To the students of The Media School at Indiana University,
We, the undersigned faculty of The Media School, write this letter today to express our outrage over the events of the last two weeks. Just like you, we learned about the cancellation of the Homecoming issue of the Indiana Daily Student—and all subsequent print editions of the newspaper—when it was reported in the news. None of us was included in any of the conversations that led to that decision.
Like you, we feel betrayed. Our conversations with administrators in recent days have led to disappointing outcomes: No public apologies, no acknowledgement of mistakes, no satisfactory explanation for the decisions they made.
As a result, at this moment, IU is not seen as a safe place for free and open expression, which undermines the educational mission not just of The Media School but of the entire university. How can it be a safe place for free and open expression, when the university’s top administrators surprise us with censorious decisions that affect our students so directly? Today, it is the IDS, our 158-year-old student newspaper, and one of the most respected in the country. What will it be tomorrow?
Our students deserve better. Our alumni, who have advocated and fundraised for us, deserve better. Our Media School staff members, who spent the last two weeks fielding angry emails, phone calls, and letters, deserve better.
At The Media School, we bring together many different disciplines under one roof. As a result, we have many different ways of approaching the world of media. Some of us are journalists. Some are creative advertisers. Some are documentarians. Others are social scientists, historians, or artists—the list goes on.
Today, we stand together as a united faculty to say to you, our students: We will not stop fighting for you. We will not stop innovating in the classroom. We will not stop expanding the opportunities available to you. We will not stop engaging in the challenging conversations that make the college experience so indelible in young people’s lives. We will not stop shouting to everyone who will hear about how exceptional so many of you are, even as you eventually leave Franklin Hall and move onto the next phase of life.
We still believe in The Media School because we can never lose faith in you. This is an easy decision because we don’t have to look far to see the extraordinary achievements taking place here—and beyond. IU boasts the largest living alumni community in the nation, many of whom are our award-winning students turned industry leaders.
We know it will take time to heal the harm caused by the last two weeks. And we’ll continue to fight to hold administrators accountable for their actions. We commend you for your resilience and look forward to seeing you in the classroom.
Never daunted,
Akinwumi Adesokan
Tim Bell
Nicholas Browning
Malia Bruker
Cara Caddoo
Carrie Cochran
Joseph Coleman
Ryan N. Comfort
Stephanie DeBoer
Suzannah Evans Comfort
William Emigh
Anthony Fargo
Thomas French
Joe Glennon
Dave Groobert
Mike Gruszczynski
Raiford Guins
Kathleen M. Johnston
Minjeong Kang
Jim Krause
Gerry Lanosga
Novotny Lawrence
Bonnie Layton
Steve Layton
Taeyoung Lee
Lisa D. Lenoir
Nicky Lewis
George Drosis Logothetis Jr.
Craig Lyons
Lesa Major
Michael T. Martin
Nicole Martins
Elaine Monaghan
Radhika Parameswaran
Bryant Paul
Jason Peifer
Matt Pierce
Patricia A. Pizer
Rachel Plotnick
Anne Ryder
Melanie Sarge
Bill Schwab
Esi Tani-Eshon
John Velez
Brandon T. Wallace
Andrew Weaver
Mike Wells
Teresa A. White
UPDATE: This story has been updated with two signatures missing from the original version of the letter sent to the IDS.
