FBI probe and oil drilling revealed DAVIS, Calif. - The closure of the American Indian two-year college D-Q University has left students occupying dorms and brought to light the university's financial crisis, a plan to drill for oil on nearby land and an FBI probe of an affiliate satellite group of Middle Eastern students after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. D-Q University's loss of accreditation and the formulation of a second board of directors, which attempted to salvage the college before giving up on it, came as students vowed to stay in the dorms while attending another college. Cindy LaMarr, chairperson of the new board, said DQU officials asked the Yolo County Sheriff to evict students who remained after the announced closure. The sheriff has so far refused the request, citing legal requirements for evictions. LaMarr said the new 13-member board of American Indian professionals consisted of five of the original board members. ''We came to assist with the problems,'' she said, adding that some DQU students reported they never received their financial aid from the previous semester. ''There was fiscal mismanagement, lack of qualified administrators, lack of adherence to standards that the Western Association of Schools and Colleges has set out. I would want a quality school for my children to attend,'' LaMarr told Indian Country Today. The new board said in a written statement that DQU's ownership of the land is in jeopardy because of fiscal mismanagement. ''We have found that a $100,000 loan was taken out that has compromised the ownership of the land; that the $800,000 endowment fund meant for student scholarships has dwindled down in the past few years to about $100,000 to pay staff salaries; that there are financial improprieties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars dealing with the federal government (DOE and BIA); and students' financial aid has not been processed timely nor properly for its students for this or previous school years.'' The Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which warned of shortfalls at the university during the past year, withdrew accreditation for DQU in January as the second semester was slated to begin. Still, LaMarr said there is a group of Indian community members fighting for a new tribal college in California which includes the involvement of tribal communities. ''We don't want to give up on the students. This is such a great group of people. We are not giving up and we want students compensated for the wrongs done to them.'' Wiyot elder Genevieve Seeley, among D-Q University's cofounders, served as a member of the DQU Board of Trustees for six years, ending in 2003. ''I'm very concerned. We went to the state attorney general and couldn't get any action,'' Seeley told ICT in an interview. Seeley said Indian students had been struggling to survive at DQU, some without transportation at the rural location and with little money for food. Seeley said the college has faced numerous problems, including maintaining the necessary 51 percent American Indian enrollment to satisfy BIA funding requirements. She said maintaining sufficient numbers of Indian students who are enrolled in federally-recognized tribes is a challenge in California, where tribes have long struggled for federal recognition and battled for survival with minimal amounts of tribally-owned land. ''Many of the students are from tribes that are not recognized.'' Further, Seeley said the college has a quagmire of problems, including university claims that it is offering classes that are never offered. ''We're hanging on by our fingernails. The money has all disappeared,'' said Seeley, who has also served as an instructor and community worker in the college's senior program. Seeley is not only concerned for the injustice done to the students and worried for their future, but has serious questions about the actions of the college's previous administrations. When the university lost its accreditation in January, the student body called for President Victor Gabriel's resignation but he refused. Gabriel could not be reached for comment by ICT and DQU offices remained closed the last week of February. The new 13-member board headed by LaMarr issued a written statement regarding the dismal situation and concluded that the new board would not continue efforts to salvage the old administration. The new board said in its statement, ''The administrators named have refused to leave the campus and have continued to disrupt and prevent progress toward resolution of the accreditation process. ''Therefore, we must regretfully withdraw our efforts towards the restoration of DQU as a viable and credible educational institution for Native students. We realize the school has reached its lowest point and concede it cannot be salvaged by us.'' DQU's accreditation was terminated, with an appeal open, by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, at its meeting Jan. 12 - 14. Seeley pointed out that the land for the college was obtained as the result of a protest and occupation, and that might need to happen again.
See earlier reports links follow:
Native American College Shut Down
D-Q University - End of the Road?
Last updated on March 05, 2005