The Executive Committee of the Academic Senate received a petition signed by 10 faculty members requesting a special meeting of the Senate to discuss and vote on the two items in the petition below. The meeting will be held on Monday, May 13 at 2:30 in DW 1001. We encourage everyone to attend in person if possible–we need 50 voting members present in the room to conduct business. There will be a Zoom option for those who can’t attend posted on the Senate blog the day before the meeting. Zoom attendees will be able to listen but cannot comment or participate in votes.
This is the only item of business. The rules for special meetings do not allow other issues to be added to the agenda.
If the two motions advance to a vote, the vote will be conducted by electronic ballot to allow all Senate members a chance to participate. The ballot will close on Wednesday, May 15 at noon.
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Call to IUSB Faculty: Demand Resignation or Termination of IU President Whitten Call for action: The IU South Bend chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) calls upon IUSB faculty to stand together with colleagues across the state in demanding the immediate resignation or firing of President Whitten. Under her direct authority, peaceful demonstrations have been violently suppressed, policies have been undemocratically changed, and student and faculty protestors have been issued unwarranted and severe punishments. We reject these violations of the norms of shared governance, free speech, and academic freedom essential to higher education. We ask members of the IUSB Faculty Senate to join colleagues across the state in calling for 1. The Board of Trustees to immediately repeal the campus bans imposed on students, faculty, staff, and community members who have been arrested for violating this policy. 2. The Board of Trustees to terminate the employment of President Whitten based on the vote of no confidence by the Bloomington Faculty Council on April 16 and her handling of events in Dunn Meadow. Background (with additional links below): · Since April 26, more than 50 peacefully protesting students and faculty have been arrested by state police, many in full riot gear and supported by rooftop observers and even snipers. IU Administration is responsible for this dangerous escalation and use of force. · Many of those arrested have been banned from campus for one year (or even five years)–making it impossible for students to complete their studies and faculty to do their jobs. · In an arbitrary assertion of authority, on April 24 the administration formed an “ad hoc” committee without faculty representation that unilaterally changed longstanding IU policy regarding protest and free speech on campus. · Since the crackdown, more than 1,000 IUB faculty have signed an open letter calling for the immediate resignation or termination of IU President and Provost. · This follows the Bloomington faculty’s overwhelming April 16 vote of “no confidence” in the President and Provost due to their arbitrary assertions of power, suppression of free speech and academic freedom, and other disturbing actions and trends. · President Whitten’s administration has also exerted direct authority and influence on the regional campuses of IU, instituting forced and unjustified austerity measures and challenging the ability of each campus to determine the best course for meeting the needs of its region. – – – – – – *For more about recent events and calls for the ouster of President Whitten, see the following sources: · The IU Bloomington chapter of the AAUP’s Statement Concerning Police Action · The Indiana Daily Student’s report on the no-confidence vote of April 16 and a report on the issues leading up to that vote. · AAUP National’s statement on crackdowns on free speech on campuses, including this: “At this critical moment, too many cowardly university leaders are responding to largely peaceful, outdoor protests by inviting law enforcement in riot gear to campus and condoning violent arrests. These administrators are failing in their duty to their institutions, their faculty, their students, and their central obligation to our democratic society.” |
