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Haskell University confirms president is still under investigation

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Haskell Indian Nations University hosted its Fall Welcome Back Powwow on September 24, 2016. Photo by HINU

The leader of the Haskell Indian Nations University remains under an internal investigation, the tribal college in Kansas said on Thursday.

President Venida Chenault has been accused of nepotism because her son is employed at the federally-operated institution. A review by the Bureau of Indian Education found no wrongdoing, Haskell announced on Tuesday, The Lawrence Journal-World reported.

But the university has since confirmed that the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of the Interior has not finished its own investigation into the situation.

"Currently, we are still awaiting the issuance of a final investigation report from the Office of Inspector General regarding the complaint filed against Dr. Chenault," the statement on Thursday read.

Chenault's son is Joshua Arce, who is employed as chief information officer at Haskell. At one point, he was assigned to a higher-level position, albeit in an "acting" capacity, and even served as "acting" president when his mother was away for brief periods of time, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported last month.

Chenault and Arce are citizens of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Haskell's Facebook page features photos of the pair at numerous events, including some from earlier this year and some as far back as 2014. Their familial relationship has never been explicitly stated in the posts although their tribe pointed it out back in September 2014.

Read More on the Story:
Haskell says investigation has found nepotism complaint unsubstantiated; federal agency has not released formal findings (The Lawrence Journal-World 10/18)