We, twenty three students from Oregon State University, spent our spring break, March 24th - March 29th 2002, in Burns Oregon learning through listening from diverse community members including: cattle ranchers, church members, school officials, social service providers, casino and gaming officials, extension services personnel, elders and tribal leaders to develop a better understanding of the complex issues facing the Paiute Nation and all Native Americans in the 21st century. Through out the week we, as students and teachers, gained from each other the importance of actively listening with respect. We formed a deep appreciation for community as we worked and lived closely together. Learning from stakeholders and each other we found pieces of a puzzle that in the end of our week we were able to construct into a whole map of the issues facing the Paiute Nation.

Below are the WEB pages created by the students. Within each topic area are personal statements of learning and web links which pertain to the issues we found most important. The issues highlighted are ones which face the Paiute Nation and Native Americans in general in the 21st century.

As a group we came, we listened, we learned, and we grew. We learned skills and knowledge to be used through out our lives by actively listening and respecting each other within our group and the community we were guests in. By reflecting on the wide range of community member's perspectives and views, we began seeing the true issues affecting the Burns community. It was truly an amazing experience to accept and be open to others views and stretch personal boundaries. By playing an active role in facilitating, group problem solving and working out the problems of communicating in a big group, we were able to put the pieces of the puzzle together to create the 'big picture'.
Spending five days with complete strangers was a challenging and rewarding experience and created what we know will be life long friendships. Organizing ourselves and learning how to communicate effectively in a large group proved to be more difficult than we had expected. There were many life lessons that were gained in such a small amount of time. Most importantly was the lessons of learning though listening, respecting one another, and the value of a cooperative community. These are the most valuable lessons we have obtained in our college career. We had to face uncertainty as a group. We did not run away- and those who did easily returned and learned from this lesson. When we united and worked together we reformed the circle of community and accomplished our goal of learning about cross-cultural issues that the Native Americans are facing today.
Learning about cross cultural issues involves putting yourself in someone else's shoes to gain understanding of their view of the world. Actively listening with respect is key to placing yourself in that person's shoes. Understanding others view of the world is one of the biggest challenges and tools to achieving solutions to cross cultural issues and ultimately world peace. We are truly honored to have had the opportunity to work together with students, teachers and Burns community members as a team to learn about the issues facing the Paiute Nation as they move into the 21st century. We achieved our goals through cooperation, strength, hope, respect, and compassion. As completion of our experience together as a community, we regained our faith in humanity.

Written together by Alisa and Melissa

The ancestors remind us, despite the history of pain
We are a going-on people who will rise again.
And still we rise.- Dr. Maya Angelou

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. - Martin Luther King Jr.