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Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
'Utterly chilling': IU professor sanctioned over Indiana's intellectual diversity law
Indiana University has sanctioned an outspoken professor at its Bloomington campus after finding an anonymous complaint about his classroom conduct had merit — likely making him the first professor to be punished under Indiana's new intellectual diversity law enacted last year. However, Germanic studies professor Ben Robinson told IndyStar that he believes the university did not conduct an investigation to uphold its sanctions. And considering some odd circumstances in his case, he said, he's concerned the university is making an example out of him. "There's no reference to any sort of discovery process whatsoever," he said. "It was clearly a hastily and thoughtlessly written, anonymous complaint in a reporting system that had no consequences. ... It was elevated into an SEA 202 complaint." IU policy on reviewing such complaints states the university will conduct a investigation if a preliminary review found the complaint had merit. It's unclear if this step was taken before Robinson was sanctioned. The complaint lodged against Robinson is one of at least 14 grievances investigated in the state so far. It's unclear whether disciplinary action has been taken in most of those cases. Under Senate Enrolled Act 202, a professor must embrace free expression and "intellectual diversity," while not lecturing about political views unrelated to their field. The law requires those qualities to be considered during tenure review and creates a mechanism for students to report professors. After a "thorough review," Rick Van Kooten, executive dean of IU's College of Arts and Sciences, found the complaint reflected that the professor conflated "personal life experiences, academic scholarship and pedagogical practice" in violation of SEA 202, according to the five-page disciplinary letter. "This blurring of roles compromises the integrity of the classroom environment and risks confusing or alienating students," the letter reads. "While this is a matter of degree, it serves as a formal warning to Prof. Robinson to exercise greater care in ensuring that personal experiences and opinions do not unduly influence his pedagogy." IU spokesperson Mark Bode said the university does not comment on personnel matters. He did not respond to an IndyStar question about whether it conducted an investigation. The complaint against Robinson was filed last year and cited classroom comments he made about the university restricting free speech rights, times he's been arrested while protesting, and his views regarding the state of Israel. "He has used class time to say that the university is restricting people's free speech. He has talked about being arrested during class time several times," the complaint reads. "He talks negatively about the state of Israel and describes the war in untrue and unfair ways." Robinson has been a vocal critic of the IU administration, including its now-struck-down expressive activities policy, and was arrested during the Bloomington campus' Palestine solidarity encampment in spring 2024. He has also been the target of external "watchdog" groups seeking to publicize and condemn political activities of faculty. The professor said he plans to fight the sanction. According to the letter, he can request a campus Faculty Board of Review to investigate whether university officials have infringed on his right to academic freedom. The complaint isn't valid, Robinson asserts, both because of its anonymity and its origin. According to IU policy, a SEA 202 complaint will only be considered if it is submitted by a student or university employee; the policy does not specify protocol for anonymous complaints. In his letter, Van Kooten said the complainant was "very likely a student" in Robinson's class. Also, the complaint was not initially submitted to the student reporting system intended for "intellectual diversity" concerns. Instead, it was sent to an informal remediating body, which cannot investigate or discipline, and the university escalated the complaint to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance, which can. "It was surprising that the dean felt that a reporting mechanism that says there's no investigations can just be passed off to someone else, namely him, to conduct the investigation," Robinson said. In the letter, Van Kooten said the complaint submission was "somewhat unusual," but it would be "irresponsible" for the university to ignore the report. In the disciplinary letter, Van Kooten appeared to be concerned with the complaint's claim that Robinson frequently mentioned university criticisms and his personal experiences. He acknowledged that Robinson's class "addresses matters such as free speech, education, authority, state violence, and genocide" in the curriculum. "However, referencing these experiences 'several' or 'numerous' times risks shifting the focus away from the academic content and toward personal political narratives," Van Kooten writes. "When such references become excessive, they may inadvertently allow personal ideology to overshadow the intended learning objectives and compromise the neutrality expected in the classroom." The sanction does not result in immediate punishment. However, the written warning was added to Robinson's permanent personnel file, meaning it will be considered in future faculty reviews. Additional sanctions could subject Robinson to probation, suspension, termination or a host of possible penalties related to promotions, tenure or salary, according to IU code. When the bill was passed in 2024, faculty across the state rebuked it as an infringement on academic freedom and warned of a mass chilling effect on free speech and lecturing on divisive topics. News of his sanction is "utterly, utterly chilling" of his and his colleague's academic freedom and free speech rights, Robinson said, especially during a time when faculty may feel compelled to speak out. He specifically cited genocide in the Israel-Gaza conflict and state-mandated degree cuts at state universities. Receiving another sanction would put his livelihood at risk, Robinson said, and he has lost sleep figuring out how to navigate the process. He said that though he is in a vulnerable position, he hopes to continue to drive conversation about these policies and laws. "The urgency of not caving, the urgency of sticking to one's rights is even greater, because the consequences go well beyond the individual," he said. The USA TODAY Network - Indiana's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Complete takeover': Lawmakers exert control over university policy in 11th hour
Over the course of 36 hours at the tail end of the three-month legislative session, Indiana lawmakers made significant policy changes that fundamentally alter how state universities conduct themselves. These changes ― among them, giving Gov. Mike Braun sole appointing power over Indiana University's board of trustees, subjecting tenured faculty to "productivity" quotas that could lead to termination, dissolving the decision-making power of faculty governance organizations ― were never the subject of a filed bill or amendment and saw no opportunity for public testimony. They appeared near the bottom of the 220-page budget bill the evening of April 23, and rose to the forefront of the heated debate that went into the early hours of April 25 when lawmakers approved the bill. More: Indiana state budget deal: Cigarette taxes go up, public health funding goes down "It's hard to imagine anything that could possibly be more nontransparent, opaque," said Russ Skiba, professor emeritus at IU. "This is a complete takeover of universities by the governor and state legislature." Republican Rep. Jeff Thompson of Lizton, the House's budget writer, repeatedly defended the measures as the state exercising its duty to ensure taxdollars are spent wisely and efficiently. Asked multiple times, he said he could not recall who brought forward the ideas. The governor has previously appointed five of the nine trustees to IU's board, plus a student member. Three alumni board members have been elected by alumni. The new language gives the governor appointing and replacing power over all nine members. Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, in whose district IU's flagship campus sits, questioned why the university itself hadn't made a public position known on this language. He pointed out that one alumni-elected board member recently questioned the pay raise and contract extension of the university president ― referring to Vivian Winston, who was the sole "no" vote on that measure. House Speaker Todd Huston said there are so few who participate in the elections for the alumni board members, so the university is "better served" to have the highest state elected official appoint the board. That doesn't mean alumni wouldn't be one of Braun's choices, Braun told reporters earlier in the day. But he said the "current process" has perhaps not "yielded the proper results" in terms of curruculum, cost and the operation of the university. "So I want to get a board there that is going to be maybe a little more rounded, that's going to produce better results," he said. Colleges will be required to adopt a post-tenure review policy that includes certain productivity based quotas: the faculty member's class load, the number of students who they graduate, their time spent instructing and the amount of research they put out. It's reminiscent of the additions to the tenure review process that lawmakers added last year, in Senate Enrolled Act 202, which dictated that a condition of tenure includes fostering intellectual diversity. Huston said Thursday night's debate reminded him of that bill. "I think, frankly, Indiana universities from what I can understand are thriving after that passage," he said. Thompson again said this is about ensuring the efficient use of taxpayer dollars. Rep. Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis, posited that this could lead to "diploma creep" ― an inflated number of students attaining diplomas who perhaps aren't ready simply because their professors are incentivized to increase their numbers or meet a quota. "You can't use Stalinist techniques to run an educational system," he said. "It will lead to distortion." Skiba said if he were still working as a professor, he would leave the state rather than be subjected to these standards. While these metrics are quantitative, the measure of a professor's success is often more about the quality of the students they graduate, he said. "Essentially there will be no such thing as tenure anymore," he said. "The review is kind of disturbing, really. ... Any professor could be summarily put on probation and fired for failing to meet some standard." Another insertion into the budget designates faculty governance organizations as "advisory" only in nature ― contrary to the "shared governance" tradition that many institutions have. Faculty will now also have to post all their syllabi online. All told, the process behind the policy became just as criticized as the policies themselves. "Why did members of this body not have the courage to admit to members of this public what they planned to do?" Pierce said. "It is beneath this institution to do such a thing." Both Huston and Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray acknowledged that the legislative process wasn't ideal, and they try to limit how often policies get added to legislation in the final hours of session. "There a few things that land in a budget that maybe haven't seen much light of today before," Bray said. "We still have the opportunity, of course, to debate them, and we did that this evening. So, certainly not perfect, but you'll have some of those things almost every session." Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@ or follow her on X@kayla_dwyer17. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Lawmakers exert control over university policy in 11th hour
Indianapolis Star
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
'Complete takeover': Lawmakers exert control over university policy in 11th hour
Over the course of 36 hours at the tail end of the three-month legislative session, Indiana lawmakers made significant policy changes that fundamentally alter how state universities conduct themselves. These changes ― among them, giving Gov. Mike Braun sole appointing power over Indiana University's board of trustees, subjecting tenured faculty to "productivity" quotas that could lead to termination, dissolving the decision-making power of faculty governance organizations ― were never the subject of a filed bill or amendment and saw no opportunity for public testimony. They appeared near the bottom of the 220-page budget bill the evening of April 23, and rose to the forefront of the heated debate that went into the early hours of April 25 when lawmakers approved the bill. "It's hard to imagine anything that could possibly be more nontransparent, opaque," said Russ Skiba, professor emeritus at IU. "This is a complete takeover of universities by the governor and state legislature." Republican Rep. Jeff Thompson of Lizton, the House's budget writer, repeatedly defended the measures as the state exercising its duty to ensure taxdollars are spent wisely and efficiently. Asked multiple times, he said he could not recall who brought forward the ideas. IU Board of Trustees The governor has previously appointed five of the nine trustees to IU's board, plus a student member. Three alumni board members have been elected by alumni. The new language gives the governor appointing and replacing power over all nine members. Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, in whose district IU's flagship campus sits, questioned why the university itself hadn't made a public position known on this language. He pointed out that one alumni-elected board member recently questioned the pay raise and contract extension of the university president ― referring to Vivian Winston, who was the sole "no" vote on that measure. House Speaker Todd Huston said there are so few who participate in the elections for the alumni board members, so the university is "better served" to have the highest state elected official appoint the board. That doesn't mean alumni wouldn't be one of Braun's choices, Braun told reporters earlier in the day. But he said the "current process" has perhaps not "yielded the proper results" in terms of curruculum, cost and the operation of the university. "So I want to get a board there that is going to be maybe a little more rounded, that's going to produce better results," he said. Faculty tenure and power Colleges will be required to adopt a post-tenure review policy that includes certain productivity based quotas: the faculty member's class load, the number of students who they graduate, their time spent instructing and the amount of research they put out. It's reminiscent of the additions to the tenure review process that lawmakers added last year, in Senate Enrolled Act 202, which dictated that a condition of tenure includes fostering intellectual diversity. Huston said Thursday night's debate reminded him of that bill. "I think, frankly, Indiana universities from what I can understand are thriving after that passage," he said. Thompson again said this is about ensuring the efficient use of taxpayer dollars. Rep. Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis, posited that this could lead to "diploma creep" ― an inflated number of students attaining diplomas who perhaps aren't ready simply because their professors are incentivized to increase their numbers or meet a quota. "You can't use Stalinist techniques to run an educational system," he said. "It will lead to distortion." Skiba said if he were still working as a professor, he would leave the state rather than be subjected to these standards. While these metrics are quantitative, the measure of a professor's success is often more about the quality of the students they graduate, he said. "Essentially there will be no such thing as tenure anymore," he said. "The review is kind of disturbing, really. ... Any professor could be summarily put on probation and fired for failing to meet some standard." Another insertion into the budget designates faculty governance organizations as "advisory" only in nature ― contrary to the "shared governance" tradition that many institutions have. Faculty will now also have to post all their syllabi online. All told, the process behind the policy became just as criticized as the policies themselves. "Why did members of this body not have the courage to admit to members of this public what they planned to do?" Pierce said. "It is beneath this institution to do such a thing." Both Huston and Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray acknowledged that the legislative process wasn't ideal, and they try to limit how often policies get added to legislation in the final hours of session. "There a few things that land in a budget that maybe haven't seen much light of today before," Bray said. "We still have the opportunity, of course, to debate them, and we did that this evening. So, certainly not perfect, but you'll have some of those things almost every session." @kayla_dwyer17.
Indianapolis Star
25-04-2025
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
'Complete takeover': Lawmakers exert control over university policy in 11th hour
Show Caption Over the course of 36 hours at the tail end of the three-month legislative session, Indiana lawmakers made significant policy changes that fundamentally alter how state universities conduct themselves. These changes ― among them, giving Gov. Mike Braun sole appointing power over Indiana University's board of trustees, subjecting tenured faculty to "productivity" quotas that could lead to termination, dissolving the decision-making power of faculty governance organizations ― were never the subject of a filed bill or amendment and saw no opportunity for public testimony. They appeared near the bottom of the 220-page budget bill the evening of April 23, and rose to the forefront of the heated debate that went into the early hours of April 25 when lawmakers approved the bill. "It's hard to imagine anything that could possibly be more nontransparent, opaque," said Russ Skiba, professor emeritus at IU. "This is a complete takeover of universities by the governor and state legislature." Republican Rep. Jeff Thompson of Lizton, the House's budget writer, repeatedly defended the measures as the state exercising its duty to ensure taxdollars are spent wisely and efficiently. Asked multiple times, he said he could not recall who brought forward the ideas. IU Board of Trustees The governor has previously appointed five of the nine trustees to IU's board, plus a student member. Three alumni board members have been elected by alumni. The new language gives the governor appointing and replacing power over all nine members. Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, in whose district IU's flagship campus sits, questioned why the university itself hadn't made a public position known on this language. He pointed out that one alumni-elected board member recently questioned the pay raise and contract extension of the university president ― referring to Vivian Winston, who was the sole "no" vote on that measure. House Speaker Todd Huston said there are so few who participate in the elections for the alumni board members, so the university is "better served" to have the highest state elected official appoint the board. That doesn't mean alumni wouldn't be one of Braun's choices, Braun told reporters earlier in the day. But he said the "current process" has perhaps not "yielded the proper results" in terms of curruculum, cost and the operation of the university. "So I want to get a board there that is going to be maybe a little more rounded, that's going to produce better results," he said. Faculty tenure and power Colleges will be required to adopt a post-tenure review policy that includes certain productivity based quotas: the faculty member's class load, the number of students who they graduate, their time spent instructing and the amount of research they put out. It's reminiscent of the additions to the tenure review process that lawmakers added last year, in Senate Enrolled Act 202, which dictated that a condition of tenure includes fostering intellectual diversity. Huston said Thursday night's debate reminded him of that bill. "I think, frankly, Indiana universities from what I can understand are thriving after that passage," he said. Thompson again said this is about ensuring the efficient use of taxpayer dollars. Rep. Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis, posited that this could lead to "diploma creep" ― an inflated number of students attaining diplomas who perhaps aren't ready simply because their professors are incentivized to increase their numbers or meet a quota. "You can't use Stalinist techniques to run an educational system," he said. "It will lead to distortion." Skiba said if he were still working as a professor, he would leave the state rather than be subjected to these standards. While these metrics are quantitative, the measure of a professor's success is often more about the quality of the students they graduate, he said. "Essentially there will be no such thing as tenure anymore," he said. "The review is kind of disturbing, really. ... Any professor could be summarily put on probation and fired for failing to meet some standard." Another insertion into the budget designates faculty governance organizations as "advisory" only in nature ― contrary to the "shared governance" tradition that many institutions have. Faculty will now also have to post all their syllabi online. All told, the process behind the policy became just as criticized as the policies themselves. "Why did members of this body not have the courage to admit to members of this public what they planned to do?" Pierce said. "It is beneath this institution to do such a thing." Both Huston and Senate President Pro Tempore Rod Bray acknowledged that the legislative process wasn't ideal, and they try to limit how often policies get added to legislation in the final hours of session. "There a few things that land in a budget that maybe haven't seen much light of today before," Bray said. "We still have the opportunity, of course, to debate them, and we did that this evening. So, certainly not perfect, but you'll have some of those things almost every session."
Indianapolis Star
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Alumni have elected Indiana University trustees for decades. A budget bill could end that
AI-assisted summary A budget bill provision could give Indiana's governor the power to appoint all Indiana University trustees, eliminating alumni-elected seats. This change would end a century-old tradition of alumni trustee elections. The bill also shortens student trustee terms and imposes term limits on all board members. Indiana University alumni could lose their power to elect members to IU's Board of Trustees, a tradition that dates back more than a century. Language in a last-minute budget bill gives Gov. Mike Braun the power to appoint all nine members of the board, stripping away three trustee seats that have been elected by IU's alumni body since 1891. The provision was added on April 23, with voting expected on April 24. The language, nestled on pages 181 and 182 of the Republican-authored 215-page bill, grants the governor sole appointment authority for all nine trustees, at least five of whom must be IU alumni. It also gives the governor power to remove and replace any existing trustee who was elected by IU alumni. If passed, the provision would take effect immediately, allowing the governor to start replacing current elected trustees at will. The non-budgetary provision, first reported by Axios Indianapolis, is a drastic restructuring of the trustee body. Alumni trustee elections take place in June, with degree holders from all Indiana University campuses eligible to vote. Provision comes after past attempts to reign in elected trustee power Republicans in the General Assembly have sought to curb the number of elected positions on the board before. Senate Enrolled Act 202, the controversial bill that overhauled the tenure process at Indiana public universities, originally included language to shrink the number of elected trustee positions from two to one. The language was removed from the bill before it passed. It's unclear why the provision eliminating elected trustees was added to the budget bill, but Indiana Republicans have shown interest in exercising tighter control over state universities, with a stated goal of curtailing liberal 'indoctrination' on Gov. Micah Beckwith has demanded greater financial transparency from IU – and even floated defunding the university – over its connections to the Kinsey Institute and Indiana Daily Student, falsely asserting that both may receive 'covert' taxpayer money through IU. Attorney General Todd Rokita has threatened IU over its response (or lack thereof) to antisemitism on campus, warning of federal funding cuts if the university fails to adhere to nondiscrimination laws. Combined with SEA 202, which puts the Board of Trustees in charge of evaluating professors' tenure appointments for 'intellectual diversity,' the bill would give the governor greater power over the board's composition and political leanings. Bill shortens student trustee terms, imposes term limits IU's board has a tradition of voting unanimously, but in the past year, cracks have started to form. Last July, elected alumni trustees Vivian Winston and Donna Spears, and student trustee Kyle Siebert were the only three board members to vote against IU's controversial expressive activity policy. Winston, an alumna and resident of Monroe County, has gained a reputation for breaking form with the board, especially since IU President Pamela Whitten's vote of no confidence in spring 2024. The budget bill also shortens the student trustee's term from two years to one, and limits all board members to serving one term. Non-student trustees currently serve three-year terms. Six candidates have already started campaigning for the elected trustee position opening this year. Voting begins on June 1 and closes on June 30; the elected trustee begins their term on July 1.
