California's only tribal college still struggling after 35 years.

California's only tribal college still struggling after 35 years. DAVIS Davis,city (1990 pop. 46,209), Yolo co., central Calif.; settled in the 1850s, inc. 1917. It is an education center with light industry; machinery, processed foods, and computer equipment are produced. The extensive Univ. , CALIF. Thirty-five years after a group of American Indians and MexicanAmericans scaled a barbed-wire fence to occupy an old Armycommunications site west of Davis, supporters are celebrating theanniversary of D-Q University, California's only tribal college. But D-Q is as troubled this year as at any time in its turbulenthistory, with leadership fights and sit-ins by students trying to keepthe college open. Thirty-five years ago, the site had been declared surplus property,and the government planned to give it to the nearby University ofCalifornia, Davis The University of California, Davis, commonly known as UC Davis, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, and was established as the University Farm in 1905. for use in research programs on rice and primates PrimatesThe mammalian order to which humans belong. Primates are generally arboreal mammals with a geographic distribution largely restricted to the Tropics. . Butprotesters climbed the fence before dawn on Nov. 3, 1970, set up ateepee and refused to leave until they got the land. Last year the tribal college lost accreditation and funding, andclosed during the spring because of a court battle over its control. Thecollege reopened this fall with 60 students. It's now being run by Art Apodaca, who has returned to guidethe college he helped start. Apodaca, now 66, recalls removing his pea coat to cover the barbedwire barbed wire,wire composed of two zinc-coated steel strands twisted together and having barbs spaced regularly along them. The need for barbed wire arose in the 19th cent. and boosting other protesters over the fence at about 4:45 a.m. Asoldier at the facility thought it was a prank. "When this opportunity came up, we went for it, we grabbed itwith no bashfulness," Apodaca says. "We were going to have ourschool." The original dream of a four-year college, health school and lawschool are still achievable, Apodaca says. He plans to meet with theaccrediting agency, and is talking with tribes about donations andcommunity colleges about temporary accreditation. He hopes to turn overthe reaccredited college to an experienced administrator by 2008. Student Manda Vann says she nearly cried when the college'soriginal plans were recently discovered in a vault. "We found the dream of the people who originally wanted theschool, and now we're here to finish it," Vann says. But the turmoil continues. About a dozen former students set up their own teepee outside theuniversity to commemorate com��mem��o��rate?tr.v. com��mem��o��rat��ed, com��mem��o��rat��ing, com��mem��o��rates1. To honor the memory of with a ceremony. See Synonyms at observe.2. To serve as a memorial to. the anniversary, but they were barred fromsetting foot on the campus because some have allegedly caused troublebefore. That group alleges they also have been shut out of college boardmeetings. --Associated Press