'Dire effects': How federal cuts at tribal colleges leave students 'scared and worried'
WASHINGTON ‒ Kaiya Brown was on her way to English composition class at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute last month when she noticed the first empty offices.
Later that morning, the 19-year-old freshman walked by another office with its lights off and door closed, then past the bare cubicles – all signs that some staffers at her tribal community college in Albuquerque were no longer there.
“That’s when it really hit me,” recalled Brown of Indian Wells, Arizona and a member of the Navajo Nation. “I thought, ‘Oh, my God, they really are gone.’”
Brown and hundreds of students at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) and Haskell Indian Nations University, the only two tribal colleges entirely funded and operated by the Bureau of Indian Education, returned to school after the Presidents' Day weekend to find more than a quarter of the schools’ workers had been fired. The move was part of a sweep by the Trump administration to get rid of thousands of federal government workers.
The firings at the tribal colleges included instructors, administrators, security guards, coaches, custodians and food service workers. While some workers have recently been promised their jobs back, the shakeup has disrupted learning on both campuses.
“Students were telling us they felt scared and worried,” said Jacqueline De León, senior staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund, a nonprofit that provides legal assistance to Native American tribes, organizations and individuals. “There’s dire effects of the first round of cuts.”
De León and advocates worry there could more cuts and not just impacting Native American education.
In the wake of those cuts, the fund filed a lawsuit on behalf of Brown and others. Native students and advocates have urged Congress to restore those positions saying they are critical to running the schools and help fulfill the federal government’s decades old promise to provide education to Native Americans.
“Education is the Native American’s way of trying to help better the lives of their children,’’ said Sue Parton, president of the Federation of Indian Service Employees, which is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers.
'It broke my heart'
On Valentine’s Day workers at the two schools funded and run by the Bureau of Indian Education learned they were fired and had two hours to pack and leave.
It was the middle of the semester. Some midterms were scheduled for upcoming days.
Ella Bowen, a freshman at Haskell and a member of Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan, who is part of the lawsuit, said the cuts hurt especially because instructors are so connected to students at the close-knit university.
"When they were taken away from us it really felt like they ripped our family away," said Bowen, whose academic advisor was fired. "It was just scary not knowing who was next.“
The Trump administration has argued the federal government is bloated and has taken steps to eliminate tens of thousands of jobs, through its Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk.
College officials referred questions to the Bureau of Indian Education. In a statement, bureau officials said probationary workers ‒ which includes staff who were recently hired or promoted ‒ will be reinstated in compliance with court orders.
Federal judges earlier this month ordered six agencies, including the Department of the Interior, which oversees the bureau, to reinstate fired probationary employees.
“All impacted employees will receive back pay, and the Department of Interior will ensure continued compensation as the White House pursues its appeals process,’’ according to the statement.
Nearly 40 fired workers at Haskell had been on probation and 19 at SIPI, Parton said. She said some called the firings ‘‘The Valentine's Day Massacre.’’
In a letter to Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Democratic congressional lawmakers urged them not to cut federal funding to tribal communities, including the two colleges.
Parton, a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, had taught for decades at SIPI. She said the union is sharing information about the lawsuit and offering trauma counseling.
“The nervousness and the stress and the anxiety of continuing to work at those two schools or any other government agency is very high,’’ said Parton.
Thomas De Pree, an environmental science instructor at SIPI who was among those fired, said he didn’t get a chance to say farewell to all his students.
“It broke my heart to see them in tears, not knowing whether they would have class next week or what the fate of their program would be," he wrote to Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a Democrat from New Mexico.
Native American education long overfunded
De León said the federal government violated the law by failing to consult with tribal nations before making cuts to the colleges.
“These education institutions arise because there were bargains struck long ago where the federal government agreed to, in part, provide education to Native Americans in exchange for vast swaths of land," she said.
As part of those agreements, the federal government must consult with tribal communities before changes are made to colleges, including staffing, De León said. “That process was completely ignored and wasn’t done."
Advocates also argue tribal colleges and Native American education overall have long been underfunded and understaffed.
The cuts only exacerbated some problems, students and advocates said.
Without enough staff, there have been complaints about trash overflowing. And with fewer custodians, students were sometimes cleaning restrooms. Offices and services were closed. Some students, worried there may be more cuts, are transferring to other colleges.
Still, some instructors and a women's basketball coach have shown up even though they weren’t getting paid. "We have such a strong spirit at our school," Brown said.
Despite the reinstatement of some positions, De León said the Native American Rights Fund will continue with its lawsuit. She said there's no guarantee workers will keep their jobs after the spring semester.
Bowen said she's worried about the future of Indian Country if its education funding is cut. "It's just scary knowing that our education seems like it's not that important to the government."
'It's brought so much stress'
Weeks after the cuts some students are still traumatized, Brown said. Uncertainty is the topic of daily conversations on campus.
“We just can’t help but talk about it," said Brown, who is double-majoring in in early childhood education and liberal arts. “It’s brought so much stress to my life.”
Brown plans to hold a healing circle for herself and her peers to share their feelings. She said it’s also important to recognize their strengths as Indigenous people.
“I'm listening to my elders and reaching into myself,'' said Brown, who hopes to become a social worker and return to her reservation. “I don't have the most strength out of everyone. I don't have the biggest voice. But you know, this lawsuit has been a way for me to be able to speak up for my community."
Contributing: Joey Garrison
Follow Deborah Berry on X at @dberrygannett and on Bluesky at @dberryjourno.bsky.social