American Indian students, their families and teachers can join members of the University of Washington Tacoma community Wednesday for the second annual Symposium on Contemporary Native American Issues in Higher Education.

The event, which takes place in Philip Hall on the UWT campus, includes cross-cultural discussion about what it takes to become a successful college student, including precollege preparation, the application process, course offerings, the role of culture in and out of the classroom, and how an education can serve the tribal community.

The symposium is organized in two tracks, offering information about college for prospective students and discussing issues affecting American Indians in higher education. Speakers include:

 • Billy Frank, of the Nisqually Indian Tribe, who has served as chairman of the Northwest Indian Fish Commission for more than two decades and is known as a tribal rights and environmental activist.

 • Michael Pavel, called CHiXapkaid in the Lushootseed language, a member of the Skokomish Nation and associate professor at Washington State University. He served on the Governor’s Task Force on Closing the Achievement Gap for American Indian students.

For more information and to register, go to www.tacoma.washington.edu/diversity or call Sharon Parker, assistant chancellor for equity and diversity at UW Tacoma, 253-692-4861.

Debbie Cafazzo, The News Tribune