The American Indian community at AU has expressed disappointment about President Bush's delayed response to the Red Lake shootings, although some said the government can only do so much for self-governing reservations.
Jack Soto, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, said he wanted a response from Bush right after the shootings, but he was not specifically waiting for his statement. However, American Indians as a group were troubled by the delay.
"The Native American community at large was... concerned by his lack of initiative to address the episode," said Soto, who will be president next year of Native Tongue, a Native American group on campus.
Bush's response to the shootings came five days after they occurred. The day of the shootings, Bush signed emergency legislation that allowed federal courts to consider appeals by Terri Schiavo's parents to reconnect her feeding tube. Schiavo died last Thursday.
Soto said Bush was "on the ball" with the Schiavo case but should not have been involved. However, he said he understood that being the president is a difficult job and he had other obligations at the time of the Red Lake shootings.
Soto said while it was odd Bush did not address the shootings soon after they happened, he and other American Indians were more concerned about the use of words such as "massacre" and "rampage" by the media in reference to the incident.
"For us as a group, it was really difficult... to watch how they were labeling it," Soto said.
Soto said he felt reporters made snide comments about the fact they were unable to enter the reservation to get additional information. Reporters do not have the right to go onto reservations.
Kristie Miller, a junior in SPA, said she thought other stories dominated the news that week and overshadowed the shootings even though past school shootings have received more coverage.
Margaret Weekes, administrator for the Washington Internships for Native Students program, said the response to the shootings was the product of ignorance and prejudice toward American Indians.
"Those of us who are following American Indian education... are appalled," she said.
Soto said he would like the government to be more involved in funding reservation schools. Red Lake High School lacked in many aspects due to poor funding, he said.
"More funding to create a better situation is always positive," he said.
Agencies are looking at how to address the situation because the federal government handles Indian affairs, Soto said.
Weekes said AU has made a significant commitment to American Indian education. WINS works to strengthen culture and bonds between Native American students in the program as well as provide them with internship opportunities, she said.
Philip Busey, a participant in the internship program two years ago, said in an email he questions the priorities of the government when there are more pressing issues, such as poverty and health care affect all citizens.
"We as American Indian people, as do all Americans, face many challenges in today's world, and it's nice to know when we have leaders working with all of us," he said.
Theresa Garcia, a freshman in SPA, said violent behavior in schools occurs nationwide, and the fact that another shooting happened shows that this is a general problem.
"It's hard to say what the government can do to help them," she said.
Area organizations are also supporting the Red Lake community. The National Museum of the American Indian hosted an Honor Dance last Friday to provide local support for Red Lake.
