Members of the Haskell Board of Regents are calling for a full review and a stronger MOU to ensure the board can provide “greater oversight and accountability” after allegations of misconduct at the university were aired during a congressional hearing last week.
Board members said in a statement Friday that they are “greatly disturbed” by the allegations brought to light in the July 23 hearing before members of the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Education and the Workforce’s Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.
Some congresspeople focused on Haskell Indian Nations University’s alleged failures to respond to reports of sexual violence and support student survivors appropriately, but the hearing touched on a broad range of other complaints as well.
The hearing was months in the making following the release of an 80-page investigative report supported by more than 1,300 pages of exhibits. In addition to the issues surrounding sexual assaults, the investigation report discusses other allegations against faculty, including bullying, theft, nepotism, conflicts of interest, abuses of power, harassment, favoritism and more. (See the full PDF report at this link. It’s a large file that may be slow to load.)
“We have been aware that complaints have been made by many Haskell students and alumni in recent years, but were not aware of the depth of the allegations made at the hearing,” Haskell Board of Regents President Brittany Hall said in the statement. “We support a full review and urge Interior Department officials to take immediate corrective action.”
The board’s statement says the board represents tribal nations through resolutions and that it advises the university president on policy issues as requested, but that it is not involved in the direct management of the school.
“We do not know how long it will take to investigate and address the allegations that have been made, but we on the Haskell Board of Regents are committed to working on a long-term solution,” Hall said in the statement.
“Per our Memorandum of Understanding with the Bureau of Indian Education and Haskell Indian Nations University, our role is to reflect the opinions and needs of our Tribal governments and to develop and support Indigenous educational philosophies and processes for the benefit of our students,” she continued. “Our current MOU falls short of providing the necessary authority to accomplish our mission as outlined in our Constitution and By-Laws. Given the prolonged misconduct at Haskell, it is clear that we need to strengthen our MOU to ensure greater oversight and accountability.”
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Haskell regents call for more oversight of university following congressional hearing
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