Time for change

On Friday, Feb. 22, the Indiana Daily Student ran bold headlines about the forced merger of the journalism school with the telecommunications department and the College of Arts and Sciences program.

In smaller print, an even bolder statement was made by the editor-in-chief of the IDS, Michael Auslen.

“In the past, we may have been complacent. We’ve let opportunities to question decisions by administrators and trustees pass us by.

“That stops today.”

The Board of Trustees has pushed through unwanted mergers, raises in top administrative pay, layoffs for staff, never-ending tuition hikes and an agenda that swaps faculty control of curricula in for standardized micromanagement.

We have watched, waited and hoped that McRobbie & Co. would change course, but we can’t sit idly by any more. We must speak up for ourselves — no one else will do it for us.

There is a new movement on campus — IU On Strike. We are organizing campus to push back against these mergers, cuts and tuition hikes. We are building a diverse coalition that includes faculty, staff, students and community members.

Whether you are upset over housing rate increases or the forced journalism school merger, we suggest you start organizing with like-minded people you know, right where you are.

IU On Strike will do all we can to help you.

We welcome Auslen and anyone else who is concerned about the direction IU is heading to join with us to blaze a new path, one that puts the needs of those most affected by changes first.

We must get together and work for change now, because IU deserves better than this. Let’s take Auslen’s words seriously — it is time for change on campus.

We’ve got your back.

— IU On Strike