LAWRENCE, Kansas — A nonprofit that supports Haskell Indian Nations University is seeking donations after President Donald Trump’s administration terminated 35 employees at the small college for American Indians and Alaska Natives.
In a post on its website, the Haskell Foundation said 100% of proceeds will go to its emergency fund, which would be used in part to temporarily fill vacant positions.
The foundation said it cannot permanently rehire people who were fired by the federal government.
“While (permanent rehires) idealistically would be a tremendous support, this is not a realistic goal at this time,” the foundation said in a statement. “Haskell University employees are federal employees and we are not able to circumvent the federal process.”
The firings are part of the Trump administration’s plans to make deep cuts to federal funding and the federal workforce. Thousands of primarily probationary employees at agencies like the Department of Education, IRS and Department of Veterans Affairs have been fired.
Haskell is unique from most other colleges because it’s funded and operated directly by the federal government based on U.S. trust responsibilities to Indigenous tribes. The Haskell Foundation is a nonprofit organization, though, and is broadly independent from the federal government.
Some of the donations to the emergency fund will also help provide assistance to employees who lost their jobs, ensure that remaining programs continue and support students who may be affected by federal grant freezes.
“The remaining Haskell staff are overwhelmed and reeling,” the foundation said. “In line with our mission, we are prioritizing the support of our family that remains at Haskell to help limit the effect of these disastrous orders on our students.”
Haskell was originally founded in the late 1800s as a boarding school, which the government used in an attempt to forcibly assimilate American Indians. Children were often separated from their families and prohibited from using their first language and practicing their customs. Over the decades, the school was transformed into the four-year college it is today.
“Haskell was built in 140 years,” said Angel Ahtone Elizarraras, president of student government at Haskell. “This isn’t something that just happened in a day, and it’s not something that will collapse in a day.”
Ahtone Elizarraras was among several speakers who gathered at an event in Lawrence last week to share news about the firings at Haskell and explain ways the broader community could help.
“We’re living in a transformative moment,” said Dan Wildcat, author and professor at Haskell. “Transforming into what? That’s the question.”
Wildcat spoke as a private citizen at the event, sharing some of his insight into the challenges Haskell is facing.
While Lawrence community members have been eager to volunteer, he said even volunteers at Haskell need a federal background check – something that costs the school money and time.
“On a good day, that means four to six weeks to get that completed,” Wildcat said. “I don’t know how long it’ll take since some of the people who are doing (background checks) now have been fired.”
This is far from the first time the school has faced hardship. In 2024, Haskell administrators faced scrutiny from Congress over what members described as a university that was unresponsive to student complaints.
The school has also seen a high turnover of presidents in recent years. In the span of just six years, it had eight different presidents.
But students and faculty say the community on the ground has a special bond – making the firings hit that much closer to home.
“It’s very tight-knit, it’s very community-oriented,” said Eric Anderson, a professor at Haskell who spoke as a private citizen. “And because it is so small, yes, it very much does feel like a family.”
Daniel Caudill reports on the Kansas Statehouse and government for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can email him at dcaudill@ku.edu.
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