The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education last month was legally compelled to publicly release an investigative report into Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) that was finished more than a year ago. Haskell, located in Lawrence, Kan., is operated by the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education. According to the investigative report, beginning in 2021 student allegations were reported to their athletic department, relayed to the school president, the BIE Director, and even the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Bryan Newland, but “did not get a response or any indication their issues would be addressed.”
The basis of student athletes’ complaints were borne from what the report found to be the wrongful termination of their cross country coach, Clay Mayes. After Mayes reported the sexual abuse of a student athlete by another coach and a claim of government property theft to his superior, Mayes was barred from contacting his athletes for five months. During that span, he was told an investigation was taking place, according to a letter the coach sent BIA director Anthony Dearman in July 2023.
But a year later, when no report was produced, Mayes reached out to a nonprofit organization that specialized in whistleblowing on government agencies, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
