Editor's note: All opinions, columns and letters reflect the views of the individual writer and not necessarily those of the IDS or its staffers.
An IU alumnus responds to Chancellor Reingold's statement
As an IU alumnus, I read Chancellor Reingold’s letter on the Indiana Daily Student controversy with a mix of familiarity and disappointment. It is the kind of statement universities issue when they’d prefer to manage outrage rather than confront the reason for it.
The chancellor frames what happened as a misunderstanding, a mere matter of “perception” and “communication.” But that framing itself is the problem. When a university administration directs its student newspaper to halt publication, even temporarily, it has crossed a line that no amount of wordsmithing can erase. The IDS was founded to report freely, not to operate at the pleasure of the university’s senior administrators. Calling that interference a budgetary adjustment does not make it something else.
The letter is steeped in procedural deflection — task forces, committees, collaborative conversations — all of which delay accountability and give an institution time to achieve the same goals by other means. The chancellor insists there was “no attempt to censor editorial content,” but refuses to disclose the details that would prove it, citing personnel matters, often real, but often a paper shield used by many bureaucracies to stymie conversation. He cites “an annual deficit approaching $300,000,” and that concern deserves to be taken seriously.
But if the chancellor is truly committed to the IDS, then the question is not how to cut it down, but how to sustain it. How will IU keep student journalism vibrant and viable? Where is the strategy to invest in its future, to help it adapt, to secure its independence? Substance matters more than numbers on a page. Without a plan, the deficit becomes yet another fig leaf for administrative control. A task force is not enough.
There is an important distinction between supporting student journalism and controlling it. Stewardship of public funds cannot become a euphemism for oversight of the press. The public mission of a university and the education of every student journalist at IU depend on understanding that line and never crossing it again.
If the chancellor truly wants to reaffirm “what unites us,” he can begin by affirming that independence in writing. Anything less leaves the university’s words as hollow as its process.
Eric van der Vort, Ph.D., grew up in Bloomington and graduated in 2009 with a BA in Political Science and Jewish Studies. He currently resides in upstate New York.
A sigh of relief
Dear Editors,
I breathed a sigh of relief at Chancellor David Reingold’s letter reestablishing student leadership at the Indiana Daily Student. I applaud his reaffirmation of “free inquiry, open debate, and journalistic rigor” as crucial values and his commitment to invite students to the decision-making table.
However, I fear IU’s commitment to these values did waver. Value statements help guide teams when making weighty decisions. Whatever the motivations were for canceling a news section and terminating advisor Jim Rodenbush in short order, I would feel better knowing my alma mater checked its values before making headlines in the New York Times and angering influential alumni.
And regardless of intent, this was censorship: A state government entity told editors not to print news. Writing an article I know will be set in ink is different than a Substack or a social media post seeking eyeballs. Whether to place a story at the top of the front page or the bottom of the back — these are content decisions I learned as I saw my first story go to press in the IDS in 1992.
Cheers to fellow alumni who spoke loudly, and cheers to Chancellor Reingold for listening. Does print have a place in today’s frenetic media marketplace? What is a sustainable model? Has slashing print made us more informed? Does work in print advance student careers? I have my opinions, but these are excellent questions for academia — and right now, cheers for letting the students decide.
Best Regards,
David Heath
David Heath edited for National Wildlife Federation and Environment magazine before moving to outdoor education. He teaches a leadership and outdoor education course at George Mason University.
The financial problem can't be ignored
It’s nice to have the paper edition of the Indiana Daily Student back, which I had grown accustomed to reading at the coffee shop I frequent. But I was the only person who seemed to read it. The stacks of paper stayed on the counter for days. It has been obvious to me that the students have produced content that few cared about.
The IDS accumulated debt over five to ten years, and IU absorbed $1 million in 2017. But the debt kept growing. When the university canceled the paper for homecoming, it was a final recognition that the IDS had no hope of paying for a paper IDS. The university did not censor the website or the radio and TV station. It continued to pay the students, give them office space and pay for web services. None of this prevented the media faculty and many in the press to claim censorship. This lie created enough negative publicity that the university backed off the decision. But the problem remains.
The IDS has a $300,000 deficit, and nobody but the taxpayer will pay for it. I wonder what taxpayers in a dominant Republican state will think about being forced to pay for a "progressive" blog, especially one that most students treat as kitty litter? But I will enjoy reading the sports stories and probably little else at the coffee shop.
Charles Trzcinka is the James and Virginia Cozad Professor of Finance in the Kelley School of Business. He was the department chair from 2006 to 2009.
