The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designated Indiana University (IU) as a ‘hostile campus’ due to its repeated and systematic suppression of students, faculty, and staff advocating for Palestinian human rights. IU’s administration, under President Pamela Whitten and Provost Rahul Shrivastav, has taken severe disciplinary actions, enacted restrictive policies, and even called in militarized police forces to silence peaceful demonstrations, creating an environment of fear and hostility. The university’s actions—including mass arrests, academic suspensions, and restrictions on free expression—stand in direct contradiction to its stated commitment to academic freedom and open discourse. By actively collaborating with pro-Israel organizations to suppress speech critical of Israel, IU has not only violated its own policies but also constitutional protections for free speech and academic expression. CAIR condemns IU’s continued targeting of Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, Jewish, and other voices opposing occupation and genocide, and calls for accountability in restoring fundamental rights and freedoms on campus.
Indiana University (IU) claims to be “committed to the free and civil exchange of ideas and the principles of academic freedom.” Yet, the university has repeatedly sanctioned students, faculty, and staff for speaking up for Palestinian human rights. These sanctions, including severe disciplinary measures and arrests, have created a hostile environment that stifles free expression and targets Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, Jews, and others who oppose occupation, apartheid, and genocide. The administration under IU President Pamela Whitten and IUB Provost Rahul Shrivastav has reportedly violated its own policies and implemented new ones to restrict speech regarding Palestinian rights. Furthermore, President Whitten has reportedly acknowledged in a letter to Congressman Jim Banks that she collaborated with pro-Israel organizations focused on suppressing pro-Palestinian speech on U.S. campuses. IU is currently facing a lawsuit filed by Speech First for reportedly violating students’ constitutional rights and academic freedoms through policies “that chill, deter, and silence students’ speech.” The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which ranked IU’s free speech as 243rd amongst 257 top colleges, is supporting Speech First’s petition with a friends-of-the-court brief to the Supreme Court. This repressive behavior by Indiana University has fostered a culture of fear, discrimination, and hostility on campus.
In November 2023, IU reportedly suspended Dr. Abdulkader Sinno, a tenured professor and advisor to the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), after he booked a room on campus for their event. Faculty members, academic associations, and others reportedly stated that Dr. Sinno’s suspension transpired without due process and “an understanding of IU’s traditions and rules.” Faculty at IU expressed opposition, as 400 of them reportedly signed a petition, “We consider the suspension an injustice to Professor Sinno but also to the entire IU community, for it places into question the university’s commitment to academic freedom, civil liberties, faculty governance, and the free exchange of ideas about controversial matters that [are] at the core of any first-class public university.” On April 16, 2024, the faculty of the IU Bloomington campus reportedly voted that they had no confidence in IU President Pamela Whitten and Provost Rahul Shrivastav, yet the administrators kept their positions because of the full support of the Board of Trustees. The IU administration’s actions against respected academics exemplify a broader pattern of suppressing pro-Palestinian voices under the guise of administrative concerns.
In late April 2024, Indiana University administrators reportedly changed a 1969 policy to ban “unapproved tents, posters, and other structures” and allegedly posted it on the morning of the IU students’ planned Gaza Solidarity Camp. The university administration claimed the change was approved by “the Ad Hoc Committee,” but several faculty members said they were reportedly unaware of such a committee. University administrators reportedly called Indiana state troopers equipped with automatic weapons, drones, and snipers to dismantle the encampment, leading to the arrest of 56 protesters on April 25th and 27th. Police reportedly dragged, pushed, and zip-tied student protesters, and officers “with sniper capabilities” were reportedly seen perched on rooftops overlooking protesters on the quad below creating an atmosphere of intimidation and fear. The arrested protestors were reportedly targeted with one-year and five-year campus bans. Later in an email, President Whitten reportedly admitted the policy was changed in direct response to protestors speaking out against genocide.
Several student and advocacy organizations reportedly condemned the IU administration’s use of the new policy to arrest and punish protestors from the encampments. The IU Union Board reportedly questioned the use of snipers on the Union’s roof. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana was allegedly concerned that bans from campus were done without due process and were “disproportionately severe.” The IU American Association of University Professors (AAUP) referred to the April 25th and 27th events as an “egregious violation” of IU’s values and academic freedom principles. This unprecedented escalation, involving militarized police action against peaceful demonstrators, represents one of the most egregious assaults on free speech and student activism at IU. Faculty at almost all IU Bloomington schools reportedly voted for the removal or resignation of IU President Pamela Whitten and Provost Rahul Shrivastav, and for the repeal of the new restrictive policy.
In July 2024, the university reportedly hired an outside law firm, Cooley LLC, to scrutinize the encampment and devise recommendations to the Board of Trustees which culminated in the implementation of draconian policies targeting students against genocide. IU’s Board of Trustees instituted a new policy restricting free expression to during the hours of 6 am to 11 pm, banning camping, and requiring 10-day prior approval for signs and structures. On the day the new repressive policy went into effect, the university reportedly dismantled the Palestine solidarity encampment, which had survived 98 days, including two police raids and subsequent arrests. The draconian policy met resistance in several summer midnight protests organized by a coalition of faculty and student groups, and a police report was filed against doctoral student Bryce Greene and Germanic Studies professor Ben Robinson for violation of the policy, who faced internal disciplinary procedures.
The enforcement of IU’s new policies has been grossly inconsistent, as only individuals participating in pro-Palestinian vigils have faced enforcement. This uneven application has led to significant legal repercussions, with ten faculty members, students, and alumni, reportedly represented by the ACLU, suing IU over repeated First Amendment violations. Among those reportedly affected was Carl Pearson, Associate Director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East and a member of the “Muslims Voices” project, who is facing termination for alleged policy violations. IU also reportedly threatened to fire Heather Kogge, a staff member, for attending a peaceful late-night vigil that violated its strict “expressive activity” policy. These ongoing legal challenges highlight the university’s failure to uphold constitutional protections for free expression, thereby creating a hostile campus environment.
IU, under its current administration, is on a dangerous course of violating the civil, constitutional and academic rights and freedoms of its students, staff and faculty members. These violations at IU seemingly target those who advocate for the human rights of Palestinians in particular. The selective enforcement of these policies underscores a clear intent to silence dissent, disproportionately affecting anti-genocide voices. As such, CAIR designated Indiana University as a ‘hostile campus.’