Protesters disregard IU guidelines at vigil and believe free speech is under attack

Candles and IU Police lights illuminated Sample Gates late Sunday night as about 40 IU faculty and students gathered for a vigil to mourn “the loss of free speech” at IU.

Participants intentionally violated IU's new free speech policy, which prohibits protests and peaceful gatherings outside of the hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Some wrote messages in support of free speech and Palestine on the gates and sidewalks using chalk. Under the policy, water-soluble chalk is only allowed on sidewalks, and non-soluble substances are prohibited throughout the university campus.

Heather Akou, an associate professor and fashion design program director at IU who was arrested in a pro-Palestinian camp in April, said the goal of the vigil was to express sadness over the policy by breaking what she saw as “repressive” restrictions.

“We were able to hold a completely safe assembly after 11 p.m. and express our views, which is a success in itself,” Akou said.

There was no interaction from those present at Sample Gates and the two IUPD cars parked on Indiana Avenue and south of Bryan Hall, except for two attendees who offered a candle to an officer. That officer left the vigil about 20 minutes after it began.

Among those attending Sunday's vigil was Cooper Tinsley, president of IU's student government. The IUSG had previously written in an Instagram story in July that it did not endorse the then-draft expressive activity policy based on the results of a student survey, discussions with student advocacy groups and a vote by the Student Congress. At the vigil, he referred the Indiana Daily Student to IUSG press secretary Alexa Avellaneda.

Avellaneda issued a statement on Tinsley's behalf saying he attended the vigil as an observer to understand how the campus community was feeling.

“It was also significant that both students and faculty participated, recognizing our shared commitment to the principles of free expression,” the statement said. “The IUSG has always been and will continue to be a staunch advocate of freedom of expression.”

Ben Robinson, an associate professor of German studies who was also arrested at the Dunn Meadow camp, said he viewed the measure as a response to the content of the pro-Palestinian protests.

In July, IU President Pamela Whitten shared the results of a “debriefing” of events before, during and after the arrest of pro-Palestinian protesters at the camp on April 25 and 27. The report says IU has not consistently enforced its policies in the past.

Robinson said that by deciding not to enforce the policy on Sunday, IU acknowledged that it was aware that it was a “repressive” and “overly broad” policy.

“I think it's really important that we were here. We told them their policies were wrong. We stood up about something that was clearly corrupt in terms of basic moral rights and they did nothing,” Robinson said.

SEA 202 calls for

The University Alliance for Racial Justice, an advocacy group made up of faculty members, held a press conference at the Rose Well House on Monday to outline their demands to the university, “Protect IU from 202.” IU faculty members, staff and students spoke and voiced their concerns about the impact of Senate Enrolled Act 202 on the university.

SEA 202 increases government oversight of initiatives on “intellectual diversity,” diversity, equity and inclusion, and tenure requirements at public universities.

Many faculty and students condemned the tenure changes to the bill as an attack on academic freedom. Whitten told Indiana Public Media in February that IU was “deeply concerned about the tenure language that would jeopardize academic freedom..”

In response to IU's “initial guidance on teaching and grievance procedures” under SEA 202, the University Alliance for Racial Justice published a critical letter on August 12 outlining many of these concerns.

Russ Skiba, IU professor emeritus and co-founder of the University Alliance for Racial Justice, said a provision of SEA 202 requiring universities to collect and share information about DEI initiatives and staff could make it easier for the state legislature to order institutions to close them in the future. Anti-DEI laws in other states have led some universities, including the universities of Florida and Texas at Austin, to close or defund their DEI offices.

The group announced six demands on Monday: protecting shared governance, protecting diversity, protecting due process, protecting academic freedom, protecting students and staff, and protecting the future.

This includes allowing sufficient time to seek input from all elected representatives of the Bloomington Faculty Council, not just leadership, in the policy-making process, not allowing complaints about DEI research or teaching in the SEA 202 grievance process, protecting tenure and academic freedom, and promising not to fire DEI staff or programs.

In response to an IDS inquiry about the requirements, Mark Bode, IU's executive director of media relations, pointed to a slide presentation and a frequently asked questions page about compliance with SEA 202.

Skiba said on Sunday that tightening the regulations would not provide protection.

“When the principles and values ​​that this institution has stood for for 200 years are under attack, as they are now, it is the responsibility of the citizens of this community to protect IU,” Skiba said.

Related: IU offers guidance on SEA 202 after 'intellectual diversity' law goes into effect Fall semester begins August 26.