ONCE AGAIN THE D. Q. UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES? SHOOT THEIR PEOPLE IN THE BACK

D-Q's land safe for now
New lease includes academic calendar
of seminars to satisfy GSA
By JAKE DORSEY
Article Created: 05/02/2008 08:37:40 AM PDT

Trustees and supporters of D-Q University have staved off for now the threat of losing the college's land.
Trustees turned in a revised "farm management" agreement with farmer and Yolo County Supervisor Duane Chamberlain to the U.S. General Services Administration on Wednesday night.
The GSA, which holds half of D-Q's land in trust, had said the land was being used for illegal purposes because of a lease Chamberlain has to farm it.

The GSA requires the land be used for educational purposes. The revised agreement with Chamberlain includes an academic calendar of seminars, Trustee Margaret Hoaglen said, to satisfy that condition.
Dottie Gomez, a realty specialist with the GSA's Office of Property Disposal, sent an e-mail saying she received the packet, Hoaglen said.
"I haven't heard a word back yet, so I don't know if that's good or bad," Hoaglen said.

The calendar was drafted at a board meeting on Sunday. Occupants of the school's campus, old-time supporters and other community members all pitched in ideas about what should be taught during the seminars. Ideas ranged from healing the people to environmental stewardship; American Indian cultural perspective was a strong component for the seminars overall. Connie Reitman-Solas, executive director for the Intertribal Council of California, helped draft the calendar with former D-Q Trustee Susan Reece.

Where Chamberlain, Yolo County's 5th District supervisor, fits into the seminars is unknown. At the meeting, Chamberlain said he had taught informal farming classes to students over the 25 years he's leased the land.
Those classes did not include the heavy emphasis on cultural perspective supporters want this time around, and all the classes were before the school officially closed.

Chamberlain also said there are many long-term projects that have been started at D-Q, ranging from growing native grasses to other smaller horticulture programs, that he could help with. However, most of the projects have lapsed, and people, including the occupants, have to be willing to commit to them, he said.

Many occupants have protested and attempted to stop Chamberlain when he's sprayed the land he farms, and he doesn't talk with them often.
"It's a different crowd down there now," he said of the occupants.
Other unofficial projects going on at D-Q, all being maintained by occupants, were not considered enough to satisfy the GSA's requirements.

Hedrick said he hadn't considered the ideas of the occupants and supporters when he'd begun working on the new farm management agreement. He said he was hoping for more time to deal with those issues.

"When I look at the land, and the part that he's leasing, and the part the students are already working on, I think we need to really need to start there," Hedrick said. "Everyone needs to be on the same page."
Hedrick said he successfully applied for a $20,000 reimbursement grant involving growing native grasses, but very few people have helped him with that.
"I've had zero support for that program, yet you sit down in a meeting and everyone's all for it," he said.
Hedrick's frustration is mirrored by nearly everyone involved with D-Q, though the sources of frustration differ. The college lost its state accreditation in 2005, and since then has limped along while being hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt with banks and the government.

Even if the GSA is satisfied with the farm management arrangement, Chamberlain actually farms more than just the GSA land; he also farms several dozen acres that are controlled by the U.S. Department of Education. The DOE has similar educational requirements for the land.
Hedrick said he will address the issue with the DOE once things have been settled with the GSA.

Chamberlain said he was unsure where things would go, but added he would like to see the tribes of California keep the land.
"I just wanna keep farming the damn thing," he said.

The next board meeting is at 11 a.m., May 17, at D-Q.



By MAZATZIN zemazatzin [at] hotmail.com (510)406-3067
Article Created: 05/02/2008 08:28:40 PM PDT

This is Jake’s story. This is what he wrote after he came back from his trip. He should have wrote it Monday, like he said he was going to do, then maybe he could have remembered it better, and maybe he could have wrote a little more truthful. He stutters and contradicts himself, over and over.

He forgot to mention that the two board members that are employees of the BIA had submitted their resignation. We gave him copies and sent him a press release of our letter to the BIA asking for an investigation into these employees’ actions. We also called and sent him the second press release. That must not be good news for them, maybe that is not as important as trying to show a false image of people working together in harmony…after all, isn’t that what everybody wants. He forgot to mention the hostility that was evident and the yelling that ensued. Did he mention if there were any students there? He makes totally false statements when he states that the “academic calendar of seminars was drafted at a board meeting on Sunday”, (who were the members of the board that were present?) And, he adds “Occupants of the school's campus, old-time supporters and other community members all pitched in ideas”. Like it was one big happy family, but he forgot to mention that the “occupants” requested to have the lights turned on, after the “board” ordered them shut off and they refused.



Jake, after the people, the community and the students of D. Q. U. confided in you and trusted that you could write a true story of what is really going on here, you have let us down. As Hanady would say about Barak Obama, “sometimes you think you know someone, but their actions make you wonder who they really are”, well Jake, now we know who you really are…it didn’t take long. As all the other corporate news agencies, why should we think this Woodland paper is not sold out! As I read Rosa Martinez the story, she kept interrupting with “lies”, “lies”, “lies”, “lies”, “lies”, “lies”…yep!

Here’s Jake’s first story…the one we believed.
“I am writing you to inform you an article on the D-Q board meeting will not appear in Monday's Daily Democrat. I realize I had said there would be, but by the time I was unable to commit the time or the space in the paper to write a well-rounded story that would do the topic justice. We also published an extensive investigative piece on a local issue in Woodland and I had to lay out the paper. Some of you are familiar with my dual (and dueling) duties, but I wanted to be sure you all understood the reason why there is no story. I do
plan on writing this story soon, however, and am not avoiding it. Thank you for your understanding.
Jake Dorsey Associate editor, Daily Democrat (530) 406-6231
Yep, we understand,
“lies”, “lies”, “lies”, “lies”, “lies”, “lies”…yep! “lies”, “lies”, “lies”, “lies”, “lies”, “lies”…yep!
Thanks for Nothing, Jake!