PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:               November 21, 2008
From:              University of North Dakota (UND) Indian Studies Association (ISA) & UND Indian Association (UNDIA)
Re:                  Cancellation of 40th Annual UNDIA Time Out Week and Powwow
Contacts:        B.J. Rainbow, President UNDIA, 701-777-4291
                        Leigh Jeanotte, Director, American Indian Student Services
Amber Annis, President ISA, 701-777-4314
Birgit Hans, Chair, Department of Indian Studies

Grand Forks, ND - - The University of North Dakota (UND) Indian Association (UNDIA) and the UND Indian Studies Association (ISA) announced last night at a UNDIA General Membership meeting that they are cancelling UNDIA’s 40th Annual Time Out Week activities scheduled for spring 2009 - including the powwow held annually on campus for the past 39 years. 
This year’s powwow would have been a special event given the University’s 125th Anniversary, the 40th Annual UNDIA Time Out powwow, and the first major American Indian event of President Robert Kelley’s administration. 
Reasons for the cancellation of this year’s UND Time Out events and powwow were discussed among the executive officers of the student organizations at the UNDIA general membership meeting held at the American Indian Center on campus Wednesday, November 19th at 6:30 p.m.  Approximately 30 American Indian students attended and participated in the meeting. 
The number one reason for the cancellation, according to the group, is the lack of community and institutional support, financial and otherwise, for the annual Time Out events, including the powwow.  Fundraising for these events is a huge challenge. This year’s financial need for hosting the week long Time Out events is approximately $100,000, with $70,000 of that supporting the powwow.  Students had repeatedly been advised to secure stable funding through UND Student Government, and expressed frustration that in spite of efforts over the past several semesters and years to work with Student Government, no stable institutional funding has been identified or secured for these events after nearly 40 years. 
Along with funding challenges, executive board members of UNDIA and ISA, a partner student organization that plans and implements the Time Out week-long educational presentations and activities, discussed other reasons for cancelling 2009 Time Out events.  A general lack of involvement and assistance with everything from planning and fundraising to participation and attendance at events among students, faculty, and administration was cited, along with limited attendance and participation from non-Native members of the campus and Grand Forks community.
The executive members of ISA and UNDIA met with President Kelley on Monday, November 13th to discuss cancellation of this year’s events. President Kelley, expressed his disappointment and sadness over the campus’s temporary loss of such culturally rich and educational events – but assured the students that he would work closely with them and others across campus to insure that if this year’s events are indeed cancelled, the Spring of 2010 UNDIA Annual Time Out Week and Wacipi (powwow) would see far greater institutional support and involvement.
President Kelley, barely into his first semester of administration at UND, demonstrated his interest and respect for the local and regional American Indian communities early on by including an American Indian traditional drum group and speakers in his official inauguration ceremony.  In visiting with the student executive board members of UNDIA and ISA on Monday, he expressed his sincere desire to change the lack of community and institutional support for American Indian cultural and educational Time Out events. 
Aside from the campus community’s loss of these culturally rich events, the cancellation of this year’s Time Out Week and Wacipi will also result in a great revenue loss for the city of Grand Forks, given that previous economic impacts of the powwow and events has been approximately $4 million dollars per year. In past years, the City of Grand Forks has awarded some community events monies to support the UND Indian week events, but this year that amount has been significantly reduced.
Executive members of ISA and UNDIA anticipate that there will be numerous inquiries as to whether or not the Fighting Sioux nickname controversy played a role in the cancellation of this year’s Time Out events.  Students relayed their understanding that the logo issue is an underlying factor that influences everything from funding, to involvement, to community support, but emphasized that the truth of the matter is the lack of funding and involvement from the campus and community. 
Executive board members of UNDIA and ISA expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the support that sustained Time Out events in previous years, support that came from several UND departments, individuals, the City of Grand Forks and local as well as outside businesses and organizations.  Unfortunately, they said, it just wasn’t enough.
The purpose of the UNDIA Time Out week and Wacipi has consistently over the past 39 years been to help educate the community concerning the cultures, traditions, and contemporary issue of the North Dakota’s diverse American Indian tribes. Over 400 American Indian students currently attend UND, which is home to some 29 primarily federally funded Indian related programs.
UND has long stated its institutional strategic plan goal of becoming recognized as national leader in the provision of American Indian higher education.  The cancellation of the 40th UNDIA Annual Time Out week and powwow is a major loss to the campus community and the institution.  It’s an especially painful loss to the American Indian students who attend UND and look forward to the one week per year that acknowledges their contributions to the diversity of the campus. 
Executive board members of UNDIA and ISA are asking for the support and understanding of their campus community concerning this extremely difficult decision. These events bring hundreds of visitors from the regional tribes to the UND campus and Grand Forks community and students would like to see a huge increase in the all around community support and hospitality for these visitors during the 2010 Time Out Week and Wacipi.