SW Arkansas Times

Today, a letter was sent to Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Bryan Newland and Director of the Bureau of Indian Education Tony Dearman by House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Chairman Burgess Owens, and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Paul Gosar. The letter is part of an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct at Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU).

The letter expressed concerns over the Bureau of Indian Education's failure to enforce regular background checks for members of the Haskell National Board of Regents. These checks are required by Personnel Security regulations for Bureau Operated Schools. A joint hearing held by the committees on July 23, 2024, titled “Investigating How the Biden Administration Ignored Cries for Help from Students at Haskell Indian Nations University,” included testimony from former HINU President Dr. Ronald Graham.

Dr. Graham testified that upon starting his presidency in February 2020, he discovered in May 2020 that mandatory background checks had not been conducted for ten years or more. He noted that when BIE eventually conducted these investigations in 2020, it revealed "three Regents who failed to pass, at least one of whom was a convicted felon."

HINU stands as the sole four-year university operated by BIE with federal support from BIA. Its student body includes individuals from federally recognized tribes across the country.

There have been long-standing issues at HINU related to mismanagement and misconduct. In November 2018, a report by the Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General highlighted serious allegations including sexual assault, bullying, nepotism, favoritism towards employees, and fraud. Following this report's release, complaints about misconduct have reportedly increased. Leadership turnover has been frequent with Frank Arpan being named as its eighth president in six years.

Despite Secretary Haaland’s historic position as the first Indigenous female cabinet member and her focus on native communities' transformation, malfeasance has persisted at HINU. In 2022, BIE investigated reports of misconduct which resulted in an Administrative Investigation Report detailing significant abuse and misconduct allegations.

The House Committees involved continue their oversight efforts regarding these issues while seeking additional information from those connected to them.