1/31/2023: WMU to offer tribal admin certificate

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Tuesday, January 31, 2023

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WMU is launching a new certificate program in tribal administration. Also: A new affordable housing project is set to break ground this week in the Northside Neighborhood. And the City of Kalamazoo wants to establish “breadcrumbs” of fun downtown.

WMU to offer certificate in tribal administration

Western Michigan University is adding a new specialty to its public administration program. The School of Public Affairs and Administration will offer a 12-hour graduate certificate in tribal administration. The school’s board of trustees approved the new course during its meeting last week. Matthew Mingus, the director of graduate programs for the school, told trustees they developed the certificate program in collaboration with the Three Fires Confederacy. “There is no program like this in this half of the country. Nothing even close,” he said.

Tribal lands are considered their own sovereign territories with the right to govern themselves separate from the rules and ordinances of the county, state, or nation they are located within. Administering that kind of organization takes special knowledge. WMU has offered similar training programs over the past few years. Last spring, the university launched a tribal governance course as part of its Master of Public Administration program.

More News You Need To Know

Affordable housing development to break ground this week

Residents could begin moving in to a new housing development on Kalamazoo’s north side as soon as this fall. The project to build a multi-unit affordable housing building on Frank Street is slated to break ground on Friday. The project is known as Zone 23 and will be a mixed-use development with 14 housing units. Those units are expected to go to people with varying income levels including those at or below the median income for Kalamazoo. Additionally, developers have plans for an on-site childcare center set up in conjunction with the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo.

A lack of affordable housing has been a growing issue in Kalamazoo County for years. Studies have shown the area will need thousands of new housing units over the next few years to keep up with population growth. Voters in the county even approved a housing millage in 2020 to help address the issue. The Zone 23 project is partly funded by money from that millage. The $4.5 million project is also receiving funding from the City of Kalamazoo through its Foundation for Excellence and other programs. [WWMT]

Former reality TV star charged for poaching deer

The star of a reality television show is being charged for poaching deer in Kalamazoo County. Scott Kevin Meisterheim, 55, was arraigned on ten misdemeanor charges on Jan. 17. He pleaded not guilty to charges of hunting without a license, using somebody else’s hunting license, and taking more deer than he was allowed to. While awaiting trial, a conservation officer with the Department of Natural Resources interviewed him. Meisterheim allegedly said he “is not the most ethical hunter, tagging other people’s deer, but I don’t care – I am addicted to the venison.”

Meisterheim came to fame on the Discovery Channel’s “Bering Sea Gold,” which followed the exploits of people dredging for gold off the coast of Nome, Alaska. He took on the role of antihero on the program by clashing with other crew members. He’s also had other run-ins with the law in Kalamazoo. Last year, he was convicted on one count of misdemeanor aggravated domestic assault for a situation involving his wife at the time. [MLive]

‘Breadcrumbs’ of fun

Kalamazoo city officials want to make downtown Kalamazoo more fun for visitors and open up areas that aren’t typically used by the public. The idea is to improve connections between different parts of the downtown area by setting up “breadcrumbs” such as arrows on the sidewalk and public art. “‘That looks like a cool street. I want to go down there.’ That’s what we want to create,” Assistant City Manager Rebekah Kik told MLive.

Another idea being considered is to create unique “outdoor rooms” along Arcadia Creek. Those would be areas that people would want to congregate in rather than just passing through. City documents envision “neon paint and lighting, edgy art programming that embraces the water, nighttime events and unique food and music.” The plans are in a very preliminary state – the city has received six proposals from companies interested in doing the design work. But there is already money behind the project. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has contributed $300,000 toward the design process and the city commission last week approved another $500,000 for “placemaking.” [MLive]