News

TL’aneq fundraiser brings in $98,000 for NWIC

TL’aneq, Northwest Indian College’s (NWIC) biggest fundraiser of the year was held on April 28. The event, which included a silent and live auction, raised about $98,000.

The money will be used to match a $500,000 award from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the college’s new Coast Salish Institute, which will cost $3.6 million. 

“TL'aneq is a wonderful mix of Coast Salish traditions and NWIC fundraising,” NWIC President Cheryl Crazy Bull said. “It is an opportunity for Natives and our friends and supporters to celebrate and bring resources to our students. We call witnesses from the participants who honor us by sharing what they observe with others across the country. We have welcome songs and a song of thanks for the work that is done during the evening to raise funds for our cultural education. ” 

Explore Your Future at the NWIC-NOAA Career Fair

Whether you're a high school student trying to decide your next move, or a college student considering graduate school, you won't want to miss this year's NWIC-NOAA Career Fair.

The career fair is a chance to meet potential employers, explore career options, get the inside scoop from graduate school representative and to get inspired.

Northwest Indian College (NWIC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have teamed up to present representatives from Seattle University School of Law, U.S. Department of State, BP Cherry Point Refinery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, North Cascades Institute and NOAA's National Ocean Service, to name only a few (a full list of exhibitors can be found below).

The event will also include several inspiring speakers, including Q'orianka Kilcher and Temryss Lane.

Hollywood star, human rights advocate to speak at NWIC

Actress and human rights and environmental activist Q'orianka Kilcher will speak on Northwest Indian College's main campus on April 24 at 10 a.m. in the Cultural Arts Center (Building 7) as part of the NWIC-NOAA Career Fair. The presentation is free and open to everyone.

Kilcher, who is of Quechua-Huachipaeri decent, stared as Pocahontas in the 2005 film, "The New World" when she was 14 years old. In addition to acting, she is also known for her commitment to human rights and the environment. She frequently speaks about these topics and has been a featured speaker for organizations such as Amazon Watch, Amnesty International and the United Nations.

Kilcher isn't your typical young Hollywood star, said Steve Pavlik, NWIC Native American Studies instructor. She has devoted her life to environmental and human rights activism.

Living with AIDS, educating our communities

In 1993, when Shana Cozad was 21 years old, she was a pre-med student with a 4.0 GPA, had a baby son and her second boyfriend ever, who was also her second sexual partner ever.

Her boyfriend was someone she knew she could take home to her parents. He was a young man in a master’s program at her school and appeared to have his life put together. Still, Cozad asked the right questions about his sexual history: whether he had been tested for sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. He told her he was clean.

He stuck with that claim throughout their relationship, until the day she broke up with him. That’s when he revealed his secret.

“Well guess what,” he said. “I have AIDS and now so do you.”

Donate cell phones at NWIC to support victims of domestic violence

Do you have an old cell phone that's collecting dust? Verizon Wireless is conducting a national campaign to collect those old phones to help victims of domestic violence. Drop boxes have been set up across Northwest Indian College's Lummi campus.

Verizon will reprogram each phone with 3,000 minutes and phone numbers for 911 and the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The company will then distribute the phones to domestic violence organizations to pass on to victims who need phones for their safety.

Collection boxes are located in the Center for Student Success (Building 17), outside the Indigenous Service Learning Office (Building 10) and in the lobby of the Administration Building (Building 1).

Secretary of State to honor NWIC students

Secretary of State Sam Reed will honor 13 Northwest Indian College students during a service recognition event April 18.

The event is part of Reed’s annual statewide tour of colleges, which will begin April 9 and include 45 campuses. It will be the largest number of schools he has visited since the springtime tradition began in 2006. Reed toured 40 campuses last year.

The following students will be honored during the April 18 event, which will take place on the college’s main campus:

Event brings together weavers from across the country

Master Weaver Ethyl Warbus teaches a student at a previous Weavers Teaching Weavers gathering, an annual conference organized by Northwest Indian College that helps preserve the art of weaving. Photo by Maxine Stremler
Northwest Indian College’s (NWIC) annual Weavers Teaching Weavers conference will take place April 12 and 13 on the college’s main campus, and will be followed by a Native art market on April 14 at the Whatcom Museum, which will feature several Master Weavers from the conference.

The Weavers Teaching Weavers conference helps to preserve the art of weaving by providing a venue where apprentice weavers can learn from Master Weavers, said Susan Given-Seymour, director of Northwest Indian College’s Cooperative Extension Department, which organizes the conference. Last year, 139 people representing 29 tribes participated.

Artist and activist John Trudell to speak at NWIC

On April 25, poet, musician and human rights and environmental activist John Trudell will speak on Northwest Indian College’s (NWIC) Lummi campus.

Trudell, who is Santee Sioux, is also known for his roles in the films “Thunderheart,” “Smoke Signals” and “On Deadly Ground.” He will speak twice at NWIC: first at 1 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. Both talks will be held in the Log Building and are free and open to the public. Before his evening talk, Trudell will be available at a meet and greet starting at 6 p.m.

NWIC men win AIHEC national basketball championship

Northwest Indian College Eagles beat the Salish Kootenai College Bison 99-83 to win the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) national basketball championship in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Eagles had lost to the Bison in the past two AIHEC championship games. On March 25, Northwest Indian College (NWIC) Eagles won their first ever championship title at the 2012 American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) national basketball championship in Rapid City, South Dakota.

In their final game, the Eagles faced the Salish Kootenai College Bison from Montana. This was a big game for the Eagles, who had lost to the Bison in the past two AIHEC championship games – in 2010 by six points and in 2011 by four.

This year, though, the Eagles took the championship title, beating the Bison 99-83.

NWIC hosts open mic Friday

Are you the next American Idol, or maybe you have a poem, joke or magic trick to share? No matter what your talent is or how good you are, you are invited to perform at Northwest Indian College (NWIC).

NWIC’s Pow Wow Committee will host an open mic on Friday, March 16 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Log Building on main campus. The event is free and open to everyone. Coffee, water and finger foods will be available.