Lumbees contribute diversity to campus

By Aaron Woods
Staff Writer

About 20 percent of UNCP’s students are American Indian, which helped the university to place first in the state for diversity in U.S. News and World Report’s 2006 edition of “ America’s Best Colleges.”

In fact, UNCP was originally created as the Croatan Normal Indian School in 1887.

Many of the American Indian students at UNCP are members of the Lumbee Tribe, which is the largest tribe in North Carolina with over 40,000 members. On Nov. 15, members of the Lumbee tribe voted to fill seven seats of the Lumbee Tribal Council. The Tribal Council ensures the well being of each individual in his or her own community.

The council has three branches: executive, legislative and judicial and has a written constitution.

The Lumbee Constitution is much like the U.S. Constitution.

The Tribal Council consists of 21 members in 14 districts in four counties, which are Hoke, Robeson, Cumberland and Scotland counties.

Among these members there are powers that are set by the constitution in which the tribal chairman may veto any decision made by the council members.

The Constitution of the Lumbee Tribe was ratified by the Lumbee Constitution Committee on May 16, 2002. Under this ratification, the powers of the Lumbee Tribe were given to the direct authority of the tribal council.

Among all laws and ordinances, there is a majority vote by all council members.

The committees that the council governs are: Housing, Finance and Audit, Personnel, Constitution and Tribal Ordinances, Health and Human Resources, Federal Recognition, Public Relations, Economic Development, Ethics, and Education.