The LJW report with Interim Haskell Trustee President Mackie Moore is alarming and the hiring freeze puts at risk the federal fiduciary trust responsibility of providing quality education to student Indian ward beneficiaries. (Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831). Trustee Moore has shared fiduciary guardian responsibility with trustee U S Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum who has the ultimate authority in the guardianship of Haskell student beneficiaries. Undoubtedly, there is a plan. Secretary Burgum’s plan is to either avert loss of accreditation or phase out Haskell. A hiring freeze is a component in a downsizing plan and transparency is critical for all stakeholders including the Congress. It is Secretary Burgum who submits Haskell’s budget to Congress. There is a lack of accountability at Haskell and Congress has plenary authority and responsibility to sanction hiring freezes or cutbacks to Haskell.
There is a lack of institutional control at Haskell largely due to the lack of principled oversight of Congress. The serious misconduct at Haskell has led to failures in governance, compliance and internal management. A congressional committee hearing report in July 2024 described Haskell management as being “severely dysfunctional. These major violations have caused financial instability and will cause loss of accreditation, even a closure to Haskell.
The constitution, Article 1, Section 8, gives Congress the foundational source of federal authority in Indian Affairs. The federal authority is shared by Secretary Burgum and Interim President Mackie Moore. Their respective jobs are not getting done in violation of fiduciary trust Indian education to Indian beneficiaries at Haskell
The Higher Learning Consortium (HLC) has placed Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) accreditation status to ‘accredited on notice. HLC’s website address is hicommission.org and HLC can be requested for an update on the accreditation status of Haskell. The hiring freeze as reported by Mr. Moore severely weakens Haskell’s resource ability to meet accreditation standards of the HLC. The education job and mission of Haskell is not getting done due to the hiring freeze and is a breach of trust responsibility to Indian beneficiaries. The hiring freeze places Haskell’s HLC accreditation at risk and the outcome is closure at Haskell. Academic Freedom, a core criteria element for HLC accreditation, is not practiced at Haskell. The Haskell instructors and students are defenseless. The Indian beneficiaries at Haskell are denied constitutional First Amendment rights.
First Nations Journal has suggested $50 million in federal treaty obligations be appropriated for the proposed Haskell Indian Nations University Improvement Act.
Deferred maintenance and chromic underfunding of Haskell have compounded financial consequences. The underfunding of Haskell is at the root of the “Broken Promises” report in the U S Commission on Civil Rights Report of 2003. Haskell’ s budget has historically and perpetually been underfunded in violation of treaty trust responsibility law and policy.
“Our Native Americans deserve more” LJW, Senator Jerry Moran (R-KAN). First Nations Journal agrees strongly with Senator Moran, and we will look forward to the reversing of the downward spiral existing at Haskell.
First Nations Journal
M’gwitch, 🪶
Steve Cadue
Kickapoo Nation Kansas
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