Indiana University leadership including President Pamela Whitten is facing warranted scrutiny after changing a policy hours before an April 25 pro-Palestine demonstration.
Dunn Meadow has been designated as an assembly ground on the Bloomington campus since 1969, but IU switched its policy to forbid installing temporary structures such as posters and tents without prior approval. While Whitten and IU maintained the policy adjustment was posted on the university’s website and at Dunn Meadow, the last-minute change wasn’t well thought out or executed.
Changing the policy is questionable, as past protests at Dunn Meadow weren’t restricted by the use of tents and signage. Was this change due to the fact that protesters were calling on IU to divest from Israeli interests instead of a broad protest about a national issue largely unassociated with the university itself?
Changing the policy with limited notice as students and faculty prepared to protest was illogical and wrong. At almost any level of government, rule changes don’t go into effect for weeks if not months or years.
This hurried approach caused confusion and angst.
Whitten and IU called on the Indiana State Police to help control the crowd after the policy change fueled further discord at what was generally a peaceful protest. Having police officers arrive at a higher-learning institution donning riot gear and body armor was over-the-top, a troubling imagery that seemed to only further tensions.
While police cannot know whether individual protesters or the group could become violent and must prepare for that possibility, the show of force seemed designed for intimidation. Dozens were arrested and some students could potentially be banned from campus for a year.
Surely there were better ways for IU’s leadership to handle the protest.
Their actions seemed to only make matters worse.
And whether or not we agree with the message, demonstrations and protests are protected free speech. They are also part of college tradition.
For IU to crackdown on protests in such a manner is troubling, and it calls into question the university’s commitment to fairness and free speech.
Protesters also bear responsibility in knowing and following the law.
The First Amendment protects our right to assemble and peacefully protest. We are not, however, allowed to destroy property, physically hurt others or trespass. Images from protests at other college campuses certainly show that some protesters went too far.
The Indiana University Board of Trustees and Whitten should revisit the policy change. They could possibly mend some broken fences by encouraging student input on the matter instead of making decisions in a vacuum.
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