Upset over Haskell Indian Nations University’s decision to cancel summer school, a group of university workers picketed Tuesday.

“If we don’t have summer school, we will harm our students,” said Ralph Reed, one of five Haskell employees carrying signs during the noon hour near the 23rd Street entrance to Haskell Stadium.

Haskell Indian Nations University employees hold an informational picket on 23rd Street during their lunch hour to raise community support for education. Pictured Tuesday are, from left, Leroy Kelly, Stanley Ross and Lois Jacobs.

Reed, an instructional assessment coordinator at Haskell, said that without summer school, some students won’t be able to graduate this year. Others, he said, will have to take additional classes next year.

The group was not upset with Haskell President Karen Swisher, Reed said. Instead, the message was aimed at the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, the federal agency responsible for Haskell’s budget.

“There’s not enough money to do what needs to be done,” said Leroy Kelly, a maintenance mechanic at Haskell.

Because they are federal employees and not allowed to engage in protests, the group called its demonstration an “informational picket.” The demonstration was limited to the workers’ lunch hour and from 5 to 6 p.m.

In early February, Swisher announced that summer school had been canceled in an effort to balance the university’s $9 million budget.

Though the university’s budget increased by $273,000, it wasn’t enough to offset scheduled pay raises, increases in health insurance premiums and other operational costs.

Dropping summer school is expected to reduce spending by about $400,000.

Swisher’s office declined comment on the demonstration. Journal-World telephone calls to the BIA office in Washington were not returned Tuesday.

Indian Educators Federation, a union that has represented Haskell workers since 1999, helped coordinate the demonstration.