This multi-hospital approach to addressing the needs of children and providing services is an innovative strategy to develop quality pediatric programs, maintain cost-efficiency, and ensure adequate access to preventive and emergency care. By increasing access to all pediatric services through the consolidation, the hospitals are taking a major step toward containing the state's health care costs, a goal which can be replicated in similar instances throughout the country. CHS is seeking Federal assistance in the amount of $5 million in FY 96 to further facilitate the construction and equipping of the new Children's Hospital and to assist in offsetting debt. Construction of the new Children's Hospital is budgeted for costs in the amount of $89,750,000, of which $15 million will be funded through equity contributions and $53.7 million through debt. The remaining $20 million will come from fundraising and deferral of capital expenditures not deemed essential to immediate operations. The Federal assistance will help to mitigate the debt burden; upon completion, CHS expects that each Federal dollar will be matched with at least $5 of privately owned funds. In summary, Mr. Chairman, this project has involved various local and state entities, and is supported by numerous business and civic leaders. With the continued support of this Subcommittee, this well-founded, community-oriented infrastructure project will move one step closer to becoming a reality for the children of the Hartford region. I ask for your favorable consideration. Thank you. PREPARED STATEMENT OF FOND DU LAC TRIBAL AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CLOQUET, MN Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Cloquet, Minnesota thanks you for the opportunity to present testimony relevant to the needs of our higher educational institution chartered in 1987 by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is currently a joint higher education effort between two governments, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Minnesota Community College System, State of Minnesota, acting as their agent. Physical plants have been a major problem for many Indian colleges in this country. Lack of residential housing, and housing in general, are barriers to attract Indian students to their own communities to attend tribal colleges. Currently, only one fifth of our Indian people live on reservations in this country. A number of reasons exist for this statistic in the 1950s and 1960s. The federal government implemented a relocation program where many 1825 year old Indian men and women were relocated to urban areas in the country and many families moved to the cities to avoid the abject poverty on reservation in the subsequent 1970s and 1980s. Tribal colleges now are educating their communities and are economic development catalysts, addressing training needs and cultural and language preservation, and we are slowly developing our tribal infrastructure. Tribal colleges need to find ways to bring their citizens home to be educated and fill those infrastructure gaps that are being developed. Tribes can no longer afford to have their brightest and talented human resources leave. Because of relocation and urbanization, many other problems are evident. We have several generations now removed from strong tribal teachings, tribal languages, and the teaching of traditional culture through our elders, aunts and uncles. Our urban Indian children are even more susceptible to problems which manifest themselves in their neighborhoods, i.e., dropout, drugs, alcoholism, violence, gangs, and suicide. We must find ways to teach our children about who they are as American Indians. As educators, parents, grandparents, we know that this is the best teaching for the development of self-esteem and the continuity of a culture of a people. Tribal college's missions are the hallmark of culture education. Tribal colleges have strong liberal arts transfer education, and specific career programs that lead to employment opportunities and transfer to four year colleges. In fact we prepare our Indian people much more effectively than most traditional higher education institutions, for interaction and participation in the larger society. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is requesting an appropriation of 1.5 million dollars to augment its existing housing plans. Currently, the Minnesota State legislature is hearing a request for $500,000 for continued planning to working documents, Senate file (SF 1347), House file (HF 1507). The total cost of this project is six million dollars. The college administration has examined the need and will revenue stream one third (two million dollars), housing in lieu of rents. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Residential The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the county of Carlton, or the City of Cloquet could issue and guarantee two million worth of bonds for the revenue proforma (see demographic data, Exhibit 1). National Science Foundation (NSF) Initiatives Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College has been very fortunate to receive significant grants from NSF for technology infrastructure development. In 1993 we received a grant to purchase a server and network the college. Currently, the college has over 200 MAC and DOS machines networked to a ramp to the informational highway. In October, 1994, NSF announced a major, 5 year, 1.4 million dollar grant to Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College to develop and train Indian students in the field of computer science and engineering. It should be noted that Fond du Lac was the first two year college, and tribal college, to receive such a grant. We urge Congress to continue to fund this prestigious and well administered government agency at its current level. Environmental Protection Agency Initiatives The Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College supports the request for funds by the Great Lakes Region of the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society for the Native American Youth Environmental Education Practicum. This four week environmental education practicum would be held at the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community (FDLTCC), during the summer of 1996. Twenty five to thirty American Indian juniors and seniors from the Great Lakes Region would attend classes at the FDLTCC and would also observe and participate in environmental activities on reservations within the Great Lakes Region. The FDLTCC is a joint Tribal and State college, located in Cloquet, Minnesota. Approximately 1/4 of the students are American Indians. The students will observe environmental research at area universities and research labs. Natural resource studies and management projects will be observed at reservations in the region. They will discuss important e environmental issues, and to listen to tribal elders impart the importance of an awareness of, and respect for, the natural world. The society believes that a reawakening of the traditional values of Indian-toenvironment relationships must be renewed within the context of technical professional management and decision making processes of tribal governments. To make effective and sound environmental decisions, tribal governments need to establish an adequate infrastructure to deal with environmental issues from a technical, cultural, and political aspect. Indian youths must carry this process forward, learning traditions from tribal elders, ancestral relationship of tribes to the environment, as well as current technical environmental approaches to solve problems. This summer environmental education practicum in 1996 would be funded for $55,000. We believe that this money would be well spent, when considering the future potential of young students when they are provided with a wealth of knowledge and the opportunity to use it. The Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is currently developing an environmental science education program which would be concurrent with the development of scientific infrastructure. This education program will be integrated into the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Environmental Institute, which is currently in the planning stages. The Environmental Institute will greatly improve the environmental science educational and career opportunities for our students. Education will be the primary mission of this Environmental Institute, however, environmental research into contemporary problems that impact the environment and our community will provide a relevant and practical focus to academic pursuits. The courses will take into consideration the American Indian perspective as well as the other cultures which inhabit this shared environment. In order to further develop the environmental education program and create the curriculum and acquire essential laboratory equipment for the Environmental Institute, we are requesting that $500,000 be added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Budget for the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, in the Community/University Partnership grant in the office of Environmental Justice line item. See attached model (Exhibit 2). The relationship between success with National Science Foundation initiatives are strongly tied to our ability to attract and house students from other reservations and urban Indian communities. Thank you for your attention in this important matter for Indian people. For further information contact: Lester Jack Briggs, President, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, 218-879-0804 or ljbriggs@asab.fdl.cc.mn.us EXHIBIT 1 AMERICAN INDIANS LIVING ON RESERVATIONS One fifth of us live on reservations and trust lands. Twenty-two percent, or 437,431, of all American Indians (including Eskimos and Aleuts) lived on reservations and trust lands in 1990. Reserva tions and trust lands are areas with boundaries established by treaty, statute, and/or executive or court order. The American Indian population in the Tribal Jurisdiction Statistical Areas in Oklahoma num bered 200,789, and comprised 10 percent of the total American Indian population. Three percent, or 53,644, of the American Indian population lived in Tribal Designated Statistical Areas and 2 percent, or 47,244, lived in Alaska Native Village Statistical Areas. PREPARED STATEMENT OF MAYOR W.W. HERENTON, CITY OF MEMPHIS, TN Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony to the record of the Senate VA, HUD & Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee as you begin work on your FY1996 Appropriations legislation. I would like to share with you an initiative that the City of Memphis is undertaking as a result of my Urban Agenda which will work to bring about the rebirth of Memphis. Founded in 1819 along the lower Mississippi River, the City of Memphis was undoubtedly favored by its early settlers for the advantages of its site. Future growth and urbanizing along the river bluff at the gateway to the Mississippi Delta positioned Memphis to become a major commerce and distribution center. In the early years, Memphis was also an agricultural center given the City's strategic riverfront location. However, as railroads, highways and air travel began to replace the river as primary transportation modes, Memphis was able to incorporate these modes into its distribution industry. But at the same time these modes contributed to the economic growth of the City, they allowed many middle-class residents of both African-American and European descent to move outside the City, giving rise to significant suburban growth. Many employers followed this residential shift to the suburbs, but a number of economically disadvantaged residents did not have the means to relocate. As a result, this abandonment of |