photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World photo

Osceola and Keokuk halls are pictured in the background at Haskell Indian Nations University on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.

A pair of Kansas lawmakers intends to introduce federal legislation that would strip control of Haskell Indian Nations University from the Bureau of Indian Education and let the university govern itself while still receiving federal funding.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. and U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan., on Monday released a draft piece of legislation that would allow the Haskell Board of Regents to oversee Haskell and its Lawrence campus.

The school — which serves only members of recognized federal Native American tribes — has long been under the control of the Bureau of Indian Education, which is part of the larger U.S. Department of Interior. But the university’s operations have been the subject of multiple complaints, ranging from improper handling of abuse claims to a revolving door in key leadership positions.

“As the sole Tribal Nations University in the country, Haskell University once provided Native American students the opportunity to receive a high-quality, tuition-free education in an environment that understood and prioritized indigenous heritage and culture,” Moran said in a written statement. “However, for the last few years the university has been neglected and mismanaged by the Bureau of Indian Education. The bureau has failed to protect students, respond to my congressional inquiries or meet the basic infrastructure needs of the school. It is clear that the best path forward is for the university to be led by an independent Board of Regents nominated by the Tribal community and no longer fettered to the Bureau of Indian Education.”

Moran and Mann — he represents Lawrence, which is now part of Kansas’ 1st Congressional District — have begun circulating a draft piece of legislation to members of the Native American, higher education and Lawrence communities for feedback.

Mann called the potential change a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for Haskell.

“It’s imperative that those most directly impacted have a welcome, active voice in helping us enact this change,” Mann said in a statement.

Under the proposal, the Haskell Board of Regents would be nominated by recognized tribes from across the country and appointed by the President of the United States, with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.

The current president of the Haskell Board of Regents — which currently does not have final control over all aspects of the university’s operations — said there is a need for change in Haskell’s governance.

“Over the years, Haskell has encountered barriers to progress and innovation that stem from the structural and operational constraints within federal agencies,” Brittany Hall, President of the Haskell Board of Regents, said in a statement. “These challenges, while not unique to Haskell, underscore the critical need for a more tailored governance model empowered by a U.S. Congressional charter — one that enables the University to thrive while better serving its students and communities.”

Under the proposal, the initial board of regents would be comprised of one tribal member from each of the 12 geographic regions of the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. The draft legislation calls for at least one of those appointments to be from an Indian tribe of Kansas, which currently include the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas, the Sac and Fox Nation, and the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. Additionally, the 15-member board must have at least one member who is a member of the Haskell alumni association. The student body president of Haskell also would be a non-voting member of the board.

The board of regents would be responsible for establishing all policies of the university and would be in charge of monitoring all departments and administrators of the university. The regents also establish all the various academic departments of the university, and be responsible for establishing new programs. The regents would be responsible for appointing the president of Haskell Indian Nations University, and could decide to remove the president with a three-quarters majority vote.

The legislation proposes that the U.S. Department of the Interior would provide an annual grant and “related assistance” to the university. The bill argues that the federal government must continue to fund Haskell to “affirm the treaty and trust responsibility of the federal government to Indians.”

Check back for updates.