CADEN HAYNOR / NEWS EDITOR

CONNOR DUFFEY / ASST. NEWS EDITOR

USD’s tribal liaison position is vacant as of Sept. 2025. The former Tribal Liaison, Sahmie S. Wytewa, left the office, which is housed within the Center for Cultural Development. 

For The USD Vista article “Sacred Kumeyaay monument destroyed,” published on April 29, 2026, The USD Vista contacted Jesse Mills, PhD, the Chair of the ethnic studies department, to assess the repercussions of the destruction and received information describing how he found out about the absence of a liaison and the difficulty there is in finding a new one.

“I  was  just over in the office of the tribal liaison, and apparently they quit last   year and  USD  hasn’t  been  able  to   hire a  new one,  which,    you  know, raises some questions about representation,” Mills said. “It’s just the Native American aspect, it’s tough to find someone who might have more relevant pertinent experience.”

The USD Vista contacted a USD Public Affairs representative and the Office of Tribal Liaison related to this event. The Public Affairs team confirmed the absence of a leader in the office of the Tribal Liaison and did not answer questions related  to  the  absence.

“Unfortunately, the person who would be able to answer these  questions  is  out of the office for several weeks,” the Public Affairs representative stated.

Based on USD’s official description of the office on the website, the Tribal Liaison has multiple responsibilities. Their job is to support Native American and Indigenous students, build relationships with local tribal nations, provide cultural education and programming, advise on Indigenous representation and inclusion and coordinate within the Center for Inclusion and Diversity.

Wytewa, who is a member of the Hopi Tribe in Arizona, was the second person to fill the position since its inception and joined USD in 2022. 

Mills described the importance of the tribal liaison position. 

“The tribal liaison is an absolutely critical position,” Mills said. “Ethnic studies was a part of the group that organized to help create the position many years ago. Native students definitely need representation and support at the administrative level here on campus, but the campus has so many missed opportunities to better the kind of government relationships with the native nations, right they’re sovereign nations… the tribal liaison has this important role of being a combination of working on campus with Native and non-Native students to further the positive outcomes and environment, right, for Native students. but also to be that connection, that grounding anchor to work with our tribes, our local tribes, Kumeyai tribes, as well as our urban Indian population.”

Despite  the  absence of a Tribal Liaison, events for Indigenous students continued this year.

The Office of the Tribal Liaison has been vacant for the entire spring semester. Hailey Howell/The USD Vista