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The Haskell Foundation, a nonprofit located on Haskell Indian Nations University's (HINU) campus, but independent from the university, has raised over $71,000 as of Thursday for those impacted by the recent layoffs at university.
HINU, located in Lawrence, Kansas, operates under the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Education. Nearly 23% of Haskell's staff — 35 probationary employees — was laid off on Feb. 14 following an executive order from President Trump, according to Haskell Board of Regents Interim President Dalton Henry.
It's part of President Trump's efforts to downsize the federal workforce. Probationary federal employees across the country have been impacted by recent layoffs.
The foundation created an emergency relief fund earlier this week, with 100% of donations going toward combating the impacts of the layoffs.
“We’ve set a goal of $350,000; $235,000 of that is specifically for hiring on contract employees or extending contracts of employees," President of the Haskell Foundation's Board of Trustees Bo Schneider, Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, said. “Unfortunately, the foundation, we’re not able to, nor do these funds go toward hiring back federal employees that were let go."
The fund looks to extend temporary contracts — for three months — of discharged employees, including three to four coaches, a bus driver, general athletic staff, custodial staff, dining positions, and potentially tutors for students.
Adam Strom, Haskell women's basketball coach, was among the 35 employees let go. It was his fourth year with the program, but because he recently took on teaching responsibilities at the university in order to receive benefits as a federal employee, he fell under probationary status.
“I was in denial, I was in shock," Strom said.
His termination came roughly two weeks before the playoffs.
Strom decided to coach the remainder of the season without pay.
Playoffs began Thursday.
“They could remove the coaching title, but they’re not going to remove me from the sidelines," Strom said. "So, I’m going to stay on board and we’re going to go into post-season together and we’re going to finish business.”
Schneider played for Haskell's men's basketball team from 2010 to 2014.
“I think you really learn a lot through sport, and it’s a way to learn how to deal with and face adversity," Schneider said.
As the Haskell community feels the impacts of the layoffs, it's standing together.
“As students, as faculty, we will fight for what is right and we will not be silenced again like we were in the past," Freshman student Sara Vincent, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, said outside the Kansas State Capitol on Feb. 24 during a protest led by students.
Over 900 students from federally recognized tribes attend the university each semester, according to Haskell's website. Schneider said more than 140 tribes are represented at the university, making it a culturally diverse campus community.
Students say they want their teachers back. The National Haskell Board of Regents submitted a formal waiver that requests exemption from the executive order. The board said Haskell employees deliver legally mandated educational services to Tribal Nations.
"This is where Indian Country gets their education is at Haskell, and it's so important to keep our education going," Allison Levering, Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, said at the protest.
The Haskell Foundation provides students with resources, like semester-based scholarships.
"Our main purpose is really to support Haskell Indian Nations University as a center of Indian education," Schneider said.
The emergency relief fund's goals include helping existing programs remain available for students, providing "limited emergency assistance" to discharged employees and students affected by the layoffs, and "ensuring long-standing cultural events remain funded and can continue where possible," according to the fund's page.
"We have yet to see what unfolds in the future," Schneider said. "A lot has happened in the last few weeks alone."
Schneider said the response to the emergency relief fund shows the community wants to see Haskell succeed.
"We’re facing a lot of different hardships, a lot of different cuts to is to staffing, and there’s a lot of uncertainty here in the future, but we’re still going to stick it out and say, ‘Hey we’re here, and we’re going to prove you wrong. We’re resilient,'” Schneider said.
You can find the emergency relief fund by clicking here.
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