President Bush hasn’t said yes, but he hasn’t said no yet either, to an invitation to speak at a Haskell Indian Nations University conference this April.

Steve Cadue, a Lawrence resident working with Haskell to organize a conference on Indian gaming, said he thinks the event would be the perfect time and place for the president to make his first major speech about American Indian issues.

So, he asked him to make an appearance at the event, to be April 2-3.

“If the president wants to meet Indian people, there really isn’t a better place in the country than Haskell to do that,” Cadue said.

“Haskell has alumni spread throughout the United States, and if the president were to agree to come here, I’m confident there would be thousands of Indian people from across the country coming here to hear him speak.”

Cadue this week received a letter from the president’s director of appointments and scheduling saying the request would be “considered as the President’s schedule develops.” The White House said it would contact Cadue with a decision, but gave no timeline.

Cadue said he will now begin encouraging Haskell administration, tribal leaders from across the country, the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, Kansas University and other area leaders to begin writing and calling the White House encouraging the president to accept the invitation.

The conference, titled “Indian Nations and Indian Gaming: Reaching Opportunities of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,” is expected to attract 400 to 600 participants.

A major topic of the conference is expected to be how educational institutions, including Haskell, can train Indian students to better take advantage of business opportunities created by the Indian gaming industry.