20-02-2025
Haskell ‘ain't going nowhere!'
Jourdan Bennett-BegayeICTWASHINGTON — Haskell Indian Nations University will remain open and existing faculty will step in to cover the vacancies left behind by widespread federal layoffs by the Trump administration, a school board member said on social media Tuesday evening. Brandon Yellowbird-Stevens, who represents the Midwest region on the Haskell Board of Regents, wrote on Facebook, 'Haskell is not closing, Pell grants are being distributed normally, and classes disrupted by the 35 layoffs will be backfilled by existing faculty. We ain't going nowhere!'Stevens, Oneida, went on to say that the board of regents, the school administration, Bureau of Indian Affairs officials, and tribal leaders are 'diligently working with congressional representation on exemptions for these employees and other options to fill the service voids.'SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. CONTRIBUTE Wednesday, the board issued a press release on its new Facebook page, saying officials were monitoring issues surrounding the reduction in the workforce. Haskell is operated by the Bureau of Indian Education, under the U.S. Department of Interior. It's one of many federal agencies impacted by the Trump administration's order on Friday, Feb. 14, laying off hundreds of thousands of probationary employees nationwide, including thousands of in Indian Country. The historic Kansas university is one of two tribal colleges affected by the mass layoffs, along with the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico. The layoffs, which targeted federal workers who had worked less than one or two years, came as a U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran and Rep. Tracey Mann of Kansas worked on legislation that would remove Haskell from BIE oversight.'At this time, the Board has not received confirmation that Haskell Indian Nations University is exempt from these layoffs,' according to the statement released from by the board of regents.'We have been in contact with President [Francis] Arpan and Congressional offices, and we appreciate their efforts to mitigate any disruptions to Haskell's operations,' said Dalton Henry, president of the Haskell Board of Regents. 'We recognize that the Bureau of Indian Education, Senator Moran, and Representative Mann are working to reduce the impact of these changes, and we are grateful for their attention to this issue.'Henry continued, 'Indeed, Interior Secretary [Doug] Burgum recently indicated he would fulfill the Department's statutory, treaty, and trust obligations to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Haskell is just such an obligation.'Haskell President Arpan released a statement Saturday, Feb. 15, on Facebook informing the campus about the staff changes from the layoffs. 'While these adjustments present challenges, our priority remains the continued success of our students, faculty, and staff," Arpan wrote. "In the coming days, we will share more information on how departments will work together to ensure continuity.' Haskell and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute are the only two tribal colleges operated by the BIE. Approximately 20 employees were laid off on Valentine's Day from SIPI in Albuquerque, leaving about 80 employees to continue the operations of the school with approximately 200 students this trimester, sources told ICT. Both tribal colleges are part of a land-grant university system that dates back to 1862. Federal legislation in 1994 designated more than a dozen tribal colleges and universities land-grant institutions, and most tribal colleges and universities now operate with that BIE lost nearly 85 employees, an increase from the initial assessment of losses, sources told ICT Sunday. Among those laid off were approximately 30 from non-school positions in the BIE agency offices, excluding kindergarten through 12th grade does not have the number of additional Interior Department workers who took the 'Fork in the Road' deferred resignations offered by the Trump administration, as they are separate from the federal layoffs.
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