First Nations Journal

First Nations Journal writes because silence is no longer an option.  Haskell Indian Nations University—one of the oldest and most visible federal commitments to Indian education—now stands at a point of crisis created not by its students, not by its faculty, and not by Tribal Nations, but by decades of federal mismanagement under the Département of the Interior (DOI) 

In March 2025, the Higher Learning Commission issued an “Accredited on Notice” sanction for Haskell.  This is not a routine warning.  It is a formal declaration that the institution is at serious risk of losing accreditation, a consequence that would devastate Indian students, families, and Tribal Nations across the country.  No trustee acting with due care would allow a trust asset to deteriorate to this point.

Click to access Public-Disclosure-Notice-Haskell-Indian-Nations-University.pdf

The Department of the Interior has advanced a reorganization plan affecting Haskell and related BIA/BIE structures without meaningful Tribal consultation, despite clear federal obligations requiring it.  Indian beneficiaries—the very people the trust responsibility is meant to protect—have been excluded from decisions that directly affect their education, their futures, and their treaty-based rights. Haskell students have publicly stated that they cannot safely voice concerns without administrative permission.  Faculty and staff report similar constraints.  When beneficiaries cannot speak without fear, the trust relationship has already failed.    

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2000/11/09/00-29003/consultation-and-coordination-with-indian-tribal-governments

For these reasons, we respectfully urge Congress to take immediate action to temporarily suspend the DOI’s oversight authority at Haskell.  This is not a punitive measure.  It is a protective one—consistent with trust law, consistent with congressional oversight responsibilities, and consistent with the duty to prevent further harm to Indian beneficiaries.  A temporary suspension would allow:

• Stabilization of accreditation without further administrative interference                                      
• independent review of governance, finances and compliance Restoration of safe conditions for students and employees
• A reset that centers Tribal Nations in all future decisions

Congress has already acknowledged DOI’s mismanagement in the findings of the HINU Improvement Act.  We ask Congress to act now, not after accreditation is lost, not after another generation of Indians students is harmed, and not after trust responsibility is further eroded. 

                                                               FIRST NATIONS JOURNAL

M’gwitch, 🪶

Steve Cadue

Kickapoo Nation Kansas