Native American students at Central Michigan University hosted their annual powwow in March. Photo from Facebook

Tribes and educators are calling on Michigan to provide full funding for the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver program.

In exchange for land cessions that were used for colleges and universities, the state agreed to pay for the costs of educating Indian students. But lawmakers have not fully funded the program, forcing schools to cover the shortfalls.

“Fully funding the waiver provides an opportunity for the state to make good on what it promised to do,” Aaron Payment, the chairman of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, told The Detroit News.

According to the paper, the program needed $8.5 million last year but the state only allocated $3.3 million. The 15 public institutions in the state had to use $5.2 million in their own funds to make up for the discrepancy.

Get the Story:
Michigan underfunds Native American tuition program (The Detroit News 8/12)

Related Stories:
Letter: Indian tuition waiver not a treaty right (6/16)
Michigan lawmaker seeks to end tribal tuition waiver (6/3)