(NEW YORK) – PEN America today strongly condemned Indiana University for its decision to remove a faculty member from a graduate-level class mid-semester, following the intervention of a U.S. Senator, calling it an egregious act of censorship and jawboning.
Amy Reid, Freedom to Learn Interim Program Manager, stated:
“We have reached a dangerous cliff for academic freedom in Indiana. When a single student’s complaint leads a U.S. Senator to intervene, and a university to pull a qualified faculty member from teaching mid-semester, the educational rights of all students are compromised. This is not only an egregious example of censorship, but also of jawboning, when a politician intervenes inappropriately in university policy matters. The question is: can the U.S. pull back from the censorship of speech and ideas, or have we just decided to do away with freedom of expression?”
According to the New York Times, Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) contacted the University to express his concerns after a student complained about a description of the ideology of white supremacy presented in a graduate-level class in the School of Social Work, “Diversity, Human Rights, and Social Justice.” The Indy Star referenced a letter from the University stating that the faculty member, Dr. Jessica Adams, had been removed from the class last month because of concerns that the lesson violated the “viewpoint diversity” provisions of SB 202, the educational gag order passed by Indiana in 2024.
This is the latest in a series of decisions by the Indiana University administration that have drawn nationwide criticism because of their chilling of free expression on campus. PEN America has spoken out about the case of Ben Robinson, who was sanctioned under the SB 202 last spring, and also about the censoring of the student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student. We call on Indiana University’s administration and on all citizens of the state to stand up for the principles of academic freedom for faculty and students.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, [email protected], 989-383-1856