OKMULGEE, Okla. – The new school year brings new and exciting things to Eufaula Dormitory students as it transitions from a five-day to seven-day residential facility.
Students will be able to enjoy a stylish look as newly furnished beds and dressers give a much more updated look to the rooms.
To top off the luxuries added, each room now has its own television and students have the luxury of personal refrigerators to store drinks and snacks.
The dorm rooms have been freshly painted, adding an aqua blue-accented design.
The transition from five days to seven provides accommodations for students participating in extracurricular activities and for students who may have struggles or disparities at home.
Making Positive Strides
Administrator Melanie Taylor (Choctaw) came into her position last year, and has made positive adjustments in services provided for the families and students.
It has been a goal of the dorms’ administration to implement comfort within the living quarters so it feels more like home, and less like a facility.
“We want more comfortable surroundings,” Taylor said. “An overall upgrade to the facility.”
She claims the rooms reminded her of a hospital with old, used metal bed frames and bare tile floors.
“It wasn’t like a bedroom,” Taylor said. “I want these kids to feel at home.”
The dorm has shared amenities like a basketball gym, outside court, foosball table, pool table, softball field and other small activities provided by the faculty.
Along with the addition of two more full days of care, the dorm has multiple positions open for weekend hours so that students have staff available to meet their needs.
“It would be much easier if we said no band, no football,” Taylor said. “We don’t want to do that.”
“We try to work with them,” Taylor said. Last fall presented challenges for the staff and students participating in sports and band.
“Normally, when our bus would be leaving to take kids home, those students would be leaving on a bus to go to a far-away football game.” Taylor explained.
Staff members would then volunteer to be there for the students upon returning from the games, then volunteer to stay the night at the dorms during weekends. They would then drive the students home the next day.
“We have some great staff that want these kids to try anything,” Taylor said.
Students from a variety of different socioeconomic backgrounds come from all over the state and beyond to live in the dorms.
“A lot of our kids have great parents who are very involved,” Taylor said. “We have a lot that don’t have that family support and that’s why they are here also because we can afford things their parents can’t, we have enough staff and we have help.”
According to Taylor, she wants the dormitory environment to provide success and privileges for students, even though the facility is not privately owned and does charge tuition.
Just last year, some of the dorm seniors graduated from high school with technology certificates, and entered fiber technician programs. One even signed on to join the Navy.
Walking Testimony
Taylor claims that as a graduate of the high school, she witnessed the increased possibilities of dormitory attendees becoming successful, like high school alumnus Muscogee (Creek) Nation National Council Speaker William Lowe.
Lowe gives the dorm major support, and provides an image of opportunity to the students that some of them may not have. In that regard, he fulfills a void that dorm staff filled for him during his own residency as a student.
The eldest child out of seven, Lowe’s childhood may have been different if the dormitory had not been there.
Growing up without a father figure, Lowe needed the support and structure from teachers, coaches, and advocates at the dorm. He attributes that to who is today.
This included Bacone College students who would volunteer at the dorm and provide tutoring services for the students.
Lowe recalled a tutor sporting the title, M.B.A after her name. He always remembered the acronym since hearing it during a mandatory study hour after school.
Lowe gained his Master in Business Administration and achieved a lifelong goal of his since his time at the dorm. He even claims that he may have never heard of that title, had it not been for the dorm providing an opportunity for him. He believes his life could have turned out very differently otherwise.
Changing the View
Today’s society often stigmatizes boarding schools as a place full of juvenile delinquents in Indian Country.
In many cases, it was once a place used to assimilate Native children and force conformation to religious practices.
Recently the boarding school era topic has gained national attention with the U.S. Department of Interior where they have begun initiating investigations that include taking oral accounts of the survivors and descendants.
Not all boarding school stories are bad, but there are some stories that have shed light on the mistreatment of Native American children and families.
The Eufaula Dorm wants to end the stigma of Native boarding schools by setting a standard that provides a quality education and ample career opportunities.
For those that would like to learn more about the Eufaula Boarding School, call 918-689-2522 for more information.