'Complete takeover': Lawmakers exert control over Indiana University policy in 11th hour

[Nevilledog]

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/25/indiana-lawmakers-indiana-university-control-mike-braun/83265418007/

Over the course of 36 hours at the tail end of the three-month legislative session, Indiana lawmakers made significant policy changes that fundamentally alter how state universities conduct themselves.

These changes ― among them, giving Gov. Mike Braun sole appointing power over Indiana University's board of trustees, subjecting tenured faculty to "productivity" quotas that could lead to termination, dissolving the decision-making power of faculty governance organizations ― were never the subject of a filed bill or amendment and saw no opportunity for public testimony.

They appeared near the bottom of the 220-page budget bill the evening of April 23, and rose to the forefront of the heated debate that went into the early hours of April 25 when lawmakers approved the bill.

"It’s hard to imagine anything that could possibly be more nontransparent, opaque," said Russ Skiba, professor emeritus at IU. "This is a complete takeover of universities by the governor and state legislature."

*snip*

[dem4decades]

1. There's got to be valuable professors and administrators the blue states can entice to move to.

[mobeau69]

5. Sure but IU WAS a great school with one of the best medical schools in the country. Better to stay and fight.

I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this. IU Medical is huge in blue Indy, the people know they’re blessed to have it and they like it just the way it is. The pukes are fucking with one of the only things the state has to offer. I hope they get to the find out part quickly.

[dem4decades]

6. What does IU teach their ObGyn students, let the woman die?

I'm sorry, but these red states do nothing to keep good people, and the good people should leave, maybe then they'll vote differently.

[lindysalsagal]

2. Vote red. Get fascism. Florida, and Texas , too.

[Passages]

3. Miserable God damn bastards.

They hate anything and everything good about this country.

[TommyT139]

4. Watch for more in this theme.

Trump tried to do something at the federal level, is challenged, and has to pull back.

Red-controlled states take a page and try to accomplish similar goals as much as they are able at the state level.

As a side benefit, the solidarity groups of schools that have formed to resist Trump are less effective in these state cases, given that they are in different states. Also, when the school is a state school, there's also structural advantage to the state-level fascists, as has been demonstration Ed in Florida.

[HoosierDebbie]

7. My Heart Aches Upon Reading This

I am a graduate of Indiana University.

I am not so sure this plan by the legislature is going to go over so well on the Bloomington campus. This story may be worth watching for the pushback that the students and faculty will demonstrate.

[DavidDvorkin]

8. I'm also an IU alumnus

My wife and I met when were students there.