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The Trump administration layoffs of the federal workforce have reached almost every corner of the government, including professors and athletic coaches at the federally funded Indian Nations University in Kansas. NPR's Becky Sullivan reports.
BECKY SULLIVAN, BYLINE: It's been a turbulent month for Adam Strom. He's the head coach of the women's basketball team at Haskell Indian Nations University, one of only two post-secondary schools in the U.S. operated by the Federal Bureau of Indian Education. Last month, Strom got an ominous invitation from his boss.
ADAM STROM: I was called into his office. He closed the door and said, you're on a list, which is a executive order via Trump administration and immediate termination.
(SOUNDBITE OF BASKETBALLS BOUNCING)
SULLIVAN: It was Trump's executive order implementing DOGE's workplace optimization initiative - directed all federal agencies to undertake large-scale reductions in force. And the Bureau of Indian Education laid off probationary employees, including Strom.
STROM: There was a sense of embarrassment, like, you know, I'm an employee. Like, you know, I haven't done anything wrong, but I lost my job.
SULLIVAN: And it wasn't just Strom. At Haskell, about three dozen employees lost their jobs, from the dean of students to custodial staff. Add in some resignations, and in total, Haskell lost about a quarter of all of its employees.
BO SCHNEIDER: Add - you know, add to the list of broken out promises, I feel like.
SULLIVAN: This is Bo Schneider, the president of the Board of Trustees of the Haskell Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the university. He explains Haskell, like many other federal services for Native Americans, isn't like other government programs or some kind of diversity initiative. Rather, he says, the U.S. government has legal obligations that come from treaties struck with Indian tribal nations.
SCHNEIDER: Part of those treaties, oftentimes, were requests to cede land or to relocate to other land in exchange for, you know, guarantee of, you know, health care, education.
SULLIVAN: These treaty obligations are the basis of a new federal lawsuit challenging the layoffs. Among the plaintiffs are four Haskell students who say instructors for classes they need for their degrees were laid off, and their financial aid has been delayed. If the cuts aren't reversed, the lawsuit warns, Haskell could be at risk of losing its accreditation. The federal government has not yet responded to the lawsuit. Sophomore Alyona Spoonhunter, who isn't involved in the lawsuit, says it's all been an emotional roller coaster.
ALYONA SPOONHUNTER: Being a Native American woman, it's like, we could never win, even though we are basically winning 'cause we're still living to this day.
SULLIVAN: Spoonhunter is a center on the basketball team. She grew up on a couple of different reservations, never quite fitting in. She says being at Haskell among a student body of other Natives, all from different backgrounds, has helped her to see more possibilities for what her life could look like.
SPOONHUNTER: There's comments saying, like, the school should be shut down, which is ridiculous 'cause, like, we're just proof we're still here, you know?
SULLIVAN: And of course, the women's basketball season isn't over just yet. It's March. It's tournament time.
(SOUNDBITE OF SNEAKERS SQUEAKING)
SULLIVAN: The Haskell Fighting Indians overcame the odds to earn a spot in the NAIA Championship tournament. They play Friday, and they'll be big underdogs as a 16 seed facing the top-ranked defending champions.
STROM: Let's bring it in one step closer, OK?
(SOUNDBITE OF BASKETBALLS BOUNCING)
SULLIVAN: On the court, there's a feeling of the players against the world. They're a team of Native Americans pushing back on what they feel is the latest in a long history of injustices.
STROM: A dream by yourself is simply a dream, OK? A dream together is a reality.
SULLIVAN: After he was laid off, Coach Strom decided to stay on as a volunteer and work without pay to be there for his players through the end of the season. Last Friday, as the team huddled after practice, he had good news to share.
STROM: Speaking of dreams and realities, I received an email today, and my dream became a reality.
SULLIVAN: About a third of the laid-off staff members at Haskell were asked to return to their jobs.
STROM: All right. The subject line said, cancellation of termination.
(APPLAUSE)
SULLIVAN: There are 20 or so staff members who have not been reinstated. The Haskell Foundation has raised more than $160,000 to help pay for temporary contracts to employ them through the end of the semester.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Family on three. One, two three...
UNIDENTIFIED BASKETBALL PLAYERS: Family.
(SOUNDBITE OF BASKETBALLS BOUNCING)
SULLIVAN: Strom's job is no sure thing. Some federal workers have been fired after being reinstated.
STROM: Every practice, every game, every day, like, I wanted to be the best version of myself. I didn't want to coach these ladies like a volunteer. I wanted to coach them like a professional they deserve.
(SOUNDBITE OF SNEAKERS SQUEAKING)
SULLIVAN: Strom isn't looking for another more stable job right now, he says. He'd rather be here with his players than anywhere else. Becky Sullivan, NPR 瓜神app, Lawrence, Kansas. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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