FORT YATES - A highway divides Sitting Bull College from the past and its future.

In Fort Yates is the old campus, a series of flat-roofed, rectangular buildings. One has the nickname "Bucket Hall" because of the containers that line the hallway when it rains.

On the edge of Fort Yates, tucked into the bluffs along Highway 1806, are the rosy brick and metal buildings of the new campus. The hallways are dry when it rains.

The dichotomy of the Sitting Bull campuses reflects that of the American Indian student. They come from poor, rural reservation communities with hopes to create a better life for their family and community. But the odds are sometimes against them succeeding because of inadequate schooling, and poverty.

"It all stems from economics. Every characteristic that is identified with American Indians … that's not Indian, that's poverty," said Greg Gagnon, Indian studies professor at the University of North Dakota.

Koreen Ressler, vice president of academics at Sitting Bull College, agrees that it's poverty afflicting the reserva-tions. It drives the college's financial aid program, building projects and academic offerings.

The financial aid package is set up so that students can graduate without debt. Students receive grants, but the col-lege does not participate in the federal student loan program.

Poor economic conditions on the reservation could leave the college open to high default rates if it did offer loans, Ressler said. High default rates could adversely affect some of the college's federal programs.

Faculty members hope the combination of academic and student services will help their students reach graduation. And, they want their students to succeed.

"It helps in retaining them," said Sheri Bearking-Baker, United Tribes Technical College community wellness direc-tor in Bismarck.

Bearking-Baker was a member of the faculty at United Tribes for 14 years before she became the wellness director a year ago. Bearking-Baker oversees the residence life, strengthening lifestyles, student help center, chemical depend-ency and student success center.

These services give students a chance to drop off a sick child, get recommendations faxed or attend a morning prayer in the healing room.

Most of what it takes for an American Indian student to succeed is the same as any other student. If they come from an impoverished background: give them access, give them opportunity and make it affordable.

The students who succeeded against these odds sought help, participated and found a place where they were wel-come, Gagnon said.

Along with the construction, the college has expanded its degree programs, with plans to offer a master's program. Business and education programs are the most popular programs. These areas draw the most students because of employment opportunities and they're on the reservation.

"That is one thing we look at is employment opportunity, for students," Ressler said. "We shouldn't train students for jobs they can't get here."

Usually, students chose an area of study so that they can go back to their reservation community and work. In a survey United Tribes Technical college did of its students, it happens less frequently.

"Typically, they don't plan to return," said Lisa Azure, the program director for teacher education at United Tribes. "What happens, is they get involved in and see the opportunities in the Bismarck-Mandan community. They want a better life."

Some students decide they want to work elsewhere, then go to the reservation later, UTTC environmental science instructor Jen Janecek-Hartman said.

The jobs that are available at home are more social in nature, Gagnon said. Most of what's available is teaching, health care, and the government. The employers tend to be the tribal government, Indian Health Services or the schools.

Although generally, students go into areas where the jobs are at on the reservation, the areas of study where students are found are just as broad as what is available. It's up to the student's interest.

Janecek-Hartman is trying to interest students in areas where they are shying away from. Her focus is on encourag-ing American Indian students into science, technology, engineering and math.

After UTTC received a National Science Foundation grant in 2004 for tribal environmental science, Janecek-Hartman noticed a shift in what students wanted.

"It changed the paradigm," Janecek-Hartman said. "Students were asking for calculus, statistics and trigonometry and now they want physics."

Recently, Janecek-Hartman finished a summer camp for students sponsored by the Goddard Science Center. Or-ganizations, like NASA, and other federal organizations, recruit Native American students. Part of this results in internship for students.

It's difficult, however, for students to take advantage of these opportunities. The internships are mostly summer-long. They can be a challenge for some students to arrange time away from family because of childcare and obliga-tion to other family members.

The Goddard Science Center summer program, for example, is usually at its center in Maryland. Housing is in fraternity and sorority houses at a nearby university, which would not be able to accommodate students with family, Janecek-Hartman said. When it was at UTTC, family housing was available and day care could be arranged.

As economic development increases on the reservation, then the availability of jobs on the reservation will increase, Gagnon said. He points to casinos opening up jobs for accountants, as an example.

Sitting Bull College also hopes to be a center of economic development in the area. Next month the entrepreneurial center will open. This building will have business classrooms, administrative offices and in the six rooms closest to the street, business incubator space, which is temporary business space.

The hope is that retail businesses will move into the space to get their business started. Business owners would need a business plan to be considered for the space, as well as a plan to move elsewhere within five years.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@bismarcktribune.com.)