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Students at Haskell Indian Nations University said they want their teachers back after federal orders terminated 35 employees at Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU).
About 23% of Haskell's staff was laid off following federal orders on Feb. 14, according to Haskell Board of Regents Interim President Dalton Henry. The move was part of President Donald Trump's efforts to downsize the federal workforce.
"It's just been a lot of chaos, really," said student Tyler Moore, Cherokee Nation.
Moore is in his fourth year at Haskell and is finishing up his degree in Indigenous and American Indian Studies.
Last year, Moore was crowned Haskell Brave, which he described as a student ambassador role. He's the first person students shake hands with at their graduation ceremonies, which Moore explained as "one of the proudest moments" he's had at Haskell.
"I was, on that Friday (Feb. 14), tired of shaking hands, 'cause it was like, every time I shook a hand, it was like another person was leaving," he said.
When he first learned of the layoffs, he was worried he wouldn't graduate in May. HINU has since assured students that graduation will carry on as planned.
"It goes to show how much chaos that threw into the mix," he said. "There was a couple days that we didn't know."
Three of Moore's instructors were terminated.
"I saw my photography teacher moving out of his photography classroom. And an hour later, I go back and it's just empty," he said.
If students show up to class without an instructor present, Moore said HINU's Student Government Association has instructed students to write their names down on a piece of paper to prove they showed up to class.
Aiyanna Tanyan, Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, is a junior studying business at Haskell. She wants to further her education at the University of Oklahoma by studying Indigenous Peoples Law.
"I'm really interested in going into tribal gaming," she said. "Tribal gaming brings in a lot of revenue for tribal communities. That's what I kind of want to get into. That way, I'm kind of giving back to my community while also bringing in infrastructure."
Tanyan said her initial reaction to the layoffs was anger.
"It's way more than just losing professors ... To us students, [it's] more about losing opportunities and losing stability," she said.
HINU's women's basketball coach Adam Strom was one of the terminated employees. Probationary federal employees across the country have been impacted by recent layoffs.
Strom said he held probationary status because he officially became a federal employee within the last year after he began teaching courses at the university.
"Why does this have to happen? Why is it us? Why is it this school?" Tanyan said.
On Feb. 17, the National Haskell Board of Regents wrote letters to the Office of Budget and Management and the U.S. Department of Interior requesting its employees be exempt from the federal layoffs.
"Congress has enacted multiple laws, including the Snyder Act (25 U.S.C. § 13) and the Indian Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act (1975), mandating the provision of educational services to Tribal Nations," a press release from the National Haskell Board of Regents stated.
The press release explained Haskell was established under the federal government’s treaty, trust and statutory obligations to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
“These employees are mission-critical personnel responsible for delivering legally mandated educational services to Tribal Nations,” Henry said in the release.
Moore said he feels like the layoffs are "another treaty, another promise broken by the federal government."
"It's just another event in this long chain of history," he said.
Haskell said the remaining faculty members will fill instructional roles so classes can continue.
"I just fear that putting that workload on them is also going to put a strain on our education," Tanyan said.
Students are planning a protest with terminated employees at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka starting at 11 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 24.
"At the very best, we want our voice to be heard," Moore said. "We want everyone to know Haskell is here, Haskell will be here."
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