Budget cut endangers Ft. Lewis tuition waiver

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Native American's have been the beneficiaries of a 1911 treaty between Colorado and the federal government, according to historical documents.

Colorado received 6,318 acres, which were formally Ute tribal land, from the federal government. Fort Lewis College was built on those lands and as part of the agreement Native Americans were to be admitted to school "free of tuition."

Currently 758 Native American students, of which 309 are Navajo, attend Fort Lewis College.

At stake is a proposed bill in the Colorado Legislature that would essentially cut Fort Lewis College's budget by $1.8 million, which is about the sum of money the state paid for out-of-state tuition waivers last year.

"The bill isn't intended to move away from the treaty," said Rep. Karen Middleton D-Aurora.

Previous reports have implied that the passage of the bill would halt the free tuition waiver.

Middleton said that she is pushing the bill more as a budget cut rather than removing the Native American tuition waiver and that all Colorado higher education institutions are facing budget cuts.

Nonetheless Fort Lewis College spokesperson Mitch Davis said the college feels singled out because the cut involves the tuition waiver.

"Technically she's correct. The state will continue to offer free tuition for Native American students at Fort Lewis College," Davis said. "What we take exception to is that Fort Lewis College is being singled out because we have a waiver. If we didn't have a waiver we wouldn't be facing a $1.8 million cut.

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"We don't feel it's fair to be punished for upholding a promise the state made to the federal government," Davis said.

Davis added that the cuts would have to come from elsewhere in the school's budget.

Middleton said Fort Lewis College is reimbursed for tuition waiver costs and agrees that the Native American tuition waiver will still be available to future students.

However, the waiver does cost the state money.

"Because this is a state school, we are providing other states support plus we are charging ourselves out of state tuition rates," she said.

In a document supporting the budget cuts, Fort Lewis College reimbursement requests stemming from the waiver have risen 60 percent since 2005. The tuition waiver cost the state $6.4 million in 2005 and $10.7 million this fiscal year. And in a time of budget crunches nationwide, Middleton looks to cut some the college's money.

"If anything, I feel like we're doing the right thing," she said saying other Colorado colleges are adversely effected by Fort Lewis College's budgetary circumstances.

But the waiver has more implications to the Native American students than just free education.

Alray Nelson, 24, Diné, a student at Fort Lewis College and creator of the Students for the Native American Tuition group, says the waiver is part of a "sacred trust" that stems from the historical background of the college.

Nelson organized a forum Wednesday at the Native American Center so students would gain a better understanding of what's being proposed in the Colorado Legislature.

He said more than 300 people attended the town hall style forum and that he plans to organize a rally at Colorado's state Legislature when Middleton's bill goes to committee.

Moreover Nelson said the tuition waiver is responsible for his higher education experience.

"I can't afford to go to any other university," he said in a phone interview.

Nelson said his humble upbringings in Ganado, Ariz., limited his choices in universities because of costs. Moreover, he said his sister who is in high school is considering Fort Lewis College because of the tuition waiver.

But not every Navajo student says the tuition waiver was fundamental to their choosing of Fort Lewis College over another school.

Savanna Spurlock, 24, from White Cone, Ariz., said that the reason why she attended Fort Lewis College was because it was the first school to accept her as a student.

"I didn't know where I was going to go to school at. I got accepted (to Fort Lewis College) and that's what made my decision," she said in a phone interview.

However, as a Native American student she feels singled out by Middleton's proposed legislation because it targets funding stemming from the waiver, she said.

"In a way it seems like they are singling us out," she said adding that sometimes non-Native students become upset when they find out Native Americans have a tuition waiver.

Though the tuition waiver didn't play a part in decisions early in her collegiate career she said she is thankful the waiver is in place because she has friends who've had to put their college schooling on hold because of tuition costs.

Nonetheless the bill could affect more than just the Native American population at Fort Lewis College, said Yvonne Bilinki, director of the Native American Center.

She said the cuts could hurt instruction and programs that help all students, adding that Middleton's push to change words regarding the Native American tuition is "semantics."

"What's the difference between tuition waiver cut and budget cuts? It would effect all of Fort Lewis," Bilinki said.

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