IU Indianapolis removed two banners reading “Black Lives Matter” and “Discrimination has no place here” from its campus less than a week after IU announced the closing of the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to “ensure compliance with state and federal guidance”.
The banners were installed over a skywalk on Michigan Street in 2020 as part of the university’s anti-racism initiatives following the death of George Floyd.
“The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion know the conversation on racism isn’t stopping any time soon,” they wrote in a story covering the installation.
The signage now simply reads “Indiana University Indianapolis”. IUI split from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis last July.
Since the signage was put up in 2020, the banners had only been taken down briefly so that another group could use the messaging space in March 2022, according to the IUI Undergraduate Student Government Instagram, but the original sign returned.
IU’s OVPDEI website was removed May 22, and its Office of Institutional Equity was renamed to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance. Earlier this year, IU removed DEI language from its websites and transitioned its culture centers from the OVPDEI to the Office of Student Life.
The changes followed a state and nationwide push against DEI following President Donald Trump’s executive orders in January to end DEI policies and programs in the federal government. Gov. Mike Braun signed a similar order to eliminate DEI programs at the state level.
IU was among other universities nationwide that received a letter from the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights in February asking them to end race-based programming in compliance with federal civil rights laws or face loss of federal funding. Senate Enrolled Act 289, signed into law by Braun on May 6, targeted “unlawful discrimination” in state educational institutions.
The removal of the banner follows recent shuttering of other DEI initiatives in higher education institutions in Indiana and nationwide. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that over 300 colleges and universities have made changes to their DEI offices, programs, jobs and statements.
