IDS Thursday, January 30, 2025
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INSIDE
FREEZEFEST RECAP
$2,190,000
AI, defense and hazing A look at IU’s $440k in federal lobbying last year
$1,000,000
$880,000
$800,000
$710,000
$687,000
$620,000 $610,000
$530,000
$440,000
$380,000
$340,000
$300,000
$260,000 $258,170.98
$230,000 $220,000 $210,000
By Mia Hilkowitz
mhilkowi@iu.edu | @MiaHilkowitz
Indiana University spent around $440,000 last year lobbying the federal government on issues ranging from its defense partnerships to artificial intelligence research to campus hazing legislation, among a wide range of other topics. The lobbying expenses, reported through quarterly disclosures, reflect a slight increase from the $410,000 the university spent in 2023. IU was the third-highest spending university in Indiana last year, following Purdue University ($620,000) and University of Notre Dame ($540,000). Ball State University was the only other Indiana college to record federal lobbying activity, spending $60,000. Still, IU’s federal lobbying spending is mild compared to many other Big Ten schools. The University of California system, which includes the Big Ten’s UCLA, spent by far the highest on lobbying, almost $2.2 million last year. IU’s spending on federal lobbying efforts has steadily increased over the last five years — except for 2021, when the university spent $20,000 less than the year before. Aaron Dusso, associate professor of political science at IU Indianapolis, said this is a trend common with most universities across the country over the past decades. That’s because state and federal support of universities has dwindled year after year, he said. “There’s a smaller pot of money available, and so once you have that smaller pot becoming available, there’s a lot more competition for it,” Dusso said.
“You’re a player in this industry, and of course you want to keep that industry’s money flowing into higher education.”
Experts weigh in on plagiarism accusations
By Jack Forrest
jhforres@iu.edu | @byjackforrest
Editor’s note: The IDS received a tip about potential plagiarism in President Whitten’s 1996 dissertation and 2006 article in September. IDS staff verified examples and interviewed experts but decided it did not have enough evidence to break a story with allegations of this nature. Following publication of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s article, the IDS has decided to publish the expert interviews to add to the public discourse about what does or does not constitute plagiarism.
Colleges and universities can lobby Congress and federal agencies in several ways. First, they might hire their own lobbyists to work in Washington. According to IU’s disclosures, the university employed two in-house lobbyists last year, Doug Wasitis and Molly Connor, who work for the IU Office of Federal Relations. Wasitis has worked for IU Federal Relations since 2005, and Connor served as an appointed student member of the IU Board of Trustees from 2019-2021. Universities can also hire already existing lobbying firms to lobby on their behalf — Notre Dame, for instance, employed two outside lobbying firms last year. Many institutions also join associations that lobby Congress on behalf of a group of institutions, like the Association of American Universities and the American Council on Education. However, lobbying activity doesn’t always mean taking a stance on legislation or advocating for specific government action. Lobbying activity could also mean providing expertise to members of Congress on higher education issues or updating federal agencies on the university’s initiatives. “There’s this kind of reciprocal relationship that happens between members of Congress, their staff and the lobbying organizations,” Dusso said, “no matter what industry they’re in.”
Eliza Brader was cut off from Indiana’s Medicaid expansion program, the Healthy Indiana Plan, once. Brader, 27, moved to Bloomington from New Mexico in 2019 to start her master's degree in public affairs at IU. She also moved to be closer to the national clinic for her rare genetic disease, Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which had just relocated to Indianapolis. As a master's student, she didn’t qualify for university sponsored health insurance, so she got on HIP. In 2019, Brader’s ability to walk began to deteriorate, forcing her to pursue getting a wheelchair — often a long process that can take several months. Hurdles include approval from a doctor, approval from a physical therapist and getting insurance to cover the cost. However, during this process, her HIP status went under review. That was when she found out her work study program didn’t count under then-HIP work requirements. At the time, Brader was working 15 hours a week in work study and going to school full time. The state cut her from the plan in October 2019.
*Northwestern University and University of Southern California did not report quarterly expenses. The total for Northwestern University is based on income disclosures from two of the university's clients, Strategic Marketing Innovations and Harbinger Strategies, LLC. USC's total is based on income disclosures from two of the university's clients, Holland & Knight LLP and DGA Government Relations LLC.
Does copied language in IU President Pamela Whitten’s doctoral dissertation constitute plagiarism? The Chronicle of Higher Education first reported Jan. 22 it received documents including examples of writing from Whitten’s 1996 doctoral dissertation about telemedicine and a 2006 article alongside the source text. In September, the Indiana Daily Student received the same examples and more in multiple spreadsheets, which it was able to verify with both the original text source and the dissertation. The sources of the documents requested anonymi-
ty due to fear of repercussion for sharing them. It also received tips about seven examples of potential plagiarism unique from the Chronicle’s, including a 52word example of language taken from an article Whitten co-wrote in Telemedicine Journal. That example was attributed to herself and her co-author but was not in quotations. In a statement to the Chronicle, an IU spokesperson claimed an independent law firm investigated and found the “assertions” to be meritless in August last year. SEE WHITTEN, PAGE 8
GOP says Medicaid cuts will save money, Hoosiers disagree By Adelyn Rabbitt
GRAPHIC BY MIA HILKOWITZ
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Did Whitten plagiarize?
Aaron Dusso, associate professor of political science, IU Indianapolis
SEE LOBBYING, PAGE 9
$98,647
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALAYNA WILKENING
adrabb@iu.edu
*** Indiana Senate Republicans have made reforming HIP one of their top priorities, a move that could effectively cut nearly 200,000 Hoosiers off the plan, and constrict its benefits. Proponents say reform is needed to save money. HIP is an expansion of Indiana’s traditional Medicaid program, providing low-income adults from ages 19-64 without disabilities with accessible health insurance. To be eligible for HIP, someone's income must be no more than 138% of the federal poverty level. State Sen. Ryan Mishler,
MICHELLE REZSONYA | IDS
The Indiana Statehouse is pictured Feb. 10, 2024, in Indianapolis. Indiana Senate Republicans have made reforming the Healthy Indiana Plan one of their top priorities this legislative session.
vice-chairperson of the Medicaid Oversight Committee and chair of the Indiana Senate Appropriations Committee, proposed Senate Bill 2 on Jan. 14, which would cap enrollment in HIP at 500,000, with all remaining users put on a waitlist.
“I just think it immediately becomes unaffordable for a lot of people.” Adam Nuñez, Monroe County resident
As of December 2024, almost 2 million Hoosiers are enrolled in Medicaid. 686,364 of those Medicaid recipients are enrolled in HIP. In Monroe County, 25,628 people are enrolled in Medicaid, 10,449 of whom are enrolled in HIP. Mishler was not able to do an interview within the Indiana Daily Student’s twoweek deadline. Adam Nuñez, a 55-yearold Monroe County resident, got onto HIP when he faced chronic back issues and had to reduce his work hours at his physical labor-intensive job in 2017. He was removed from the plan after having Medicare for a year but is now on the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program. He said the proposed cap could be devastating for current HIP users, as they often require prescriptions and consistent doctor’s appointments.
He said that without HIP, he does not know how much healthcare would cost him or if it would be affordable. Nuñez added that it is dangerous to push people into the private healthcare system by removing or waitlisting them from HIP. “There’s going to be procedures that are going to be rejected. There’s going to be doctors’ visits that are going to be refused,” he said. “I just think it immediately becomes unaffordable for a lot of people.” Mishler’s proposed bill would also limit individual coverage to only 36 months of one’s lifetime. Tracey Hutchings-Goetz is the communications and policy director for Hoosier Action, a grassroots organization dedicated to “improving the everyday lives of Hoosiers.” She testified during the Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing of SB 2 on Jan. 16. The bill is set to proceed to a committee vote. After testimonies, Mishler announced he would hold the bill for adjustments, but it would ultimately return for further votes. “At 36 months, people don’t magically stop needing healthcare,” HutchingsGoetz said, referencing diabetics who rely on HIP for insulin and cancer patients who need HIP for their chemotherapy. “The idea that those care needs disappear in 36 months is absurd.” SEE MEDICAID, PAGE 4