Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye
The Piya Wiconi Okalkiciye is a part of our administration that serves to make decisions that not only align with academic institutional practice, but also are consistent with Lakota culture and the virtues of Lakota governance.
What is Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye?
The Piya Wiconi 0kolakiciye was developed to meet the need for decision-making consistent with Lakota culture and with standard academic institutional practice.
Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye provides a channel to examine issues affecting the college community and to utilize staff, instructors and students as a means toward providing more effective service to the college's constituencies.
The Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye provides the internal means by which all staff and students are assured that their ideas and efforts will be considered. Individuals are elected to Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye as representatives of their constituency, not because of their position in the table of organization or their relationship to the district boards and district student governments.
Institutions of higher education are unique in that they are made up of several distinctive constituencies. Each of these constituencies is served by the college and they have important knowledge to contribute to the service provided by the college. Oglala Lakota College recognizes the need for input from each constituency in the determination of policy and procedures for the betterment of the entire college.
The college constituencies are: The Board of Trustees, Administration, Districts, Students, and the Faculty and Staff. The Oglala Sioux Tribe is represented through their constituencies. Prior to the creation of Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye, input from each of the college constituencies worked its way up through the levels of the college structure. The Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye was created to assure participation in the governance of the college by members who did not have direct access. This organization within the college is specifically for students, instructors, and staff. It provides a forum for addressing college-wide concerns and making consensus policies and procedure recommendations to the President and to the Board of Trustees.
Membership in Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye is a combination of elected representatives and ex-officio members that represent a cross-section of the faculty, staff, and students of Oglala Lakota College.
Specific Functions of Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye
- Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye recommends new policies to the President for review and possible introduction to the Board of Trustees.
- Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye refers issues affecting the college to its standing committees for review and response to Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye.
- Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye reviews recommendations from its standing committees.
