuller, assistant vice president of university relations at BU, said. ...

Debate Rages on as Chowan University Plans Thursday Announcement ...
U.S. Newswire (press release) - Washington, DC, USA
... and the general public on Thursday, May 4. This announcement comes after an intensive eight-month study of the NCAA mandate on Native American mascots that are ...

University of North Dakota pres says nickname appeal is denied
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
University of North Dakota President Charles Kupchella says the NCAA has denied the ... And there are lots of Native Americans who are opposed to it," Morrison said ...

Reaction mixed about UND nickname appeal
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... David Gipp, president of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, said the tribes in North Dakota are willing to work with the higher education board on a ...

Expert: UND would have tough time battling NCAA in court
Bismarck Tribune - ND, USA
... North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said he believes UND would have a ... the list had clear documented support" of American Indian tribes, Williams said ...

Chief's last dance
Chicago Tribune - United States
... s previous decision to restrict the use of American Indian mascots, imagery and ... symbol portrayed by a student who performs a Native American dance routine at ...

NICKNAME CONTROVERSY: A 'very, very hard case'
Grand Forks Herald - Grand Forks, ND, USA
... if any, of the use of Native American imagery or ... not have any references to Native Americans, and ... a national association, we believe that mascots, nicknames or ...

Name blame by the NCAA just so lame
Tucson Citizen - Tucson, AZ, USA
... University of Pennsylvania to continue using Indian nicknames and mascots. ... The NCAA stiff-armed Bradley into removing "all Native American imagery," keeping ...

UND has three options on how to proceed on the NCAA Fighting Sioux nickname and logo issue, UND President Charles Kupchella told the University Council on Monday, including litigation and changing the name.

Our view:: Rather than suing the NCAA, UND should continue to seek a verdict in the 'higher' court on this issue: The tribal councils of the Sioux Nation in North Dakota.

There is a path of dignity and respect that UND could take at this pivotal point in the nickname debate.

It's a path that could lead to the university keeping its Fighting Sioux nickname, in a way that would honor both sides of the quarrel. Or, it could lead to UND changing that nickname - but again, in a way that
would honor both sides.

In bringing the university to one of these destinations, the path also could help generate something rare on this issue: consensus - not full consensus, but likely a stronger, more solid and better grounded consensus than exists today.

The path points in the direction of the tribal councils of the Spirit Lake Sioux and Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota.

Here is how it proceeds.

UND first announces that it will not challenge the National Collegiate Athletic Association in court. Instead, the university says it will spend a specified period of time - say, two or three years - courting the tribal councils in an effort to win their support for the nickname.

If the councils still withhold their full support at the end of that time, then UND will change its nickname, the university would declare.

But if the councils give the nickname their formal blessing, then UND's athletic teams will remain the Fighting Sioux.

This path gives the Sioux tribal councils the authority to accept or reject the Fighting Sioux nickname. That's where the authority belongs, as key observers have noted from the start.

At some point in the early decades of the nickname, Standing Rock Sioux representatives approved of it, nickname supporters say. Supporters have long pointed to this approval as a key source of UND's moral authority to use the nickname.

In the 1980s, UND's then-President Tom Clifford said he'd favor changing the nickname if the leaders of the Sioux Nation said they desired it. In the 1990s, then-President Ken Baker visited with tribal leaders to gauge
their feelings, but said he came away with mixed messages.

In late 1999, UND President Charles Kupchella sent e-mails to state Board of Higher Education members, saying that a lengthy study by the university left him leaning toward changing the name. The tribes'
by-then disapproval proved to be the one obstacle that nickname supporters couldn't surmount: "I see no choice but to respect the request by Sioux tribes that we quit using their name," Kupchella wrote
in one message. "To do otherwise would put the university and its president in an untenable position."

A few weeks later, of course, the board voted to keep the nickname and took the choice out of the president's hands.

In Florida, meanwhile, tribal support proved to be one obstacle that nickname opponents couldn't surmount. Florida State University, nicknamed the Seminoles, has long retained the formal support of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. This support undercuts anti-nickname arguments in Florida almost completely.

That's because tribal council support matters in ways that polls and other measures of American Indians' opinions don't. Tribal councils are the duly elected representatives of a tribe. The council - not the
latest opinion poll - speaks for the tribe, for the council members are accountable to voters in a way that Americans know and respect.

Thus, the tribal councils' support is the hinge around which this entire debate swings.

And the NCAA was smart to recognize it.

NCAA officials strongly disapprove of tribal nicknames in general. But faced with Florida State's documented support from the Seminole tribe, the NCAA quickly yielded and let the FSU nickname stand.

Conversely, the NCAA ruled against UND's nickname because the school lacks that unambiguous tribal support. These twin rulings leave nickname foes and supporters sputtering because the rulings are inarguable.

You can't credibly claim that FSU's Seminole nickname is racist if the Seminole Tribe of Florida supports it. Likewise, you can't credibly claim that UND's Fighting Sioux nickname is legitimate if Sioux tribal leaders in North Dakota say it's not.

Some people say UND should change the nickname today in the wake of the NCAA's latest ruling. We think that action would permanently infuriate large numbers of nickname supporters, by bowing to "political
correctness" and robbing them of a chance to fight and win in court.

Conversely, some say UND should go all out and sue the NCAA. But that would open UND (and North Dakota) to nationwide hostility and charges of "racism" and the like. Moreover, a victory in court still would leave UND without the approval that's at the heart of it all: the approval of the tribal councils of the North Dakota Sioux.

And so, the arguing would go on and on.

Let Gov. John Hoeven and U.S. Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, as well as Kupchella and other state leaders, approach the tribes with humility and formally ask for the councils' OK. Let them explain to the
councils what the nickname means to the state, and seek to understand what it means to the tribes.

And let these state leaders say in no uncertain terms what UND should have declared long ago: that the university will abide by the councils' wishes as regards the nickname, "Fighting Sioux."

There's a way to decide on a best course of action, a saying in Indian Country holds. A person should ask, "Does this path have a heart?" If it does, it's a good path. If it doesn't, then it's not.

Soliciting the support of the Sioux Nation's tribal councils is a path with a heart. That's the way to keep the name with dignity or yield it with honor intact. That's the way to build statewide consensus and
national respect.

That's the way the university and North Dakota should proceed.

NCAA Rejects Mascot Appeals From 3 Universities

The National Collegiate Athletic Association denied final appeals on Friday from three universities seeking to continue using American Indian mascots and nicknames that the association has deemed to be "hostile and abusive."

The ruling, by the NCAA's Executive Committee, means that Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of North Dakota will not be allowed to serve as hosts for NCAA postseason tournaments unless they drop their American Indian mascots and team nicknames.

One other institution, Bradley University, won its appeal with the NCAA. Bradley dropped its Indian mascot and logos more than a decade ago and uses its "Braves" moniker generically.

Last August, after a five-year review of Indian mascots, the NCAA ordered 18 colleges to stop using American Indian nicknames during postseason competition. After Friday's ruling, seven colleges remain on a list of institutions that are banned from serving as hosts for postseason games because they have not changed their nicknames (The Chronicle, August 5, 2005).

Since last fall, the NCAA has removed 11 colleges from the list. Some institutions, including Central Michigan University, Florida State University, and the University of Utah, were taken off after they provided the NCAA with written endorsements from American Indian tribes in their states.

In written statements released on Friday, officials from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of North Dakota criticized the NCAA's decision. Both universities are considering legal action against the NCAA to keep their names without penalty.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania officials said in a written statement that they would examine whether they should keep their university's nickname, the "Indians."

Illinois officials said that a ban on holding NCAA postseason events would put Illini athletics programs at a competitive disadvantage and could prevent the university from being able to recruit the best athletes and coaches.

The ruling could have an immediate impact on Illinois's athletics program. The Illini men's tennis team, ranked among the nation's top 10 programs, was expected to be host for early rounds of the NCAA tournament beginning this month. Now the team may not be able to play postseason home matches.

Last fall Illinois officials won an appeal from the NCAA to keep using the university's "Illini" and "Fighting Illini" nicknames. The latest appeal involved its Chief Illiniwek mascot, which NCAA officials still consider hostile and abusive.

The NCAA denied North Dakota's appeal to keep using its "Fighting Sioux" nickname after hearing from a Sioux leader last week who said his tribe opposed the university's use of its name.

Charles E. Kupchella, president of the University of North Dakota, said in the written statement released on Friday that he was "baffled" by the NCAA's "arbitrary and capricious" ruling. He said the university plans to consider "legal and other options" with the state's board of higher education and North Dakota's attorney general.

North Dakota, which traditionally has one of the best hockey programs in the country, often is host for NCAA tournament games in its $100-million Ralph Engelstad Arena.

The facility has thousands of images of the university's Fighting Sioux logo emblazoned on the walls and on the gymnasium floor. To hold NCAA postseason games there now, the university must change its nickname and cover up those images.

Myles Brand, the NCAA's president, said at a news conference on Friday that the rulings were final. Asked how the NCAA's rulings would hold up if they were challenged in court, he said that the association "feels very confident in its position and will defend it to the utmost."

The colleges that remain on the NCAA's banned list are permitted to keep using their American Indian nicknames and mascots during regular-season play.

###########################

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council on Thursday tabled discussion on the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux nickname, but not before two leading tribal officers called for each other's removal.

School offers new endowment for American Indians

The UND Foundation announced Thursday the establishment of The Sioux Scholarship Endowment. The endowment exceeds $1 million, donated by several anonymous donors, and will provide scholarships to American Indian students of Sioux heritage to attend UND. It is the fifth-largest scholarship endowment at UND and ranks in the top 12 out of nearly 900 UND Foundation endowments. Starting this fall, $40,000 in scholarships will be awarded each year.

Lawmakers introduce bill to limit NCAA authority

Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., said Friday he doesn't think Congress needs to get involved in the dispute between the NCAA and universities that want to keep their American Indian team nicknames.

AG explores possible options against NCAA

The Forum - Fargo, ND, USA
North Dakota’s attorney general wants to do more research before deciding whether he’ll recommend legal action against the NCAA.

Wayne Stenehjem met with University of North Dakota President Charles Kupchella and others Friday to discuss the NCAA’s ruling against the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

Stenehjem said he wants to explore all legal options and bring any recommendations before the state Board of Higher Education as early as the June 15 meeting.

North Dakota University System Chancellor Robert Potts, who also participated in Friday’s meeting, said the board will need to approve any potential legal action...

John W. Johnson letter: State neglects its human needs
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... The care for the elderly and those with disabilities is a prime example ... North Dakota’s answer is, and has been, to institutionalize that population whether in ...

Documentary looks at Chippewa artist’s painful journey
Native Times - USA
... care, you are faced with a totally different life with your disabilities. ... LaFountain, who is Chippewa from Belcourt, North Dakota, agrees that the medical ...

Overcoming barriers
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND ,USA
Few people believed John Aaker would go to college. Even fewer believed the student with physical and learning disabilities would ever graduate. ...

Courage Center Seeks Applications for Judd Jacobson Memorial Award
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco, CA, USA
... nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center for people with disabilities, is seeking ... age and reside in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa or North or South Dakota. ...

SJ man leads wheelchair rugby team to title
Cherry Hill Courier Post - Cherry Hill, NJ, USA
... teams in the country were in North Dakota and Minnesota ... Pa., attended high school in North Jersey, and ... which is played by individuals with disabilities in both ...

INSIDE BUSINESS
Grand Forks Herald - Grand Forks, ND, USA
... UND. Kathy Cvancara of Grand Forks has joined the North Dakota Association for the Disabled as an accounting assistant. Cvancara ...

LOCAL UPDATE
Grand Forks Herald - Grand Forks, ND, USA
... citizens and disabled persons may be able to receive a tax refund for part of the money they paid as rent last year, according to North Dakota Tax Commissioner ...

Disabled Veterans State Convention Set
Yankton Daily Press - Yankton ,SD, USA
... FALLS-- Members of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV ... National Auxiliary Commander Judy M. Steinhouse of North Dakota. Election of new DAV state-level officers ...

Options for Prescription Drug Assistance
KFYR-TV - Bismarck, ND, USA
... qualifies for the government`s new Medicare drug coverage program. But there are other programs that say they may be able to help out. North Dakota`s Insurance ...

AARP Reacts To Medicare and Social Security Trustees' Reports

Washington, DC - AARP Policy Director John Rother said the following about the 2006 Medicare and Social Security Trustees' Reports:

Like a good forecast, the purpose of the trustees' reports is to give the nation time to prepare. Today's report on Social Security should reassure Americans approaching retirement that this system remains strong. The Trustees' Medicare report signals an even greater need to bring system-wide health care spending under control.

The trustees' report on Social Security underscores the fundamental truth that Social Security can pay full benefits well into the boomers' retirement years and about 70 percent thereafter. As the trustees remind us, the fact that Social Security is solvent until 2040 gives us the opportunity to get serious about strengthening Social Security for the future.

We need to work together to honor that commitment and we should start by putting aside polarizing ideas that won't work. Private accounts that take money out of Social Security remain a bad idea that most Americans oppose. They drain money out of Social Security, cut benefits and pass the bill to future
generations.

A secure retirement demands four strong pillars: pensions/savings, access to healthcare coverage, the ability to work and Social Security. Recent news about the first two has been grim and underscores the importance of maintaining the critical features of Social Security, the one benefit that Americans can count on in retirement. Future generations deserve a Social Security program that ensures that benefits
remain adequate and secure.

The fourth pillar - affordable health insurance protection - has become central to retirement security. The Trustees' findings that the Part A Trust Fund will become insolvent two years sooner than reported last year is due - in large part - to greater spending for hospital care. But underlying the
report's findings is the unsustainable growth of health care costs throughout the system. Costs that are rising unabated are impacting Medicare as well as other public and private health insurance programs. Congress should heed the early warning signal of the Trustees' report and begin to take action on broader reforms of the nation's healthcare system.

US: Florida Medicaid cuts target food for disabled children

...In a despicable and callous act, Florida Medicaid officials have begun denying funding for special liquid food formulas used by some children suffering from HIV/AIDS, undergoing dialysis, or living with severe physical disabilities...

Gyle Peterson letter: North Dakota will lose a good citizen
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... fights for human rights, not just for himself, but for many others as well. Sadly, however, this man will not be missed by the state of North Dakota, because ...

In Focus Janet Daley
Humanities Magazine - Washington, DC, USA
... schoolers who are required to take North Dakota history in ... such as "European War Worries North Dakotans Most ... when the building of the Garrison Dam flooded many ...

Deep inside Kansas cave, counting up what Indians are owed
Grand Forks Herald - Grand Forks, ND ,USA
... fifth of the nation's 2.5 million Native Americans who live ... with the Boulder, Colo.-based Native American Rights ... In North Dakota, a lead attorney in the Cobell ...

Furor Over the "Colored Mind Doubles
CounterPunch - Petrolia, CA, USA
... passengers from the Phoenix airport, complained about Native Americans operating casinos ... invited to speak there, Grand Forks, North Dakota, Missoula, Montana ...

Longtime health care provider awaits kidney
Minot Daily News - Minot, ND, USA
... She knew it was time to go home to North Dakota. ... Three times a week, Gillette has dialysis at the Three Affiliated Tribes Kidney Dialysis Unit west of New Town ...

Senate bill prompts rush for off-reservation casinos
Bismarck Tribune - ND, USA
... casinos have boomed, tribes have looked beyond their borders for better locations. One of the pending applications is from North Dakota's Turtle Mountain Band ...

UTTC grad is grateful to Navy
Bismarck Tribune - ND, USA
... It's why he chose United Tribes over college someplace warmer. He went from being stationed in Honolulu to coming home to North Dakota when he prefers a warmer ...

Tribes, states push for resource fees
Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow, UK
... of 11 states and eight tribes, are lobbying the MMS to do a better job. Dennis Roller, vice chairman of the royalty committee and a North Dakota state auditor ...

Federal grant to make leaders
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... They will graduate in August with master’s degrees from the University of North Dakota, under a partnership between UND and United Tribes Technical College ...

Free Youth Summer Art Camp in Glendale
About - Cities & Towns - New York, NY, USA
... Figures have been used in many cultures and tribes throughout history for role ... Puetz, a Minnesota native, graduated from the University of North Dakota with a ...

Judicial center key element to Wakpa Sica
The Capital Journal - Pierre, SD, USA
... to the reconciliation place project, WSHS went to the 11 tribes of the ... professors from the University of South Dakota and University of North Dakota Schools of ...

Hearings set on wolf status
Marquette Mining Journal - Marquette, MI, USA
... entrust management of the species to state wildlife agencies and Indian tribes. ... Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota ...

Capturing a memory
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... writing development among the new American population generally ... from a class at North Dakota State University ... on sunnier topics: traditional African food, dance ...

Indiana businessman accused of transporting illegal immigrants
WISH - Indianapolis, IN, USA
... of an Indiana company accused of transporting and hiring illegal immigrants says he plans to plead not guilty when he's arraigned in Fargo, North Dakota, today ...

Indiana man faces charges regarding illegal aliens
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... The case marks North Dakota’s second prosecution of an employer for hiring ... from a human trafficking ring that brought Mexican workers to Asian restaurants in ...

Judge orders evaluation for man charged in immigrant scheme
WOOD-TV - Grand Rapids, MI, USA
FARGO, ND A mental health evaluation has been ordered for a man accused of hiring illegal immigrants to work in North Dakota, Michigan and other states. ...

Fight leads police to human trafficking scheme
WTHR - Indianapolis, IN, USA
... man is also in trouble with the law for hiring illegal immigrants to work in several midwest states. Thursday morning, a Fargo, North Dakota judge ordered a ...

NORTH DAKOTA ROUNDUP
Grand Forks Herald - Grand Forks, ND, USA
... illegal immigrants to reduce labor costs, prosecutors said. He allegedly had construction sites in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South ...

Going back to Vietnam
Bismarck Tribune - ND, USA
... Halvorson said he never realized until Fried told him on the trip was that, growing up Asian in North Dakota, she had heard name-calling directed at her. ...

Hearing becomes heated
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... During debate about moving the trial to Minneapolis, defense attorney Richard Ney said survey results show an overwhelming bias against Rodriguez and more than ...

Growing Healthcare Partnership Brings National Bus Tour to Fargo
Yahoo! News (press release) - USA
... We will keep coming back to North Dakota as long as there are ... Academy of Family Physicians, Easter Seals, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, National Urban ...

ND delegation say proposals flawed
Bismarck Tribune - ND, USA
... Although they are open to citizenship for some illegal aliens, none of North Dakota's congressional delegation would say how many immigrants the United States ...

Young refugees in Fargo use literacy program to recall the past
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo ,ND, USA
... need for language development and writing development among the new American population generally ... The North Dakota Council on the Arts gave money to support the ...

Refugee research presentation set
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... be in the North Dakota State University Alumni Center. The presentation culminates a collaborative project looking at the African woman refugee population in ...

Money not a cure for California's lousy graduation rates
The Argus - Fremont, CA, USA
... Graduation rates for African American (55 percent) and Latino youngsters (53 percent) were substantially below average, and girls of all races ... 4 North Dakota. ...

Welcome center for immigrant students backed
The Forum - Fargo, ND, USA
The Fargo School District hopes to ease the transition of immigrant students into American culture by opening a welcoming center within one year.

School officials embraced the idea of a pilot center on a recommendation from two evaluators who assessed the district’s English Language Learner program in early April.

Betty Ansin Smallwood and Dennis Terdy of the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, D.C., spent three days interviewing students, teachers and administrators at schools with a high population of ELL students.

Graciela and Miguel Balderas, who live in Moorhead with their three children, face their own immigration policy crisis.

Miguel, born in Texas, is a U.S. citizen. So are their three children. But Graciela, a native of Mexico without proper documentation, faces deportation.

The Balderases were two of the more than 100 faces at the “Day Without Immigrants” rally Monday spanning the Main Avenue bridge between Fargo and Moorhead.

Miguel, one of the speakers at the rally, denounced a bill pending in the U.S. House that would make it a felony to be an illegal alien – and a crime to assist an undocumented immigrant.

Magic Johnson Enterprises Launches Minority Focused, Home-Based ...
PR Newswire (press release) - New York, NY, USA
... private-label packages for American Airlines Vacations. ... Washington, Virginia, Maryland, New York, Rhode ... Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota or South ...

DSU holds Commencement exercises
Dickinson State University - ND, United States
... “You have learned to value diversity and global ... The group has been in North Dakota for approximately a week as part of a cultural exchange program between ...

The Fair Housing of the Dakotas (FHD) has assisted a number of North and South Dakotans in filing fair housing complaints this year. A brief description of the most recently filed complaints follows:

In January, the FHD assisted a Fargo, ND resident and filed a complaint alleging discrimination due to disability by a Fargo, ND housing provider. The complaint alleged that reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities who needed service animals were being denied. The FHD conducted an investigation which supported the allegation. Pending.

In January, the FHD assisted a Bismarck, ND family and filed a complaint alleging discrimination due to disability by a Bismarck, ND housing provider. The complaint alleged that reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities who needed service animals were being denied. The family had an autistic child whose doctor had recommended a service animal. The FHD conducted an investigation which supported the allegation. Pending.

In April, the FHD assisted a West Fargo, ND resident in filing a housing discrimination complaint when she was denied a reasonable accommodation within the housing assistance program. Pending.

In April, the FHD filed a complaint alleging discrimination due to the denial of rental to families with children by a Grand Forks, ND housing provider who was advertising “PERFECT for single”. The FHD conducted an investigation which supported the allegation and filed a complaint. Pending.

In April, the FHD filed a complaint alleging discrimination due to the denial of rental to families with children by a Sturgis, SD housing provider who was advertising “suitable for single”. The FHD conducted an investigation which supported the allegation and filed a complaint. Pending.

In April, the FHD filed a complaint alleging discrimination due to the denial of rental to families with children by a Grand Forks, ND housing provider who was advertising “OLDER RESIDENTS Required”. The FHD conducted an investigation which supported the allegation and filed a complaint. Pending.

Washington gay marriage ruling looms
Stateline.org - Washington, DC, USA
... Gay rights advocates are concerned that some broadly ... Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma ... for a ban on civil unions or ...

Hate crimes measure dies in US Senate
Sovo.com - Southern, USA
WASHINGTON—A bill that would have authorized the federal government to prosecute hate crimes against gay people died in the Senate on May 4 after Democrats ...

Forum editorial: Big brother has your phone calls
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... Only Qwest (the company that serves most of North Dakota and Minnesota ... safeguards that are enshrined in the Bill of Rights. ... Civil libertarians should rise up. ...

House Dems say rights violated: Counter campaign
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo, ND, USA
... Bush and other administration officials, claiming their civil rights were violated ... say they’ll counter an ad campaign targeting North Dakota’s senators ...

Why Perth is booming
Los Angeles Times - CA, USA
... Perth, long dismissed as cultural backwaters but ... unlikely places as Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico ... Center, growing economic diversity, immigrant businesses ...

Report Shows Prevalence of Hate Crimes against Homeless
Civilrights.org - Washington, DC, USA
... According to a report by the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), hate crimes against homeless people led to the deaths of 13 homeless people in 2005. ...

Balancing the right to know
Wahpeton Daily News - Wahpeton, ND, USA
... have driven some of the new laws, there ... of Finance/Auditor Harris Bailey said North Dakota basically mirrors ... The American's Freedom of Information Act provides ...

Teacher quality left behind by states
Aberdeen American News - Aberdeen, SD, USA
... states, the department found that 29 states, including South Dakota and North Dakota, have made ... category they are in, all the states must submit a new plan of ...

...A federal magistrate has ordered the Fargo School District to disclose the names of elementary students who have been required to sit in a closet...part of a lawsuit filed against the district by a student and his parents who allege the boy was forced to sit in a closet... school district must provide the boy's attorneys with the name of other students allegedly treated in the same manner over the past five years, along with the names of teachers involved.

...The furthest thing from the minds of many of our elected officials, however, is how to make college affordable and make it possible for young people to stay in North Dakota after graduating...North Dakota’s average wage is about $28,000… but the average debt carried by a college graduate is $23,000.

Wednesday, May 17th, 6:30 pm at Ruger Park in Devils Lake. Help Celebrate National Women’s Health Week.

Meet and Greet Fargo Mayoral Candidates May 17th

              NonProfit
          "Meet and Greet"

     * Fargo Mayoral Candidates *

Sponsored By Waking the Sleeping Giant

   Meet the Fargo Mayoral Candidates
        *Wednesday,   May 17th
         *11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

      YWCA Shelter Community Room
   3000 S. University Drive, Fargo, ND

      Come! Ask questions! Hear
the Candidates' positions on Issues
    that affect NonProfits and the
            whole community!

For More Information, call 218-236-5434

Community Action Partners will hold a workshop Wed May 17^th 2005, Beck Auditorium, Kleinfelter Hall at Dickinson State University. Topics will include alcohol, violence, suicide, meth and sexuality. Register online at www.ProjectACEnd.com or call 800-359-2243

2006 Clinical Forum on Mental Health: Turning Knowledge Into Practice- May 17 & 18, 2006
Pre-Conference, May 16 Seven Seas Inn - Mandan, ND. For more information or to register, please visit: http://www.conted.und.edu/clinicalforum/

“Miles for Mental Health”, Mental health awareness walk and picnic will be held on Saturday, May 20^th, 2006 at 4:00pm, Lindenwood Park, Fargo ND. The Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health and the Mental Health Association North Dakota invite you to participate in this fund raising event. Sponsors and walkers are needed!! Prizes will be awarded to those collecting the most money in pledges. For more information call 701 237-5871 or 701 235-9923.

Lose the Training Wheels Camp in Dickinson, North Dakota. The camp will be held from May 22^nd – 26^th. Each child will attend the camp for 75 minutes each day. The session times are listed below. The camp will be held at the Dickinson Rec Center. The fee per child is $35.00. We must receive the registration fee with the application in order to accept the application. Applicants will be accepted on a first come basis along with eligibility criteria. If you have any questions, you can call Missi at 290-8711 or e-mail at celebrate@ctctel.com. Visit www.losethetrainingwheels.org for more information!

Building Partnerships for Improved Access to Health Care-sponsored by the South Valley Access to Health Care Coalition June 1, 2006 in Fargo North Dakota at the Fargo Dome 1800 North University Drive, Fargo North Dakota. Register online by May 24^th at www.cityoffargo.com/health/summit/register.html or call 701-241-1361

Music Classes for Children with Special Needs-Music is entwined in our culture and is a natural part of everyone’s life. Children with disabilities may not have the same opportunities as their peers to participate in structured music classes or lessons for a variety of reasons. A series of music classes, conducted by a professional, board certified music therapist, can reinforce goals of the individual treatment plans and introduce the participant to a healthy, productive form of activity. Event: Summer Music classes for children, Infants - Grade 12, Dates: Session #1 (June 6 - 15), Session #2 (June 20 - 29); Frequency: 4 classes, 2 per week; Cost: $48 per child; Location: 1104 2^nd Avenue South, Fargo Contact: Sara Beck, MT-BC at 866-2814 or sarabeck_mt@yahoo.com for more information and registration forms.

West River Conference of Social Welfare, June 8^th and 9^th in Medora North Dakota. All attendees pre-registered by May 19, 2006 will be eligible for a door prize to be given away at the opening session of the conference. Make checks payable to WRCSW, c/o Patsy Maus, GV/Billings Multi Co. Social Service, PO Box 279, Beach, ND 58621-0279, E-Mail 17maup@state.nd.us

People Escaping Poverty Project (PEPP) is celebrating it's 20th year as a onprofit. PEPP is hosting a 20th Year Birthday Party on June 10, 2006 in Moorhead's Romkey Park. We are planning an event filled with family fun, music, Tie Dye, games for children and multi-ethnic food. For the past four years, PEPP has done a similar summer festival as a fundraiser and this year the PEPP Board has decided to hold a free celebration for the entire community to attend. The event will run from 4 PM to 8 PM.

If you want to volunteer for PEPP Fest, join us soon, time is not on our side! The PEPP FEST Planning Committee meets Thursday, May 11th 5:30 PM at the PEPP Building.