Tribal colleges throughout the nation are dealing with financial shortfalls due to lack of support from the federal government.

Tribal colleges are authorized for $6,000 per student. But the American Indian Higher Education Consortium says they are only getting $4,447 per student.

Last year, President Bush proposed only $43.4 million for tribal colleges, a reduction of $5.5 million from the previous year. Congress beefed up the request to $52.8 million but the consortium says $67 million is needed.

One college that has felt the pinch is D-Q University, the only tribal college in California. The school told students to leave, saying it was out of money. But students say they have been working to keep the place alive.

Get the Story:
Haskell not alone with budget shortfall frustrations (AP 2/7)
Student comes from reservation to Haskell (AP 2/5)
Tribal university survives (The Vacaville Reporter 2/4)

Relevant Links:
American Indian Higher Education Consortium - http://www.aihec.org
American Indian College Fund - http://collegefund.org
Tribal Colleges and Universities - http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whtc/edlite-index.html

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