But unlike historically black colleges that were educating students to compete in the larger society, Indian colleges wanted to educate their own to stay on the reservation, replace the many non-Indians in administrative jobs, and rebuild their nations. Native American college graduates, however, say they don t necessarily want a world of three bedrooms, two baths, and sedans. We re trying to build our own solution. Indeed, Rosebud reservation, sprawling over 900,000 acres in the southern part of the state, is in desperate need for an answer. The county where the reservation is situated is thought to be one of the poorest in the nation.
Alcoholism is rampant.
Last month, tribal leaders sat in front of angry parents upset that a drunk driver plowed into a school bus carrying 35 children, injuring some of them. Violence, often alcohol-related, is common. Away for 13 years, he recently came back for family reasons. Even the gifted have trouble away from the reservation. Instead, she went to South Dakota State, in part because it was closer to home.