For those new to or needing a refresher on the attempted remaking of #IndianaUniversity as a bastion of repression and group-think, a brief thread on some recent authoritarian and anti-intellectual moves by the administration.

On its assault on the student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student:

https://hannahalani.substack.com/p/our-letter-to-iu-media-school-leadership

#journalism #HigherEd

/3

On how #IndianaUniversity's problems reflect and connect to broader issues around democracy and expertise:

Two medical school faculty in the Indy Star:

"This isn’t a partisan issue. No matter your politics, the loss of open, thoughtful decision-making should be alarming. Processes like faculty governance, peer review and public advisory boards aren’t meant to slow things down or push a political agenda. They exist because they lead to better decisions. When they’re ignored, we don’t just lose transparency. We lose trust."

https://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/2025/06/12/iu-whitten-faculty-shared-governance/84152852007/

#HigherEd

/6

On the disciplining of an #IndianaUniversity professor for daring to discuss contemporary issues (and take a position on them) in a class on political thought:

https://jeffreycisaacdesign.wordpress.com/2025/08/19/indiana-universitys-disciplining-of-ben-robinson-is-an-embarrassment-and-an-outrage/

#HigherEd

/5

For those new to or needing a refresher on the attempted remaking of #IndianaUniversity as a bastion of repression and group-think, a brief thread on some recent authoritarian and anti-intellectual moves by the administration.

On its assault on the student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student:

https://hannahalani.substack.com/p/our-letter-to-iu-media-school-leadership

#journalism #HigherEd

/3

IU's Professor Tuerk continues:

The most weight, however, [in the faculty's no-confidence vote] was carried by the pervasive impression that the university leadership was incompetent and either not informed about the institution or willfully ignoring its needs, introducing random or inappropriate and at times unprofessionally conducted initiatives while not addressing important problems."

In other words, instead of working on actual problems (which do exist) in higher ed, administrators trample over successful programs and relationships in pursuit of metrics and displays of dominance, with the support and encouragement of Boards of Trustees.

A big part of the reason universities are in trouble is administrators keep creating and responding to manufactured crises, while refusing to address, e.g., questions of precarity, affordability, over-administration, community relevance, and long-term financial health.

2/2

#IndianaUniversity