When SEA 202 was signed into law by the Governor, there was tremendous concern about the loss of tenure and the classroom surveillance system mandated by the law. But there are also provisions in that law concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion that are just as dangerous to the values and principles of Indiana University.
On September 1st, as mandated by 202, the Whitten Administration submitted a report to the state legislature, detailing DEI expenses, numbers of staff, and descriptions of all DEI initiatives. This is the same information being used by other state universities to support the closure of all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and the firing of DEI staff.
In Florida, Governor DeSantis gloated when 28 DEI employees were fired without cause at the University of Florida. The University of Kentucky proactively fired DEI employees and closed DEI programs even after anti-DEI legislation was rejected by the state legislature. At the University of Texas at Austin, both current and former DEI employees were tracked down and summarily fired.
Sadly, President Whitten seems to be preparing to take Indiana University down that same path. The Intensive Freshman Seminar that has for over 30 years provided support to first generation college attenders is being cancelled. The President's $30 million Diversity Initiative is being paused after only three of seven years, after making a promise last year that it would be continued. Now there is word that reorganization and retrenchment of key IU DEI programming is imminent. In the face of such attacks on key diversity, equity and inclusion programs, faculty, staff and students are deeply concerned that President Whitten will follow the example of other state universities that have turned their back on faculty and students of color and other marginalized groups.
The previous performance of this administration has led to serious doubts about the administration's commitment to non-discrimination. In Dunn Meadow, two student leaders -- one Black and one Palestinian -- were specifically picked out for arrest by the police, and even identified as targets by the sniper on the roof of the IMU. The Black student leader received a consequence of banning from campus five times greater than other arrestees. At the Sunday night candlelight vigils, five of the first seven faculty and students sanctioned by the University for violations of UA 10 were members of racially or religiously marginalized groups.
Actions have consequences. In Florida, between 20% and 30% of faculty are leaving universities due to culture wars bills, disproportionally faculty of color and faculty from marginalized groups. At Indiana University we value all faculty, staff, and students. We have no desire to wake up one morning and find a significant proportion of our colleagues are gone, driven away by the failure of this administration to provide them with an opportunity to stay.
We join those who risk sanctions every Sunday night in declaring that we will continue to stand firm and raise our voices in opposition to all the efforts of the administration that threaten diversity, academic freedom, and constitutional rights at our University.