DENVER FEDERAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

6760 E. Irvington Place, Denver CO 80279-8000

Phone: (303) 676-7009 FAX: (303) 676-6666

Website: http://www.denver.feb.gov

Alex welcomed the AIPC to HCFA and was impressed with the AIPC agenda and its work with the American Indian community. He mentioned that HCFA administers Medicare & Medicaid which services a high number of American Indians. He said that the AIPC plays a major collaborative role. He said that the AIPC was always welcome to hold its meetings at HCFA and ensured that the AIPC representative (Jim Lyon) would continue to play an active role in the AIPC.

Sadie gave a overview of MOU 2000. MOU 2000 is a memorandum of understanding among Federal agencies working on Tribal environmental issues within the EPA Region 8 geographical area. It was established because the Tribes (Oglala Sioux, Blackfeet, Wind River, Turtle Mountain, Yankton Sioux, Ute Mountain, Ute Indian and Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes of Ft.Peck) saw the need for Federal agency collaboration so that duplication would not take place in regards to American Indian issues. Proposed projects go to the Operating Committee which is comprised of 10 Tribal Environmental Directors elected to represent 27 tribes.

Evy mentioned that the best advice to give individuals seeking Federal employment is to have them visit the USAJobs website at www.usajobs.opm.gov. The website is updated every business day with more than 12,000 worldwide job opportunities. All Federal agencies are required to post competitive positions on the website. Although Excepted agencies are not required to post jobs, more are doing so because it is the main outreach tool for Federal employment. Evy also said that most positions are advertised for both status and non-status candidates. She said that the trend to use the internet to post jobs is not going to end and more and more agencies are also requesting that applicants apply on-line. There are no longer any service centers and no person to person help at OPM. Sending individuals to the OPM office is doing a disservice to applicants. If individuals do not have a computer, most public libraries have computers for use and State Employment Service Offices also have information available. The website contains information on student opportunities, veterans preference information, how federal jobs are filled and so on.

Evy was invited because many of the AIPC members are not in the EEO or Human Resources field, but do help with AIPC outreach activities such as the March Pow Wow, AISES Region 3 conference and other student job fairs.

ACTION: Based on the numerous questions at the meeting, there is a lot to learn about Federal employment and the AIPC needs to ensure that the right information is provided to its American Indian networks. Please visit the website at www.usajobs.opm.gov . You can Click on General Information which will list various topics of Federal employment. The AIPC website does have a link to the USAJobs website!

AIPC Brochure:

The new AIPC brochures were distributed at the March Pow-Wow. Thanks to Georgia Madrid and the NOAA graphics office for producing the brochure and to Dale Lujan and the US Mint for making the color copies.

March Pow-Wow:

A lengthy discussion was held regarding the AIPC participation with the exhibit booth. The AIPC was bombarded with numerous questions on resources for information on childcare, welfare, drug rehabilitation, how to become enrolled in a tribe and so on. The AIPC members staffing the booth felt that they could not adequately/appropriately respond to the questions and information on what other agencies do. There was also discussion for the need for more AIPC members to participate in staffing the booth as well as agency support for individuals to participate. The AIPC promotes job opportunities in Federal agencies and agencies should be aware that the Pow-Wow is an opportunity to inform the community of its mission.

 

ACTION ITEMS:

1. Based on the issues brought to the AIPC attention, it was decided that a booklet on Federal agencies be created for easy reference. Each AIPC representative is requested to submit to Rebecca Redhorse - rredhorse@prs.usbr.gov a brief description of their agency mission, types of services and programs for American Indians, student employment (types of disciplines) and a contact (AIPC representative or other) to Rebecca Redhorse. (There are already resources available that can be used. For example, the DFEB has a list of its member agencies and gives a link to its website. You may want to use this as a tool for information on your agency. http://www.denver.feb.gov/memberlinks.htm.)

DUE DATE: NEXT MEETING JULY 11, 01

2. It was also decided to have available the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs Directory of American Indian Resources for people who ask specific questions about local, non-Federal resources. The directory gives a brief description of organizations as well as frequently asked questions about American Indians.

The AIPC will sponsor two sessions, Trust Responsibility with Dick Wilson as guest speaker and MOU 2000 with Jim Lehr as the guest speaker. The AIPC needs to promote these workshops so individuals will register. Registration information should be available at the end of April and May. A question on whether we could videotape our sessions was asked. This will be posed to the WFDC but more than likely the AIPC will be able to tape the sessions if it is ok with the presenters and if we find someone to videotape on our behalf.

ACTION/UPDATE: If you have not received the registration packet, agenda & workshop descriptions, please call Richard Shields at 303-202-4382 or e-mail rlshields@usgs.gov. The cost of the seminar is $150.00 for Early Bird Registrations postmarked on or before June 1, 2001 or $175.00 (postmarked on or after June 2, 2001). The registration deadline is June 22, 01.

Helen Littlejohn mentioned numerous Department of Education grant opportunities and corresponding deadlines.

Jan Jacobs explained the function of the Title 9 parent committee to support Denver school district Indian students which includes the following activities:

-The DPS college career fair was held in February. The AIPC participated. There is a need for more students to participate and to inform the families. A similar career fair is planned for November 2001.

-Senior Pow-Wow at East High School (26 seniors will be graduating).

-AI focus schools (schools that offer more Indian specific education and cultural programs.

-AI Education Advisory Council - policy issues.

-Tutorial staff needed. If you would like to volunteer, contact Rose McGuire for tutors at 303-405-8172.

-Deadline for posting information in the newsletter is 4/26/01.

Richard Anzures suggested that the Title 9 program get more involved in promoting its math and science students. He said he was happy to see a team of American Indian students participating in the Native American Science Bowl which was held on February 16-17, 2001 at Colorado College in Colorado Springs. He was approached by an individual who felt that Title 9 did not promote the students that were excelling. Jan agreed but said that with limited resources, more than likely, those students that are at risk of dropping out of school would get the most assistance.

Since the AIPC display and brochure were updated, it was decided to also update the AIPC website. A committee was formed to review the webpage and update.

ACTION: A SPECIAL MEETING will be held on JUNE 1, 2001 at the Federal Office Building, 1961 Stout Street, Conference Room 1083 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. If you are interested in participating in this committee, please call Richard Anzures at 303-966-9706. We encourage all AIPC representatives to review the website and provide comments & suggestions: e.g. When you visit the website, are you able to learn about the AIPC? Are the links helpful? Is the format workable? What should be highlighted on the front page? How long should information be kept on the website? What should be added to the website? What should be deleted?

AISES Region 3 conference will be held a the Embassy Suites on April 5 to 7, 01. The Region 3 conference brings those students from AISES chapters in New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona to meet and talk about past accomplishments and future initiatives. It also gives an opportunity for students who could not attend the national conference to attend a local event.

UPDATE: The AIPC participated with an exhibit display on Friday April 6, 01. There were over 50 students at the career fair and information on the AIPC and Federal employment was distributed. One of the most requested information topics was summer internship opportunities. Thanks to NOAA/OAR for allowing us to share exhibit space.

The next meeting will be held on July 11, 2001 at WAPA, 12155 W. Alameda Parkway, Room 225B from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Chi Mui can be reached at 720-962-7037 in case you get lost! Please mark your calendars and plan to attend!

Meeting Minutes Listing