LETTER TO T EDITOR: BIRTHDAY GRAFFITI DISLIKED
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VISTA
THE September 14, 1989
Vol. 88, No. 6
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Thursday Edition
Central State University, Edmond, Oklahoma
Eve chart helps tribe By Bill Kramer
Staff Writer A Central State University student has made history by developing an eye chart using characters from the Cherokee alphabet. John Sixkiller, a junior preoptometry major at CSU, was inspired to develop the chart from an 80-year-old Cherokee tribal elder who told him he should put his talents to good use. Sixkiller, a full-blood Cherokee from Kenwood, speaks and writes in his native language as well as English. "There should be a better way of aquiring acuities (keeness of thought) for Cherokees who feel uncomfortable with the English language," Sixkiller said. "Often, many Cherokees are illiterate to the English language. They cannot distinguish an 'E' from an 'R' in an eye examination," he said, because the Cherokee alphabet contains these two letters, but they are pronounced differently. Sixkiller interpreted for many of the optometry students at
CSU student designs chart for Cherokees
W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital in Tahlequah during eye exams because of the language barrier. "I was called on many times because the patients were not fluent in the English language or were illiterate to the written English language," he said. The Cherokee patient undergoing the eye exam with the standard eye chart, the Snelling, is usually too embarrassed to admit to the optometrist that he cannot read the chart, Sixkiller said. "A patient is not being given total eye care if he just guesses what the letters are. "The patient responds vaguely and often the eye doctor has to speculate what the prescription should be. The patient is not helped because he fails to get the proper prescription. "The doctor is made to look bad because the patient is unhappy with the product he receives
and will likely not return," Sixkiller said. Sixkiller hopes to work for Indian Health Services after earning his degree. This government organization provides health care for native Americans, he said. He said he noticed a definite need for another type of eye chart while working at the optometry clinic at Hastings Hospital. "The Daily Oklahoman published an article which mentioned that only five percent of 20,000 patients tested last year were illiterate to the written English language, but I have found tht number to be about 35 percent," he said. Sixkiller, after a year of work on the project, is in the process of getting his eye chart clinically approved as a legitimate optometric tool. After this is completed, any optometrist will be able to use the chart for Cherokee speaking patients because of the way Sixkiller developed it, he said. Please see CHART on page 8.
Education benefits dry up 95 CSU veterans affected By Kamal. Mazlan
Staff Writer About 95 Central State University students could lose their education benefits outlined in Chapter 34 of the GI Bill end Dec. 31, according to Kenneth Young, veterans affairs coordinator. Young said guidelines outlined in the New Montgomerey GI Bill, approved by Congress under the Reagan Administration, allows anyone meeting the criteria to extend his or her education benefits according to stipulations outlined in Chapter 30 of the GI Bill. Young said, since the inception of the new bill, there has beena lot of speculation about the government's decision to end Chapter 34 benefits. "Since the Vietnam era ended on Jan. 1, 1977, it could be,the
government felt that military personnel who served prior to this date have had ample time to use their benefits," Young said. "Another reason is because of monetary savings gained from the cessation of Chapter 34: somewhere in the neighborhood of $750 million," he said. However, Young said the government did not take into consideration the fact that many individuals who served after Jan. 1, 1977 have not been able to, because of certain disadvantages in their discharge dates, take full advantage of the education benefits allowed under Chapter 34 guidelines. "Those affected felt that the government has let them down by not permitting them the same consideration as given other veterans who honorably
served their country. "By that, I mean they should have 10 years from their date of discharge to use their 45 months of veterans' educational benefits," Young said. During a KCSU-TV interview Tuesday, Young said, veterans currently receiving benefits under Chapter 34 who wish to continue receiving benefits from the New Montgomery GI Bill must have been on active military duty from July 1, 1985 through June 30, 1988, with no breaks. "If a vet can't roll over to Chapter 30 of the GI Bill, loans are available through the Veterans Administration," Young said. Gary Patrick, one CSU student who will be ineligible for educational benefits under Please see VETS on page 8.
John Sixkiller displays the Cherokee eye chart he developed for
Indians who speak little or no English. (Photo by Trent Tompkins)
CSU hires counselor to curb drug abuse By Kamal Mazlan
Staff Writer Substance abuse among students is increasing on Central State University campus and the counseling center is trying to get help for those involved and to prevent the problem through education, Jan Chapel, CSU's new substance abuse counselor said. "I understand it's a growing problem on CSU campus, for example, alcohol drinking in the dorms. In the last two to three years, students have needed detoxification through the hospitals," said Chapel, who began work Monday. Chapel said her main goals are to make the campus community aware of addictions; to have them come in for counseling if they need to, and possible referral to more intensive-type treatment; and to develop ongoing policies and procedures in handling the chemical abuse problem at CSU. Specifically, Chapel is planning a program to educate the faculty on what to look for in classroom situations so they can identify students who may need help.
Chapel said the faculty should look for students who come late to class, miss a lot of classes, or are chronically late turning in assignments. "We want students with substance abuse problems to know that we want to help them, that CSU is behind them seeking help. We want (them) to know that they are not bad just because they consume alcohol or chemical substances. "Chemical dependency is a disease, but it is treatable. By seeking help, we want the students concerned to feel good about themselves and to raise their self-esteem," Chapel said. Chapel, a native of Edmond, previously worked one year with Chance to Change Foundation, a chemical dependency counseling service in Oklahoma City. After earning her bachelor's degree in home economics at Oklahoma State University in 1968, Chapel worked at various jobs. In 1988, she completed a master's degree in human relations from University of Oklahoma.