VA story

By Mike Kilroy
Summer Forty-Niner

Responding to a report that Cal State Long Beach may develop student parking and housing on land belonging to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the university strongly assured American Indian tribal representatives Monday that it has not committed to any plans.

Keith Polakoff, associate vice president for academic affairs, asserted the university did not have designs on the Patients' Garden in particular, a site at the medical center dedicated to patient physical rehabilitation and therapy.

Both CSULB veterans and area American Indians had expressed concerns regarding reports that the site might be developed.

Pointing to a June 15 story in the Summer Forty-Niner that was accompanied by photograph of a veteran working in the garden, Polakoff said, "I haven't even been able to find anyone who knows anything about this garden or where it's located."

Veterans objected to the possibility of the garden being removed, while some members of the Puvungna Coalition, a group of American Indian tribes, expressed concern the university and medical center had not consulted with them regarding the site's potential for artifacts, burial remains and historical significance.

"(The university and medical center) have discussed developing shared facilities for years," Polakoff said. "We've never been able to get a decision locally or on the federal level. The VA moves on glacial time."

Polakoff made his remarks in Brotman Hall at the monthly committee meeting of tribal representatives working with the university to "repatriate," or give back, American Indian artifacts and burial remains excavated by faculty in the 1950s and '60s at a site near the campus.

Sam Dunlap, spokesperson for the Gabrielino/Tongva tribe, said he was satisfied with Polakoff's response to the controversy.

"I think the university has worked hard at developing good relationships between the university and the Indian community," Dunlap said. "Why would they change now?"

Dunlap said the local tribes have an agreement with the university that they will be consulted before any construction is approved. Both the university and medical center are located on the former Gabrielino/Tongva village of Puvungna.

Polakoff said the university has been in discussions with the medical center regarding land located across Seventh Street about a joint parking lot.

More recently the university and medical center have discussed the idea of a privately owned and operated dormitory on medical center land, he said.

"I believe the land that they're looking at (for the dormitory) is the golf course," Polakoff said.

Discussions for both sites are in the "idea stage" and are years away from being implemented, if ever, he said.

"We have no say on VA property," Polakoff said. "We aren't going to tell the VA center what they're going to do with their land."