IDS Thursday, May 1, 2025
INSIDE
LITTLE 500 RECAP
Pro-Palestinian organizing, one year on
PRO-PALESTINIAN ACTIVISM SINCE THE ENCAMPMENT
By Jack Forrest and Chloe Oden
APRIL 25, 2024 Protesters establish the pro-Palestinian encampment in Dunn Meadow. State and IU Police arrest 34 people, spurred by a university policy change just hours before.
jhforres@iu.edu | chloden@iu.edu
A year to the day after the start of IU’s pro-Palestinian encampment, protesters were back in Dunn Meadow on April 25. Around 40 people marked the anniversary with speeches and the chants that had become characteristic of the encampment: “Free, free Palestine.” “From the river to the sea.” “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” Four IU Police cars were parked on different sides of Dunn Meadow during the protest, at the same time as the women’s Little 500 race. Last year, on the opposite end of the same meadow, several of these protesters helped start what would be a months-long encampment in support of Palestine where more than 50 people were arrested. That event, part of a larger encampment movement across many American universities, brought a police sniper to the roof of the Indiana Memorial Union, 100 days of tents in Dunn Meadow and national attention to IU. Their demands of IU — and that very same mantra — have not wavered. And a year on, amid heightened federal pushback against pro-Palestinian speech on college campuses, protesters say those demands haven’t been met. Soha Vora, a pro-Palestinian organizer who graduated IU in December, said it’s frustrating to see no progress on IU divesting from Israel, a year after the tents went up. “It’s actually beyond frustrating,” Vora said. “It’s like, enraging.” Pro-Palestinian activism on campus The pro-Palestinian movement at IU did not begin during the encampment in Dunn Meadow last year, and it hasn’t stopped since. The pro-Palestinian protests began two days after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in Israel, as the Israeli response
APRIL 27, 2024 State and IU Police arrest another 23 protesters.
JACOB SPUDICH | IDS
Indiana State Police and pro-Palestinian protesters clash at the IU Divestment Coalition encampment April 27, 2024, at Dunn Meadow in Bloomington. April 25, 2025, marked one year since the beginning of April 2024's pro-Palestine encampment.
began pummeling the Gaza Strip. Hamas took around 250 hostages in the attack. Around 150 have since been released or rescued alive. Nearly 50 hostages were confirmed dead, and Israel believes another 35 have been killed. Despite a ceasefire lasting about two months, Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed about 52,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The health ministry says the majority of those are women and children, while Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants. Around 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced by the war. Two gatherings on Oct. 9, 2023, surrounding the conflict marked the first demonstrations at IU since the war began. The two groups — some in support of Israel and some in support of Palestine — began separately, but ended face to face, waving flags and yelling at each other. On Oct. 16, 2023, about 30 people held a vigil at the Indiana Memorial Union, reading the names of people missing or killed during the war in Israel and Gaza. On Oct. 29, 2023, more than 200 students gathered in Dunn Meadow to mourn Palestinian lives lost and advocate for a ceasefire. The Palestine Solidarity Committee then set up around 10,000 white flags Jan. 29, 2024, in Dunn Meadow to represent and honor the children killed
in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian protests continued throughout the school year, spurred on by the suspension of professor and former PSC advisor Abdulkader Sinno and the sudden cancelation of Palestinian painter Samia Halaby’s art exhibit. Tensions came to a head during the Solar Eclipse last year, where IU police arrested one pro-Palestinian protester.
“Everything requires a level of sacrifice in my mind.” Sarah Alhaddad, IU sophomore
IU’s encampment was part of a nationwide trend of pro-Palestinian encampments last spring, started by one at Columbia University. Many were met with swift police backlash. State and IU Police arrested over 30 protesters April 25, 2024, spurred by a university policy change just hours before. Officials also dismantled the encampment. Protesters had re-established the encampment by the next day. On April 27 last year, police again forcibly arrested another 23 protesters. Those arrested faced one-year campus bans. One encampment figurehead, PSC graduate adviser Bryce Greene, received a five-year campus ban. All bans were eventually dropped.
The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office declined to charge any protesters arrested for criminal trespass, citing IU’s “constitutionally dubious process” for changing its policy on structures in Dunn Meadow. The protesters’ demands one year later The IU Divestment Coalition, which organized the encampment, shared four demands prior to the start of the protest. First was the resignation of IU President Pamela Whitten, Provost Rahul Shrivastav and Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Carrie Docherty. They cited a faculty vote of no confidence against the three, the cancelation of Haley’s exhibition and Sinno’s suspension as reasons why they should resign. All three administrators still work for IU. Whitten received a five-year contract extension and 28% raise in February. She now earns $900,000 per year, up from $702,000 annually. The group’s next demand was the end of IU’s partnership with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, which is a navy installation around 25 miles southwest of Bloomington. IU announced in October 2023 it would invest $111 million toward a partnership with NSWC Crane over the next several years. The third was to divest financially from Israel. Vora
pointed to a guest column written by Greene published in the IDS which showed IU held a bond in 2022 and 2023 sold by Israel. It’s unclear whether IU still holds those bonds, or how much they held. The fourth demand was the creation of Middle Eastern and Muslim Culture Centers. While Shrivastav said in January last year the university was working on creating a Muslim culture center, student leaders have said there's been little progress. But instead of answering their demands, IU only tightened restrictions against campus protest. The IU Board of Trustees passed its Expressive Activity Policy in July, which restricted many of the tactics of the encampment, including camping, use of non-soluble chalks and paints and unapproved signs placed in the ground. It also bans protesting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. — though the board approved an amendment in November to allow community members to “spontaneously and contemporaneously assemble and distribute literature” during those hours. Shortly after the policy passed, IU dismantled the Dunn Meadow encampment on its 100th day and closed the meadow for repairs. Since then, the protest has taken different shapes.
SEE ENCAMPMENT, PAGE 4
AUG. 2, 2024 IU dismantles the encampment on its 100th day following passage of the new Expressive Activity Policy.
FALL 2024 Demonstrators hold candlelight vigils after 11 p.m. to protest IU’s Expressive Activity Policy.
OCT. 7, 2024 Protesters meet at Sample Gates to mourn the Palestinians killed in the one year since the start of the Israel-Hamas War.
NOV. 14, 2024 The IU Divestment Coalition rallies and shares more demands of IU.
JAN. 13, 2025 Protesters begin disruptions at Bloomington Faculty Council meetings after their demands aren’t met.
APRIL 17, 2025 The People’s 2030 Project has an involvement fair, featuring the Palestine Solidarity Committee and other groups.
APRIL 25, 2025 Protesters rally in Dunn Meadow to commemorate one year since the start of the encampment.
Braun set to control IU IUPD sees high activity Board of Trustees over Little 500 weekend By Molly Gregory and Chloe Oden
mogrego@iu.edu | chloden@iu.edu
A last-minute addition to the Indiana state budget alters the structure of the Indiana University Board of Trustees, giving Gov. Mike Braun the authority to choose all members of the board. The budget passed by a vote of 66-27 in the House and 39-11 in the Senate early in the morning April 25. Alumni have elected trustees at IU for over a century. Three of the nine members are alumni-elected positions and six are appointed by the governor. The alumni-elected seats’ selection would be transferred to Braun immediately after he signs the bill. Democratic State Rep. Matt Pierce, who represents Bloomington and is a senior lecturer at IU, took to the podium late April 24 to question this amendment in the House Chamber. He asked Republican Rep. Jeffrey Thompson, who authored the bill, if the policy change had gone through the House or the Senate. Thompson said it hadn’t. “We didn’t think we needed to hear from the public, or heaven forbid, some faculty members?” Pierce said. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Shelli Yoder, who also represents Bloomington, voiced her disapproval in a Senate Democrats press release. “Republicans say they
don’t want big government,” Yoder said. “But this budget proves otherwise. When you control and censor education, healthcare and the media — and now public universities — you’re not shrinking government. You’re weaponizing it.” The bill also stipulates that five of the trustees must be IU alumni. Other than the student trustee, IU employees will not be permitted to serve on the board. The student trustee will now also only serve for one year, instead of two. Another condition of the bill restricts trustees to a three-term limit. “The governor may at any time remove and replace a member of the Board of Trustees who was elected by the alumni of Indiana University,” the bill reads. Alumni-elected trustee Vivian Winston’s term is set to end June 30. She and the other current alumnielected trustees, Jill Burnett and Donna Spears, could be removed from their positions at any time if the bill is signed. The bill only references the trustees of IU and does not require the trustees of Purdue University, Ball State University or Indiana State University to change their procedure of nominating alumni to their governing boards. “Indiana University is currently reviewing the potential impacts of the proposed state budget,” IU executive director of media relations Mark Bode wrote in a
message to the IDS. Bode declined to comment on what the bill would mean for IU’s upcoming election for Winston’s seat. Pierce said he received a similar statement when he reached out to IU about the bill. “Why would our university administration stand by and say nothing?” Pierce asked during the House session. Mark Land, one of six people running for Winston’s seat, said the addition to the budget bill is disappointing and unnecessary. He said the structure of the board gives the governor-appointed trustees the majority regardless. “One of the primary roles of the alumni trustees are to add — just add diversity of viewpoint, to represent, bring their experiences as alumni,” Land said. “All they’ve really done here is diminish, potentially, the diversity of voices that can be expressed at board meetings.” Gov. Braun said the addition will make a board that is “going to be a little more rounded, that’s going to produce better results,” according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Land currently works as vice president for communications and marketing at Union College in Schenectady, New York. He said he will continue to campaign until the election is officially canceled.
SEE TRUSTEES, PAGE 4
By Mia Hilkowitz
mhilkowi@iu.edu | @miahilkowitz
Over Little 500 weekend, IU Police Department responded to dozens of reports ranging from underage drinking to battery to vehicle theft at dorms, Greek houses and other buildings surrounding campus. Dorms According to the IUPD crime log, the agency recorded four instances of illegal consumption or possession of alcohol by minors from April 24-27 at McNutt Quadrangle. There was also one instance of illegal consumption at Forest Quadrangle reported April 25 and one at Walnut Grove Center on April 26. IUPD also saw six instances of aggravated battery and one report each of criminal trespass and intimidation April 25 at Ashton. Some on-campus housing locations also saw reports of theft, with Forest and Foster Quadrangle seeing instances of theft from buildings and motor vehicles. At Spruce Hall, police received a report of intimidation — extortion or blackmail — and stalking that allegedly occurred April 25. IUPD also responded to a report of confinement and domestic battery April 27 at Eigenmann Hall. Additionally, there was a reported vehicle theft April 27 from the Eigenmann parking lot. There was also theft from
Tulip Tree Apartments of less than $750 from April 26 to April 28, according to the log. A vehicle theft was listed on the crime log on the Forest exterior grounds. The theft occurred between April 22 to April 28, according to IUPD. Fraternity houses Seven Fraternity chapters, all part of the Interfraternity Council at IU, saw crime reports over the weekend. At Sigma Phi Epsilon, IUPD received three reports of battery — two reports had minor injuries and one report had moderate injury. It also had one reported strangulation over the weekend. Pi Kappa Phi saw a report of illegal consumption by a minor, battery with serious bodily injury and aggravated battery. Alpha Epsilon Pi saw two reports of illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor, one report of battery with minor injury and a battery no injury. The crime log also reflected a report of “distribution of an intimate image,” which was reported to have occurred between April 23-27. Sigma Alpha Epsilon had a battery with no injury, a battery with minor injury and illegal consumption reported April 27, along with criminal mischief loss valued at $750 to $49,999 from April 24-25, according to the log. Tau Epsilon Phi had a
report of battery with no injury from April 26. Sigma Pi also had a report of battery with no injury from April 26. On April 27, it had reports of burglary, intimidation and battery with minor injury. Beta Sigma Psi was the location of an alleged theft from a motor vehicle valued at less than $750 that occurred April 26. Other reports IUPD also added another case of illegal consumption by a minor April 25 at the 17th Street Parking lot. There was also a case of illegal consumption and battery with minor injury at the Optometry building. Additionally, IUPD received a report of a theft valued less than $750 at St. Paul’s Catholic Center from April 25. There was also a reported theft near the intersection of Indiana Avenue and 10th Street on April 27. There was also activity at David Baker Avenue — the log reported battery with minor injury from April 27. There was also reported criminal mischief loss less than $750, public intoxication by alcohol, illegal consumption, criminal conversion, unlawful entry of motor vehicle and false government issued identification April 26. There was a report of public nudity and public intoxication by drugs April 26 at the intersection of Fee Lane and 10th Street.