photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The campus of Haskell Indian Nations University is pictured Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.

The Board of Regents for Haskell Indian Nations University is seeking a waiver from President Donald Trump’s order requiring massive layoffs across the federal government, citing legal mandates and the university’s unique position in the nation.

The Regents submitted a formal waiver request to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and to Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, in letters dated Feb. 17 but publicly released Thursday, six days after the layoffs. The letters state that the abrupt firings have jeopardized the educational mission of the university, which serves 150 Indian nations and tribes throughout the United States.

If allowed to stand, the letters say, the layoffs would have “disastrous consequences” for a small university — Haskell has fewer than a thousand students — that is “already underfunded and (that) struggles to fulfill its educational mission.”

The Regents state that 35 probationary employees out of 160 total employees at Haskell have been fired, three fewer than the Journal-World previously reported. They list the workforce reduction variously as 23% and 25%, in the first official acknowledgment of the numbers involved.

“These employees are mission-critical personnel responsible for delivering legally mandated educational services to Tribal Nations,” said Dalton Henry, president of the Regents, in the release.

Haskell was established in 1884 under the federal government’s treaty, trust and statutory obligations to American Indians and Alaska Natives, the Regents note. Congress has enacted multiple laws, including the Snyder Act and the Indian Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act of 1975, mandating the provision of educational services to Tribal Nations.

“The federal government has a duty to uphold its commitments,” Henry said. “Haskell is not discretionary; it is a legal obligation. These workforce cuts are undermining treaty and trust obligations, and we urge immediate action to restore critical staffing levels.”

The Haskell firings came amid the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the nation’s largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection — an order that is thought to affect more than 220,000 people nationwide.

The abrupt firings in Lawrence, which included seven instructors, IT workers, coaches, program specialists and many others, have created turmoil across the Haskell campus. The employees were only paid through last Friday and will lose their federal benefits in 30 days from then.

A community gathering is scheduled for Friday to provide an update on the situation since the firings.

The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at First Presbyterian Church, 2415 Clinton Parkway. The hall is on the south end of the church.

According to a news release from the Rev. Thad Holcombe, the meeting will include a presentation by individuals from Haskell. Those attending will be able to ask questions and provide comments.

Despite the workforce reductions, Haskell remains open, assuming no further changes in staff levels, the release from the Regents said. The board says it has received assurances that Pell Grants for students will be distributed as normal; classes will continue as faculty adjust to fill instructional needs; and graduation for both two-year and four-year programs will proceed as scheduled on May 9.

The Regents cc’d three Republican lawmakers from Kansas in their letters requesting a waiver: Sen. Roger Marshall, Sen. Jerry Moran and Rep. Tracey Mann. Moran and Mann have proposed legislation that would strip control of Haskell from Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education and give oversight to the Haskell Board of Regents.

Moran’s office said Wednesday that it has requested more information from Secretary Burgum on the layoffs at Haskell and had urged him to ensure that the university has an adequate workforce to prevent disruptions for students.