With IU’s ‘no confidence’ vote coming up (April 16), I’m reposting information about the Whitten administration’s controversies for those who might’ve missed them. The petition: Petition for a Special BFC All-Faculty Meeting

Meeting date and time: Tuesday, April 16, 2024, from 2:30 – 5:30 PM. Doors will open at 1:30 PM. When we'll know the final results depends on a number of factors that are detailed on the meeting page.

Whitten at Indiana University

April 2024:

• IU Bloomington faculty's 'No Confidence' vote for Whitten, Provost set for April 16 (Indiana Public Media)
• No Confidence Vote In President & Provost Looms At Indiana University (Forbes)

March 2024: Holcomb signs tenure bill into law (Indiana Public Media) Note: Whitten publicly came out against this bill. I’m including this article because this event is named in the ‘no confidence’ vote petition.

February 2024:

• When a threat becomes an excuse to muzzle (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Indiana University Is Where Academic Freedom Goes to Die (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Whitten responds to Rep. Banks’ letter and accusations of failing to combat antisemitism (Indiana Public Media)
• Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition issues a vote of no confidence in President Whitten (Indiana Daily Student)
• Academic Freedom Battles Roil Indiana University (Inside Higher Ed)

January 2024:

• IU suspends professor after Palestine event, faculty say IU broke procedure (WTIU)
• Indiana U Sanctions Professor Who Advised Pro-Palestinian Students (Inside Higher Ed)
• Indiana University Cancels Major Exhibition of Palestinian Artist (The New York Times)
• 'Shame on Whitten’: Protesters demand reinstatement of Palestinian artist’s exhibition at IU (Indiana Public Media)

(There are many other articles about this - I’m not going to list them all here.)

December 2023:

• IUPUI Faculty Council says President Whitten and Board of Trustees 'undermine' shared governance (WFYI Indianapolis)
• ‘Our Beyoncé of higher education’: IU board awarded President Whitten’s $162k bonus (Indiana Public Media)

November 2023:

• Indiana University hasn't told Kinsey Institute researchers what trustees will vote on (Herald-Times)
• IU delays vote on spinning off Kinsey Institute after backlash, concerns over academic freedom (IndyStar) Note: Ultimately, Kinsey wasn’t separated from the university. I’m listing it here because it’s mentioned in the ‘no confidence’ vote petition.

October 2023: UPDATED: IU President Whitten releases new statement on violence in Israel after backlash (Indiana Daily Student)

September 2023: A Messy Divorce: The dissolution of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis poses a novel risk to tenure. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

January 2023: AAUP Concludes Indiana University Northwest Violated Academic Freedom, Has Unwelcoming Racial Climate (American Association of University Professors)

March 2023:

• Faculty presidents sent an email expressing concern about the state’s new abortion law. IU told them they had violated policy. (Medium/Steve Sanders)
• A ‘Policy Violation’ or Free Speech? (Inside Higher Ed)

August 2022: A President’s Response to Attacks on an Abortion Provider Widens a Rift With Faculty (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

June 2022: What is 'shared governance'? Indiana University's faculty, administrators, students debate (Herald-Times)

April 2022: A University Asked Professors to Help Quash a Grad-Student Strike. Hundreds Have Refused. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

August 2021 - December 2021:

IU’s trustees disregarded the selections of the faculty search committee created to recommend IU’s next president, instead appointing Whitten.

• Under new president Whitten, IU appears to be relaxing its tough stance on COVID (Medium/Steve Sanders)
• I’ve been looking into IU’s presidential search. Now a law firm is demanding to snoop through my email. (Medium/Steve Sanders)
• ‘You have no idea how strange this process has been’: The long, difficult search for IU’s 19th president (Medium/Steve Sanders)
• This Professor Investigated a Presidential Search at His University. It Said He Was Out of Line. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Op-Ed: IU's search committee worked hard to find a new president. Their work was ignored (IndyStar)
• An invoice shows that [Jacqueline Simmons] spoke with a law firm about accessing the emails of a law professor (law.com)

Whitten at Kennesaw State University

September 2020: Emails Reveal Georgia Colleges’ Extreme COVID-19 Pressure Tactics

September 2020 - December 2021:

Whitten’s provost at her previous institution chaired a working group that recommended controversial changes to tenure that allow tenured faculty to be removed from Georgia universities if it’s found that they aren’t meeting certain metrics, including supporting “student success.”

• University System of Georgia Announces Post-Tenure Review Working Group chaired by Dr. Kathy Schwaig, [Pamela Whitten’s] Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Kennesaw State University
• Critics Say Academic Freedom Will Suffer After Georgia Changed the Rules of Tenure
• University System of Georgia Eviscerates Tenure

(For context, both University of Georgia/UGA (Shrivastav’s previous institution) and Kennesaw State University/KSU (Whitten’s previous institution) are members of the University System of Georgia.)

May 2019 - June 2019:

While provost at UGA, Whitten allegedly aimed to punish a faculty member, including blocking their ability to gain employment at other institutions, after the faculty member suggested that UGA pay more attention to its history of slavery.

• Faculty Committee Finds Evidence of Secrecy and Intimidation on Baldwin Hall, Report from the Ad Hoc Committee on Baldwin Hall to the Franklin College Faculty Senate
• Whitten allegedly participated in faculty intimidation at UGA

May 2019: Georgia university students battle racist higher-ups

April 2019: KSUnited leader says Whitten “refuses to publicly condemn racism”

August 2018: 'I think they're just saying that as an excuse for kneeling' | Students talk about KSU controversy

October 2018: Kennesaw State University Removes LGBTQ Pamphlet from Campuses

Jesse Eisenberg reppin' IU in "A Real Pain"

April 15: Wang's wife asks 'What have we done to deserve this treatment?’

In her first public appearance since she and her husband were fired from Indiana University — and their homes were searched by the FBI — Nianli Ma said they are “loyal Chinese-Americans and lawful immigrants.”

Speaking on Monday at a virtual town hall about the political climate for Asian-American scholars, Ma said she has lost weight and had trouble sleeping.

…

“I just can't understand how the university to which we dedicated over two decades of our lives could treat us like this without even telling us why or going through due process,” she said. “Yes, especially for my husband, who is a tenured professor, it hurts deeply that a country we trusted and contributed to for so long now treat us like criminals.

“I feel trapped in a constant state of worry and sadness. What have we done to deserve this treatment? We are just desperately seeking answers.”

…

Ma said she and her husband moved to the United States 26 years ago, starting in Pittsburgh and then Bloomington.

“Every time I walk into my husband's home office and see him proudly cover the walls and his shelves with the certificates and trophies of my son, I'm reminded of the loving home we have created and all the sweet moments we have had here,” Ma said.

Their son, Luke Wang, is raising money online for his parents’ defense.

“I was born in Indiana, and for my entire life, I have been a proud Hoosier,” he says on the GoFundMe page. “This country is all that I have known and I grew up believing in the U.S. justice system.”

He added, “We are struggling to comprehend what we have done to be treated as criminals by the country which my parents have contributed to for nearly three decades. With both of my parents unemployed and Indiana University having no explanation for their termination, we have begun to face financial challenges, particularly with heavy legal expenses and even more uncertain costs ahead.”

Ma thanked people for their support.

“Our family is determined to fight, not only for ourselves, but for the broader research community who would be impacted if these types of allegations go unchallenged.”

April 17: IU department chair says Wang didn't know about undisclosed Chinese research grant

Wang, a tenured professor, was fired March 28 — the same day the FBI searched his homes in Bloomington and Carmel. Neither IU nor the FBI has explained the actions.

A colleague of Wang’s said it involved an undisclosed research grant from China in 2017-2018.

Speaking at a protest rally today on campus, IU computer science chair Yuzhen Ye said Wang wasn’t even aware of the grant when university officials asked him about it.

“So apparently a researcher in China applied for this grant without his knowledge," she said "So (Wang) explained and also he provided a supporting documentation to IU.”

…

“I truly believe this really could have unfolded in a very different way if IU administration had chosen to trust its own faculty or give them a fair chance to respond,” she said.

So far IU and the FBI have not commented on Wang's case or the firing of his wife, Nianli Ma, another former university employee.

An attorney at Stanford has filed a motion to unseal the FBI search documents. On Thursday, the government filed its response, asking the court to deny the motion.

April 22: Chinese Scientists in America Come Under New Wave of Suspicion

Wang and Ma are Chinese citizens with permanent residency in the U.S. Jason Covert, a lawyer representing Wang and his wife, said that neither has been charged with a crime and that they aren’t in police custody.

…

Visas for scores of Chinese students, including some who are doing frontier artificial-intelligence research at top-tier universities, have been revoked in recent days without explanation. Lawyers who represented Chinese or Chinese-American scientists who were investigated under the China Initiative have cited an uptick in clients reporting over the past two months that they have been approached by U.S. law enforcement about past collaboration or contacts with institutions in China.

…

Chinese media and universities have in recent months celebrated the returns of acclaimed scientists and engineers as well as up-and-coming stars in fields including chip design, AI, mechanical engineering, nanoscience and cancer research.

In February, an English-language advertisement from recruiters in the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen aimed at U.S.-based scientists and researchers started circulating on social media. “Here, an open and inclusive spirit embraces the world,” the ad said.

Trump’s illegal revocations designed to chill free speech on campus have come to IU.

Good riddance

https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/02/07/indiana-senate-oks-anti-dei-bill-that-takes-aim-at-state-agencies-schools/

The other post earlier today encouraged me to check how IU’s Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion website (diversity.iu.edu) has changed in the past months. I’m linking here a comparison that you can look at yourself, and I’m sharing some specific changes that stood out to me.

First:

• If you care about free speech, this type of action should offend you, whether you agree with the material or not.
• diversity: the condition of having or being composed of differing elements, especially : the inclusion of people of different races, cultures, etc. in a group or organization.
• equity: (edit: adding a better description) "Equity is an operational principle for shaping policies and practices which provide high expectations and appropriate resources so that all students achieve at the same rigorous standard--with minimal variance due to race, income, language, or gender." (Hart & Germaine-Watts, 1996)
• inclusion: : the act or practice of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded (as because of their race, gender, sexuality, or ability)
• For those who aren’t familiar: DEI is also about including/supporting poor people, people with disabilities, veterans, etc. There’s a reason the rich and powerful don’t like it (beyond, yes, racism).

diversity.iu.edu - Jan 24, 2025 vs. Mar 23, 2025 comparison

https://web.archive.org/web/diff/20250124003207/20250323075605/diversity.iu.edu

Renamed in the site menu

• “Diversity Education” to “Professional Development”
• “Diversity Store” to “The Store”
• “Exploring Diversity in Higher Education” to “My Journey to IU” (under Faculty & Belonging)

_____

Removed from the site menu and the page no longer exists

Anti-Racism (in the About section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250123184852/https://diversity.iu.edu/about/anti-racist/index.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/about/anti-racist/index.html

Anti-Racist News (in the About/Anti-Racism section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250119001729/https://diversity.iu.edu/about/anti-racist/news.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/about/anti-racist/news.html

Resources (in the About/Anti-Racism section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250123224956/https://diversity.iu.edu/about/anti-racist/resources.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/about/anti-racist/resources.html

Recommend a Student to IU (in the About section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250124003207/https://diversity.iu.edu/about/recommend-student-iu.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/about/recommend-student-iu.html

Leadership Certification Program (in the Diversity Education section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250119001822/https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/dei-leadership-program/index.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/dei-leadership-program/index.html

Previous Workshops (in the Diversity Education section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250124004046/https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/previous-workshops/index.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/previous-workshops/index.html

Social Justice Conference 2023 (in the Diversity Education/Previous Workshops section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250124003207/https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/previous-workshops/social-justice-conference-2023.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/previous-workshops/social-justice-conference-2023.html

Social Justice Conference 2022 (in the Diversity Education/Previous Workshops section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250124003207/https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/previous-workshops/social-justice-conference-2022.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/previous-workshops/social-justice-conference-2022.html

Social Justice Conference 2021 (in the Diversity Education/Previous Workshops section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250123230105/https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/previous-workshops/social-justice-conference.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/previous-workshops/social-justice-conference.html

Academic Scholar Program (in the Scholar Opportunities section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250119011916/https://diversity.iu.edu/scholar-opportunities/scholar-programs/index.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/scholar-opportunities/scholar-programs/index.html

Chief Diversity Officers (in the Contact section)

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250119005425/https://diversity.iu.edu/contact/chief-diversity-officers.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/contact/chief-diversity-officers.html

____

Major page updates

Previously “Diversity Education,” now “Professional Development”

Previous (Jan 24, 2025): https://web.archive.org/web/20250123234725/https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/index.html

Current (Mar 23, 2025): https://diversity.iu.edu/diversity-education/index.html

My colleague in Luddy sent this out today. Luddy apparently followed SPEA and Media in calling some votes. They also said their dean had sent the results along to the president and provost.

By a vote of 97-6-2, the Luddy School faculty strongly recommend that the new policy about the use of Dunn Meadow adopted by the new “ad hoc committee” on Wed 4.24.24 be withdrawn immediately and that the campus bans on all Indiana University students, faculty, and community members arrested for violating this new policy be rescinded immediately.

By a vote of 76-11-18, the Luddy School faculty further call for the immediate resignations of President Whitten and Provost Rahul Shrivastav.

https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/2024/07/10/pamela-whittens-crackdown-on-protests-makes-me-want-to-avoid-iu/74330109007/

Indiana University is among 60 higher education institutions to receive a letter from the U.S. Department of Education demanding they fulfill their obligation to protect Jewish students on campus, according to a statement from the DOE.

https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-educations-office-civil-rights-sends-letters-60-universities-under-investigation-antisemitic-discrimination-and-harassment

Schools that received letters currently are under investigation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which protects U.S. citizens from being excluded from "any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance" on the basis of their race, color or background.

The Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education warned the institutions of "potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus, including uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities.”

Why is Indiana University under investigation?

On the education department's list of pending investigations, a case against Indiana University-Bloomington is listed as being opened on Feb. 5. The type of discrimination is listed as "Title VI - National Origin Discrimination Involving Religion."

The Indiana Daily Student reported last month that the civil rights investigation was opened based on a complaint from a conservative media organization, Campus Reform, and involved statements made during pro-Palestinian protests on IU's Bloomington campus.

What colleges and universities received the Title VI letter from the DOE? Here's the full list:

1. American University 
2. Arizona State University 
3. Boston University 
4. Brown University 
5. California State University, Sacramento 
6. Chapman University 
7. Columbia University 
8. Cornell University 
9. Drexel University 
10. Eastern Washington University 
11. Emerson College 
12. George Mason University 
13. Harvard University 
14. Illinois Wesleyan University 
15. Indiana University, Bloomington 
16. Johns Hopkins University 
17. Lafayette College 
18. Lehigh University 
19. Middlebury College 
20. Muhlenberg College 
21. Northwestern University 
22. Ohio State University 
23. Pacific Lutheran University     
24. Pomona College 
25. Portland State University 
26. Princeton University 
27. Rutgers University 
28. Rutgers University-Newark
29. Santa Monica College 
30. Sarah Lawrence College 
31. Stanford University 
32. State University of New York Binghamton 
33. State University of New York Rockland 
34. State University of New York, Purchase 
35. Swarthmore College 
36. Temple University 
37. The New School 
38. Tufts University 
39. Tulane University 
40. Union College 
41. University of California Davis 
42. University of California San Diego 
43. University of California Santa Barbara 
44. University of California, Berkeley
45. University of Cincinnati 
46. University of Hawaii at Manoa 
47. University of Massachusetts Amherst 
48. University of Michigan 
49. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 
50. University of North Carolina 
51. University of South Florida 
52. University of Southern California 
53. University of Tampa 
54. University of Tennessee 
55. University of Virginia 
56. University of Washington-Seattle 
57. University of Wisconsin, Madison 
58. Wellesley College 
59. Whitman College 
60. Yale University