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Scott Davis, the Department of Interior’s acting assistant secretary of Indian Affairs, answered questions Tuesday from a bipartisan group of lawmakers on how to improve educational outcomes for postsecondary Tribal education, including Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence.

Federal oversight of Haskell Indian Nations University hasn’t gone well, a top official with the Bureau of Indian Affairs told a congressional committee on Tuesday, and added the agency likely would be supportive of Haskell becoming more independent.

Scott Davis, the Department of Interior’s acting assistant secretary of Indian Affairs, told a joint oversight committee of the U.S. House of Representatives that he historically has encouraged tribes to operate their own universities. But that is not how Haskell or Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico are structured. Both schools — which were the focus of Tuesday’s hearing — have unique governance models that require federal oversight as part of their management.

“Obviously, we haven’t been doing a good job of that,” Davis said.

The problems at Lawrence-based Haskell have created questions about how the university can be a safe learning environment after a report publicly released in April 2024 described HINU as “severely dysfunctional.” The report found, among other items, that Haskell staff appeared to take minimal actions when students made allegations of sexual assault, and that the university failed to undertake basic procedures, such as following up with victims to check on their well-being.

Davis’ assessment that the federal government hadn’t done a good job of providing oversight came in response to a question from Congressman Tracey Mann, a Kansas Republican whose district includes Lawrence and the Haskell campus.

Mann and other Kansas legislators introduced legislation Monday that would remove control of Haskell from the federal government and give self-governance to the university, as the Journal-World reported. Mann asked Davis if the Department of the Interior would be open to a legislative solution to help students at Haskell, to which Davis replied, “Absolutely.”

Mann — who received special permission to participate in the joint oversight hearing between the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development — urged his congressional colleagues to support the proposed legislation as a potential solution to help Haskell improve and be an institution that can better serve its students.

“We want to help Haskell get to a better place,” Mann said. “We owe it to the students to do that.”

Several members at the meeting noted the need for changes at Haskell, especially for its “crumbling infrastructure.” Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., who chaired the meeting, said it was time to make “real and long lasting changes” at Haskell.” Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, said the BIE has long “failed to meet the mark for its schools.”

Davis, who is a Haskell alumnus, agreed with the need for change, saying he had been appalled and upset from the news he had seen. He felt this would be the time to hit the “reset button” and was committed to improving the conditions.

“I’m looking forward to working with you to make Haskell and other educational settings more beneficial to (students) throughout Indian Country,” Davis said.

Although there was bipartisan support for improving the situation for students, many of the Democratic representatives expressed concerns about the Trump administration’s budget proposal for next year, which would see a decrease in funding for tribal colleges and universities by nearly 90%. Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore. noted there was an 80% cut to the BIE’s education construction costs, and asked Davis if the budget is a “serious effort” to address infrastructure concerns.

Davis said this is a “unique time” and cuts were nothing new for groups across Indian Country. He said it would be good to find “innovative” ways to fund Haskell that wouldn’t just have it rely on the federal dollar.

Dexter said she felt that it was clear Davis cared deeply about these institutions and there is a “commitment across the aisle” to supporting Davis in his work, but that she thought he was in an “impossible situation” due to the proposed budget cuts.

Gosar asked Davis to describe his vision for Haskell in the future. Davis said he envisioned upgrades to the stadium so it was no longer dilapidated and improvements to the other facilities, but most important to him was seeing students walking around campus who are happy and secure and “honed in on their Native culture.”

Across Indian Country, Davis noted that education is very personal to Native Americans considering the “horrific” history of boarding schools that forced many to “assimilate” and get rid of traces of the Indigenous culture. In an emotional statement, Davis said there is a chance to come together and work with the various tribal nations across the country to make improvements.

“We all have a collective opportunity to do something different, to dream of what our schools can be like to be better,” Davis said.