This week The Indian Affairs/Tribal Budget Advisory Council (TBAC) meets in     Washington D.C. (not that the writers of this blog have anything against TBAC),     we must ask who is going from Haskell Indian Nations in Lawrence, Kansas and     why?

Apparently Venida Chenault (Haskell’s acting president), is going yet, she     couldn’t afford to send Janice Mendez, Haskell’s student senate president to The     American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

It could not possibly be true that George Tiger (Haskell’s current board of     regents president) is also going along on Haskell’s dime could it?

It would be strange since he hasn’t helped Haskell at all in terms of lobbying for the past     24 years that he has sat on the board.

Up until now his only exhibited interest in Haskell monies was he was pushing and shoving his way to the front of the line at the student bank to pick up his per diem.

And what about Mike Lewis, Haskell’s Accounting Specialist and self appointed     CFO who refused to release the THOUSANDS of dollars that The Creek Nation Tribe     of Oklahoma gave to Haskell Indian Nations University to be spent on programs     for Haskell's Native Students?

We repeat for PROGRAMS for STUDENTS. Did he EVER release those monies?

Would Dan Wildcat also be going? Didn’t he just get back from there?

And why not just attend this one?

Evening Tribal Caucus, Monday, August 2, 2010     LOCATION: Hard Rock Hotel, Tulsa, Oklahoma    Room Reservations phone 1-800-760-6700     Group code 080210NCAI    Deadline for group rates July 3, 2010

George Tiger could even drive from where he lives and so could the others…….

Haskell can’t send their student senate president to Washington.    Can’t feedheir students decent food, will kick students out who can’t come up with     $215.00 to pay fees, can’t get the two new BA programs going claiming     underfunding.

However, they can send these people on Haskell’s dime to watch StephanieBirdwell-Bighorn’s BORING power point presentation.

Why not wait to see it in Tulsa?

Or better yet, just have her email it to them.

Don’t they realize this is the age of the internet and everyone doesn’t have to sit in the same room to     attend a meeting?

How much total was spent on this trip? Are those records made public?

We would like to know….

Haskellnews commentary 03/15/2010