{"id":8479,"date":"2021-03-03T11:33:41","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T16:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=8479"},"modified":"2021-03-03T11:33:41","modified_gmt":"2021-03-03T16:33:41","slug":"tribal-college-student-sues-haskell-university-over-freedom-of-the-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/03\/tribal-college-student-sues-haskell-university-over-freedom-of-the-press\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribal college student sues Haskell University over freedom of the press"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_youtu-be\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/oZRwcqXeJRI\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/31\/maxresdefault-407.jpg\" alt=\"Student journalist SUES his university\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/oZRwcqXeJRI\">\n\t\t\tStudent journalist SUES his university\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/oZRwcqXeJRI\">\n\t\t\t<p>Learn more at https:\/\/TheFIRE.org\/Spotlight\u200bLike FIRE on Facebook: http:\/\/facebook.com\/TheFIREorg\u200bFollow FIRE on Twitter: http:\/\/twitter.com\/TheFIREorgJared &#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/s\/desktop\/9f244442\/img\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"YouTube\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tYouTube\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE): <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/oZRwcqXeJRI>Student journalist sues Haskell Indian Nations University<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Tribal college student sues Haskell University over freedom of the press<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Wednesday, March 3, 2021<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk<\/A> <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe country\u2019s oldest Native   student newspaper is again fighting to protect its press freedom.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nJared Nally, the editor-in-chief for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theindianleader.com\/\">The Indian Leader<\/a>, which serves students at Haskell Indian Nations University, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/haskell.indianleader\/\">Indian Leader Association<\/a> filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging the university\u2019s president, Ronald Graham, violated Nally\u2019s First Amendment free speech and the newspaper\u2019s free press rights by trying to stop Nally from writing stories that Graham considered disrespectful to the university and its staff.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nNally, a 27-year-old citizen of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamination.com\/\">Miami Tribe<\/a> of Oklahoma, and the Indian Leader Association <a href=https:\/\/www.thefire.org\/lawsuit-student-reporter-sues-university-president-for-forbidding-journalism\/>filed the lawsuit before the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThis is a public interest case,\u201d Nally told Indianz.Com. \u201cI\u2019m not the only plaintiff here. The decisions from the court case affects \u2026 the free speech rights of students nationwide. This sets precedence, and specifically this sets precedence in Indian Country and in BIE (Bureau of Indian Education)-operated schools.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<figure>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" data-attachment-id=\"8481\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/03\/tribal-college-student-sues-haskell-university-over-freedom-of-the-press\/jarednally\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/03\/jarednally.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,800\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1613990011&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"jarednally\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Gary Rohman \/ FIRE&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/03\/jarednally-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/03\/jarednally.jpg\" alt=\"jarednally\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8481\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Jared Nally. Photo by <a href=https:\/\/www.thefire.org\/photos-of-haskell-plaintiff-jared-nally\/>Gary Rohman \/ FIRE<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nFounded in 1884, Haskell is one of two post-secondary education institutions in the country that the BIE operates. The other is the Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nGraham did not respond to a request from Indianz.Com Tuesday to comment about Nally\u2019s lawsuit, and Klarissa Jensen, a spokesperson for the BIE, declined to comment. The BIE is part of the <a href=https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/>Department of the Interior<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe Department does not comment on matters in active litigation,\u201d she said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nNally and the Indian Leader Association, which serves as the governing body for The Indian Leader student newspaper, filed their lawsuit with the help of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a nonprofit dedicated to defending the rights of students and faculty at U.S. colleges and universities.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIn addition to seeking damages for Graham\u2019s alleged efforts to silence Nally as a student journalist, the lawsuit also seeks damages for Haskell\u2019s decision to withhold nearly $10,000 of funding from the student newspaper and its refusal to revise its student code of conduct to protect student free speech.\r\n<p><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-pdfemb-pdf-embedder-viewer\"><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/03\/jarednallyvhaskell.pdf\" class=\"pdfemb-viewer\" style=\"\" data-width=\"max\" data-height=\"max\" data-toolbar=\"both\" data-toolbar-fixed=\"on\">jarednallyvhaskell<\/a><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe dispute began October 16, 2020, when Graham sent a letter to Nally <a href=https:\/\/najanewsroom.com\/2020\/10\/26\/naja-calls-on-haskell-university-to-stop-threatening-student-reporters-respect-press-freedom\/>accusing him of attacking Haskell employees and contacting police<\/a> in Lawrence, Kansas, where Haskell is situated, seeking information about a university employee who had died.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nGraham instructed Nally to refrain from requesting information from government agencies and demanded that he treat Haskell staff with the \u201chighest respect\u201d or face disciplinary action.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe letter followed the publication of several articles written by Nally, including news stories that criticized the university\u2019s eviction of a student who was critical of university faculty and the university\u2019s decision to increase student fees.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nLast October, the  <a href=https:\/\/najanewsroom.com\/>Native American Journalists Association<\/a>, Student Press Law Center and FIRE wrote to Haskell, demanding that the university rescind its threats and reminding university leadership that they can be held personally and financially responsible for threatening freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Graham failed to respond for nearly three months, during which time Nally labored under the threat of punishment, according to the lawsuit.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_twitter-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheFIREorg\/status\/1366769883296456705\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/plugins\/content-cards\/skins\/default\/content-cards-placeholder.png\" alt=\"\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheFIREorg\/status\/1366769883296456705\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheFIREorg\/status\/1366769883296456705\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/\/abs.twimg.com\/favicons\/twitter.3.ico\" alt=\"X (formerly Twitter)\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tX (formerly Twitter)\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOn January 13, a counsel for BIE responded, saying Graham had <a href=https:\/\/najanewsroom.com\/2021\/01\/21\/haskell-president-rescinds-directive-that-violated-student-press-freedom\/>rescinded his directive<\/a> to Nally and that Graham had attempted to notify Nally of that fact but his undated letter was never sent due to an unexplained \u201cadministrative error.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cAs a direct and proximate cause of Defendants\u2019 actions, Nally has suffered harm to his ability to effectively serve as editor-in-chief and the Indian Leader Association has suffered harm to its ability to serve as a campus watchdog and report on the news,\u201d the lawsuit alleges.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe lawsuit also claims that Haskell administrators repeatedly ignored Nally\u2019s requests to recognize the newspaper as an official student organization. Without this recognition, the paper does not have an official adviser, cannot receive full funding and does not have regular, reliable access to its student bank account. Haskell withheld more than $10,000 in funds from the paper without any notice or explanation.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe lawsuit also criticizes Haskell for implementing a student code of conduct that only permits speech that is consistent with the university\u2019s values.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cHaskell is making it very clear that they put institutional reputation above student rights,\u201d said FIRE attorney Katlyn Patton.\r\n<p><\/p><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nFIRE sent Graham another letter on January 19, calling on him to address the code of conduct provision that violates the First Amendment. An attorney for the federal government responded, saying that the policy was \u201cunder review.\u201d In the meantime, Haskell allegedly uploaded a new version of the code of conduct to its website that still unconstitutionally limits student expression.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThis isn\u2019t the first time Haskell administrators have been accused of disregarding student free speech and free press rights.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIn 1988, administrators temporarily shut down publication of The Indian Leader following critical coverage. The next year, a faculty adviser wrested editorial control from the students, causing several editors to sue the university.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHaskell settled the suit with a 1989 agreement promising not to impose any \u201cprior restraint or censorship\u201d on The Indian Leader, inhibit student journalists\u2019 free expression, or refuse requests to access the newspaper\u2019s funding.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cHistory repeats itself, and if a lawsuit is what it took for Haskell to respect student rights in 1989, then a lawsuit is what they\u2019re getting in 2021,\u201d <a href=https:\/\/www.thefire.org\/lawsuit-student-reporter-sues-university-president-for-forbidding-journalism\/>said FIRE Vice President of Litigation<\/a> Darpana Sheth. \u201cAnd if they continue to not live up to their obligations under the Constitution, that\u2019s what they\u2019ll get again.\u201d","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The country\u2019s oldest Native student newspaper is again fighting to protect its press freedom.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,13,1],"tags":[117,52,118,121,1236,1237,835,511,243,237,1238,165],"class_list":["post-8479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-law","category-national","tag-bia","tag-bie","tag-doi","tag-employment","tag-haskell","tag-jared-nally","tag-kansas","tag-law-enforcement","tag-media","tag-naja","tag-ronald-graham","tag-tribal-colleges","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/03\/jarednally.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-2cL","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}