UA launches Web site geared toward American Indians (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

UA launches Web site geared toward American Indians

Go to the full story: http://wildcat.arizona.edu/home/

Date Posted: Wed, 26 Apr 2006
http://www.arizonanativenet.com/news/newsInfo.cfm?news_item=37

Watching speeches from tribal leaders, connecting through video
conferences and accessing research on American Indians is now made
possible by a new UA sponsored Web site.

ArizonaNativeNet was launched last week and has the goal of connecting
the research and resources available at various academic programs at
the UA with American Indian nations throughout Arizona and the U.S.,
said Robert Williams Jr., a UA law professor and director of the
Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program at the James E. Rogers
College of Law.

The site is also dedicated to nation building and the higher educational
needs of American Indians.

The Web site, arizonanativenet.com, contains breaking news, simulcasts
and videotaped lectures, workshops and conferences, up-to-date
research, and resources on American Indian governance, law, health,
education, language and culture.

The site is targeted to tribal leaders, policymakers, students,
educators and the general public, Williams said.

"It can serve all audiences, from university students to high school
teachers to tribal leaders," he said.

It took more than a year to make the Web site, which was designed by a
team of distinguished faculty, academic professionals, and information
and technology specialists. It was made possible in part by a
congressional grant.

The creation and launch of the site has been a universitywide effort,
Williams said.

Two highly regarded UA Native American academic programs led the effort:
the Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management and Policy and
the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program.

The vice president for Research Native Programs Collaborative, an effort
to improve university services and outreach to American Indian
communities, has provided and contributed to much of the educational
and distance-learning content on the site, Williams said.

The site features a lecture series made up of scholars, experts,
policymakers and tribal leaders brought to the UA by several academic
programs on campus.

The site also features a database that will include information on
grants, research and outreach programs benefiting American Indians.

Louellyn White, an American Indian studies graduate student, begin
working on the site in January and said the best thing about it is that
there will be an abundance of material available in one place.

"Tribal communities are often left behind when it comes to technology,
information and research results," she said. "(The site) will help them
stay informed on the issues that effect their lives."

The digital divide may prevent many on the reservations from being able
to regularly access the site, but Williams said many reservations have
or will soon have such access.

The committee that launched the site is also working on securing grants
to help American Indian nations gain broadband access, Williams said.

"The Internet can be a tool of tribal sovereignty," he said. "It can
bring cutting edge research and information to the reservations."

Although other groups, such as rural communities, are in need of a
similar online resource, the UA decided to target the American Indian
community because UA has a national reputation for research in that
area, Williams said.

So far the Web site has gotten a positive response, with hits coming
from on and off campus.

"It's a great resource up and down. There's really nothing like it
anywhere in the world," Williams said.

Ian Record of the Native Nations Institute agreed the Web site is the
first of it's kind.

He said there were several entities on campus doing proactive work on
American Indian issues, but said the work was not being communicated to
the nations.

"The site addresses the unique challenges and unique circumstances of
Native nations," he said. "Ideally it will be a two way street with
native communities speaking to the university."

Record said the Web site also has a goal of helping to recruit American
Indian students and of improving their retention rates at the UA.

The Web site is still being worked on, and Record said he envisions
American Indian students one day being able to talk to their friends
and family at home via videoconference.

This will help with homesickness because many American Indians find the
university atmosphere to be very different and sometimes overwhelming,
he said.

"We want them to become more comfortable and to not feel so far away
from home," he said.

Another benefit of the videoconferencing would be that tribal leaders
would be able to access the indigenous law faculty in real time, saving
time and money.

Record said the Web site will not just feature UA research and projects
but will have the best research and resources on American Indians
regardless of where it comes from.

"Knowledge will flow both ways," he said. "It'll be a hub for native
people everywhere."