SW Arkansas Times

This week, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman and Ranking Member Raul Grijalva addressed a letter to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and United States Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. The correspondence focuses on ongoing investigations into alleged misconduct at Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU).

The letter highlights concerns regarding the Bureau of Indian Education's (BIE) handling of allegations at HINU. "Assistant Secretary Newland’s testimony notes that the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) responded to allegations of misconduct and inappropriate behavior at HINU in late fall and early winter of 2021 by referring the allegations to USPS [National EEO Investigative Services Office] NEEOISO," it states. However, it also points out that similar issues have been under investigation by the Department of the Interior's Office of Inspector General (DOI OIG) since 2018.

The committee seeks clarity on several fronts, including the scope and process for outsourcing investigations to NEEOISO by DOI, how information from these investigations is shared with DOI OIG and Congress, and the roles played by various DOI offices in this process. They have requested a joint briefing from DOI and USPS regarding their agreement and related matters.

Haskell Indian Nations University has faced longstanding issues with mismanagement, misconduct, and retaliation against students and employees. A joint investigation was initiated during the 118th Congress by the House Committee on Natural Resources alongside the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. This included a hearing held on July 23, 2024, featuring testimonies from former faculty members like Dr. Ronald Graham.

The investigation revealed significant oversight failures by BIE that allowed alleged misconduct such as payroll fraud, embezzlement, employee retaliation, mishandling sexual assault incidents, non-compliance with federal background checks, among other issues. The current inquiry into HINU includes examining how reported misconduct was handled by BIE before being referred to USPS's National Equal Employment Opportunity Investigative Services Office.