Kansas Public Radio
LAWRENCE — 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.
