As the fall semester begins, here are five summer news stories for students to catch up on:
IU professor lab shutdown
The U.S. Department of Agriculture unexpectedly shut down IU Professor Roger Innes’ Myers Hall lab and several adjacent spaces in May. The closure came after a December 2025 FBI search of the lab. Innes said that the closure was connected to an anticipated USDA review of the lab following months of federal scrutiny. USDA officials did not name any federal violations, but Innes said the closure of the interconnected research space shared by other labs delayed research for other projects for between six weeks and three months.
The FBI search in December 2025 followed the Nov. 25 arrest of Youhuang Xiang, a former Indiana University postdoctoral research associate. Xiang was charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States and making false statements. He allegedly requested and received a package that contained clothing and plasmid DNA derived from E. coli bacteria from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where Xiang had previously worked.
According to court documents, Xiang said he was aware he needed a permit to import E. coli and knowingly did not get one. He spent more than four months in prison and was sentenced to a $500 fine and deportation to China during his trial April 7.
College of Arts and Sciences dean steps down
On Aug. 1, Rick Van Kooten, former dean of the college since July 2019, stepped down from his role. Van Kooten is now special advisor to IU Bloomington Chancellor David Reingold.
Caroline Chick Jarrold took over as interim executive dean the same day. Jarrold previously served as associate dean for natural and mathematical sciences and research, and she has taught at IU since 2002.
In an email to the college faculty and staff, Van Kooten said it was not his choice to change roles.
“This was not a change I sought, and it is not easy to leave work that has been so meaningful to me,” Van Kooten wrote.
More than 200 faculty members from the college signed a letter that expressed concern over Van Kooten’s removal. The letter highlighted Van Kooten’s past roles as a faculty member, as well as his intellectual excellence and leadership during a time of “real crises of confidence in higher administration.”
“We write now to express our deep disappointment in the university’s decision to remove from leadership a colleague who has drawn from his faculty experience and institutional knowledge to be an excellent leader,” the faculty wrote.
IU Foundation board member steps down
James Fielding, IU alumnus and three-term IU Foundation board member, announced via a July 1 LinkedIn post that he appreciates IU but said he will not serve a fourth term due to the university’s current climate.
Fielding began serving on the board in 2017. He helped found the Queer Philanthropy Circle in 2019, a philanthropic group that brings IU donors together to support LGBTQ+ students, staff, faculty and alumni.
In a longer blog post, posted June 30, 2026, Fielding said donors were informed that it was no longer possible to designate emergency scholarships for LGBTQ+ students, as it could risk national grant funding. Fielding said he felt discouraged and concerned about the future of higher education given changes in state and federal laws and guidance surrounding universities.
“At the institutional level, I cannot reconcile what I have seen on free speech, on the dismantling of diversity and inclusion infrastructure, and on the protection of marginalized students, faculty and staff,” Fielding wrote.
Football season ticket process changes
In a July email, Indiana Athletics announced a new procedure for student football season tickets for the 2026-27 school year. The new claim process will allow students with season passes to select five out of eight home games to attend, changing the long-standing tradition allowing passholders access to all home football games.
Many Indiana fans had a negative reaction to the change, and some expressed their opinions on social media.
“...The most flawed system humanly possible. Why as someone who has attended over 50 IU games 2 years, including games off campus should I have to PICK between watching OSU or USC?” @JeffMcNuttCBS wrote in an X post.
There are three periods where students can claim tickets. Ticket fulfillment will be based on class standing and accumulated attendance at other sporting events. The first two claim periods were from Aug. 12-13 and Aug. 26-27. The final claim period will be from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1 and includes highly anticipated games versus Ohio State and USC. Final ticket claims will be fulfilled based on students’ attendance at other home games in September.
Little 500 movie production
Production of the movie “Little Five” started in July in Bloomington. The film, which is set in the 1980s, will follow four young women as they form a Little 500 team and fight for a place in the race.
Students and Bloomington locals had an opportunity to be extras in the film when a casting call was held from July 19 to Aug. 12. Multiple streets closed for filming, including Grant Street and Seventh Street closing July 20-21. The Griffy Lake Nature Preserve was also closed for filming on Aug. 1.
Anne Hathaway’s production company, Somewhere Pictures, is collaborating with Pigasus Pictures, an independent film company founded by IU alumni John Armstrong and Zachary Spicer, to produce the film.
