Some of Churchill 's Native American critics , such as Vernon Bellecourt ( White Earth Ojibwe ) and Suzan Shown Harjo ( Southern Cheyenne @-@ Muscogee Creek ) , argue that his assertion of Native American ancestry without the ability to prove it might constitute misrepresentation and grounds for termination . The University has said that it does not hire on the basis of ethnicity . The University of Colorado 's Research Misconduct Committee conducted a preliminary investigation into whether Churchill misrepresented his ethnicity to " add credibility and public acceptance to his scholarship . " The committee concluded that the allegation was not " appropriate for further investigation under the definition of research misconduct . "