A $12.5 million campus deal now faces pushback in court, according to The Citizen. The Cayuga Nation and a losing bidder want a judge to block the proposed sale of Wells College to the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge.
The Cayuga Nation questions the institute’s financing and objects to plans that would use only 20% of the campus for an Indigenous college, with the rest slated for commercial development. The institute says it secured a loan from Native American Bank.
Harriet Higgins, who pitched the Minerva Institute of Aurora, argues the college botched the bidding process. She claims she had pledged over $15 million, though court exhibits show a $5 million base offer with an escalation clause up to $7.5 million.
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