EDITORIAL: Lansing, keep your promise
Michigan’s Indian Tuition Waiver was enacted in Public Act 174 of 1976 and waives the tuition costs for eligible Native Americans who attend the state’s community colleges or public universities. The program was created as part of a land exchange agreement between state and federal lawmakers.
The problem is, state legislators have never held up their end of the bargain. In fact, they’ve tried to end the program several times over the past few decades.
Last year, Central Michigan University has paid more than $1 million to support this underfunded state mandate so Native American students can attend classes here. All of Michigan's state-funded universities must pick up the difference.
This is unacceptable.
State legislators need to keep their original decades-old promise made to Native American people.
Michigan Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter, R-Mount Pleasant, said the state has "saved" the program from being cut altogether. That’s beside the point. Threats of defunding the tuition waiver shouldn't have been made to begin with. The lack of will to fund this program just demonstrates further a lack of concern for Native American people and reflects generations of indifference for not making their needs a priority. It also reflects a loathesome truth about our elected officials in Lansing – when left to do what is clearly the right thing, they often fail the people of Michigan spectacularly.
Frank Cloutier, director of public relations for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, questioned why the state underfunds its own program. We think we understand. The truth is state legislators have been hacking away to the higher education budget for years. Passing this cost on to universities is just more insult to injury – making universities uphold their agreement. Last year, Michigan's public universities spent $4.7 million to subsidize tuition for Native American students. The state only allocated $3.8 million for the $8.5 million program, according to the Associated Press.
While big businesses continue to get tax breaks, higher ed continues to lose ground in Lansing.
Because Mount Pleasant has such strong ties to its Native American community, CMU sees one of the highest needs for the state to assist on a program it created. In 2014, Michigan appropriated only $250,122 to CMU to pay for the tuition of 227 Native American students. The university pays more than four times this contribution.
While state funding for this program is expected to increase next year according to the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, we believe any assistance from the state will not be adequate until Native American tuition is 100 percent paid for through state-appropriated funds. The program is needed by to Native American communities, who have already seen the benefits of having more educated and motivated leaders.
Michigan must honor its relationship with the Native American community. Going back on a promise is an injustice to a people who have already faced too many in the U.S.
