SB 202 is now Public Law 113.
Indiana systems and campuses respond
- IU-Bloomington faculty: “Commitment to Intellectual Diversity and Academic Freedom.”
- Purdue Board of Trustees statement on passage of SB202.
- Purdue-WL faculty senate survey of faculty on SB202.
- IU Administration statement on SB202.
ACLU Indiana responds
- Two PFW professors sue the Purdue Board of Trustees for violating their free speech rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. See the Indiana Capital Chronicle story.
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Contact the Stop SB 202 campaign at stopsb202@gmail.com.
Latest press
National press
- The Chronicle of Higher Education calls out the “lunacy” of PL 113. 4/10/24
- New York Times. “Indiana law requires professors to promote intellectual diversity.” 3/24/24
- NPR (All Things Considered). “Indiana universities can revoke tenure.” 3/21/24
- Bloomberg. “Indiana can’t make universities more conservative with a law.” 3/20/24
- Chronicle of Higher Education. “A new Indiana law will enforce intellectual diversity.” 3/20/24
- Inside Higher Education. “Professors are not the problem.” Opinion by Simon Feldman and Afshan Jafar. 3/20/24
- Inside Higher Education. “Civil rights groups push back against wave of anti-DEI bills.” 3/15/24
- Inside Higher Education. “Bill heads to Governor’s desk.” 3/4/24
- The Hill. “Republican attacks on tenure in latest battle with higher education.” 3/4/24
- Chronicle of Higher Education. “A proposal to tie tenure to intellectual diversity nears approval.” 2/29/24
- The Guardian article on activism at Indiana University Bloomington. 2/28/24
- Inside Higher Education. “Indiana bill threatens faculty members who don’t provide ‘intellectual diversity.’” 2/21/24
- Forbes.“Higher ed leaders condemn Indiana bill as political overreach.” 2/16/24
- PEN America. “New ‘diversity’ bills in Kentucky and Indiana miss the mark.” 2/16/24
State-wide press
- Indiana student Cayla Long’s op-ed in the Indianapolis Star on what REALLY prevents students from attending college (hint: it’s not “intellectual diversity”). 4/12/24
- Indiana Public Radio and Ball State Daily. “Ball State president responds to senate bill.” 3/25/24
- Purdue Exponent. “University senate to survey profs.” 3/21/24
- Ball State Daily. “Ball State students protest SB202.” 3/11/24
- WRTV. “Civil rights activists and SEA 202.”
- WBEZ (Chicago). “Governor OKs bill to promote ‘intellectual diversity’ in move critics say will quash it.”
- Statehouse File. “SEA 202 criticism.”
- Indiana Public Media. “Holcomb signs tenure bill into law.”
- Indiana Daily Student. “Governor signs senate bill 202.”
- Ball State Daily. “Holcomb signs senate bill 202.”
- Indiana Capital Chronicle. “An eventful session.”
- Herald Times. “Indiana’s SB202 is short-sighted and ideologically driven.” Opinion by Kevin Howley.
More press hits here.
Who supports SB 202 and why?
Check out our “Understanding the attack on higher ed” resources page.
National association statements
- The American Association of Geographers warns against the bill’s “intrusive oversight” and “draconian tenure review.”
- The Society for Classical Studies‘ Board of Directors endorsed the American Historical Association’s letter.
- The American Political Science Association warns against subjecting “the stability and advancement” of faculty to the “ideological whims” of boards of trustees.
- The American Anthropological Association warns the bill will impose “partisan, ideological government influence.”
- University Alliance for Racial Justice says SB 202 “carries forward a tradition of seeking to silence those who speak out against racial injustice.”
- The Classical Association of the Middle West and South says SB202 “seeks to block the free flow of ideas” and “targets equity and inclusion for marginalized groups.”
- The American Council of Learned Societies “strongly” endorsed the American Historical Association’s letter opposing SB 202.
- The American Historical Association: SB 202 will lead to “ideological monitoring.”
- Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression: SB 202 “goes too far into regulating academic instruction and contains vague standards.
- The Organization of American Historians: SB 202 will “restrict open inquiry.”
- The Modern Language Association: “Leave education to educators…Tenure and promotion practices are the methods the profession uses to regulate itself, as any profession does.”
Opposition across Indiana
- On its 2024 legislative scorecard, ACLU Indiana said SB202 will “encroach on students and educators’ freedom of speech.” In a previous statement, ACLU Indiana noted that SB202 includes “provisions limiting or chilling speech on campus.”
- The Indy Liberation Center calls the bill “a threat to free speech and teaching reality.”
- The DePauw University faculty call SB202 “dangerous legislation” that “chills free speech.”
- The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce hopes “legislators let this bill drift out to sea” and focus on building economic vitality in the state, rather than getting distracted by “ideological fights.”
- The Indiana University Alliance of Distinguished and Titled Professors letter.
- Ball State University faculty council.
- Ball State University AAUP chapter.
- Indiana University President Pamela Whitten.
- Indiana University Provost Rahul Shrivastav.
- Indiana University-Bloomington Faculty Council.
- Indiana University-Bloomington AAUP chapter statement (with PWL chapter).
- Indianapolis Faculty Council Executive Committee endorsed the joint AAUP statement from IUB and Purdue.
- Indiana University-South Bend Faculty Senate resolution.
- Indiana State University Faculty Senate resolution.
- Indiana State University AAUP chapter statement .
- Purdue University Senate Chair Professor Brian Leung.
- Purdue-Fort Wayne Senate resolution.
- Purdue-Fort Wayne AAUP chapter statement.
- Purdue-Northwest Faculty Senate unanimously opposed SB 202.
- Purdue University Senate resolution 23-23.
- Purdue-West Lafayette Graduate Student Government opposed the bill.
- Purdue-West Lafayette AAUP chapter statement (with IUB chapter).
Going deeper
- IU Law Professor Lea Bishop‘s annotated “citizen’s guide” explains why SB 202 should concern citizens of any political persuasion. Also, see the blog post on Balkinization in which Bishop discusses the constitutional implications of SB202.
- Diary of a Heartland Radical. “Threats to academic freedom are escalating.” Analysis by political scientist Harry Targ, Ph.D.
- Waldtaube.org. “For the sake of Indiana’s economy, slow down.” Analysis by biologist Craig Stewart, Ph.D.
- Indiana Commission for Higher Education‘s 2023 “Free Speech Report” found that most surveyed students at Indiana campuses perceived a high level of freedom of speech and diversity of opinion on their campuses.
- The Indiana Office of Fiscal Analysis predicts “long-term workload increases” should SB 202 pass.
Indiana Conference of the American Association of University Professors 