DURANGO, CO - U.S. Representative John Salazar (D-CO) spoke to members of the Fort Lewis College, Native American, Durango and La Plata County communities at the College’s Student Union Addition Grand Opening ceremony. The ceremony took place at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday in the Union’s new Animas Lounge.

The congressman was present to speak about the legislation, H.R. 5974, that he introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives on August 3, 2010. The legislation would change the way the Native American Tuition Waiver at Fort Lewis College is funded.

Currently, the state of Colorado is responsible for paying the tuition for all Native American students that attend Fort Lewis. If this new legislation passes, the bill states that it would “direct the Secretary of Education to pay to Fort Lewis College in the State of Colorado an amount equal to the tuition charges for Indian students who are not residents of the State of Colorado.” In short, the aim is to divide the cost of the Native American Tuition Waiver, with Colorado paying for resident students and the U.S. Department of Education paying for non-resident students. The goal is to not cut into other Native American funding the federal government provides.

Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Mark Udall (D-CO) introduced companion legislation into the U.S. Senate on August 6, 2010.

Representative Salazar was introduced by his friend, former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Senator Campbell is a longtime supporter of Fort Lewis College, as well as Rep. Salazar’s legislation.

“One of the issues that we’re facing across the entire state of Colorado is state funding of public education,” said Representative Salazar.

Over the last 25 years, Colorado has spent more than $110 million on the Native American Tuition Waiver. This has led some state legislators to challenge the amount that is paid for the waiver. The most recent challenge came in January 2010 when a bill was introduced in the state legislature that would have reduced the funding that Colorado paid to Fort Lewis College for the waiver. The funding reduction bill was withdrawn from consideration.

The justification for Representative Salazar’s legislation is two-fold. First, the cost of the tuition waiver has far surpassed the monetary value of the land in Hesperus, CO, that was given to Colorado in exchange for tuition-free education for Native Americans. The Hesperus land, called the Old Fort Lewis property, is valued today at approximately $19 million, a small amount when compared to the $110 million that Colorado has paid in the last quarter century.

Second, the benefits of educating Native American students reach beyond just the borders of Colorado. In fall 2009, 608 non-resident Native American students attended Fort Lewis College compared to 130 resident students. Upon graduating, many of those non-resident students return to their home states and reservations where they put their education to work. As the benefits of an educated Native American community extend beyond Colorado, so should the cost of offering a tuition-free education to those Native American students.

“One of the things we wanted to do is try to make the feds responsible for the out-of-state tuition portion, $10 million a year,” the congressman explained. “We’ve introduced this legislation. I think it’s time for the federal government to start paying their fair share of tuition.”

The bill introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives is co-sponsored by Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO), Rep. Betsey Markey (D-CO), Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM).


Fort Lewis College and Native American Education Today

Thanks to the Native American Tuition Waiver and the exceptional educational experience offered at Fort Lewis College, the number of Native Americans taking advantage of the waiver has continued to increase over the years. In fall 2009, 738 Native American students attended the College.


A few noteworthy statistics:

·         Fort Lewis College confers more bachelor’s degrees upon Native American students than any other bachelor’s degree-granting institution in the country.

·         In fall 2009, approximately 20 percent of the Fort Lewis College student body was Native American. Members of over 120 tribes from 44 states were represented in the student body.

·         In 2009, Fort Lewis College awarded science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees to 95 Native American students. This number represents approximately 10 percent of the total number of STEM degrees awarded to Native American students in the entire United States.



History of the Native American Tuition Waiver at Fort Lewis College

The Native American Tuition Waiver at Fort Lewis College dates back 100 years to an agreement between the federal government and the state of Colorado. The Old Fort Lewis property in Hesperus, CO, was home to a military post and Indian boarding school, both operated by the federal government, until 1910 when the land was offered to Colorado. If Colorado chose to accept the land, the state would need to follow two conditions.

The two conditions, as stated in the 1910 agreement (36 Stat. 273, chapter 140) that officially offered the land, are (1) “…That said lands and buildings shall be held and maintained by the State of Colorado as an institution of learning…” and (2) “…that Indian pupils shall at all times be admitted to such school free of charge for tuition and on terms of equality with white pupils…”

In short, Colorado would get the land and keep it as an “institution of learning” and Native American students would be offered a tuition-free education and be treated equally with other students.

After choosing to accept the land, Colorado opened an agricultural high school in 1911. Almost two decades later, the high school became a junior college before moving to Durango in 1956 and evolving into a four-year institution. In 1964, the college officially adopted the name of Fort Lewis College.