Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) – Association of University Professors (AAUP)

For Immediate Release:
November 5, 2025

Contact: 
Prof. Maria Bucur
(812) 606-1515
mashabucur@gmail.com

Bloomington, IN – On Friday at 11 am, the Indiana University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) will hold a press conference to declare its opposition to the Trump Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, and to a series of actions by the upper administration that reflect a similar approach to higher education.  We will gather by the statue of IU’s beloved president, Herman B Wells (Wylie Hall 015 in case of rain).

The Compact demands “institutional neutrality,” while calling for full adherence to its own ideology and threatening to punish those who disagree.   At the same time, IU’s administration persists in similar actions that undercut the university’s reputation and national standing as an institution of excellence in research and teaching. The press conference will highlight the reaction of the IU community to the Compact, as well as:

• The abusive implementation of SEA 202 to punish and sanction faculty: the case of Jessica Adams, the professor removed from teaching without due process, will be highlighted.
• The censoring of the student newspaper
• The closing of DEI offices, firing of DEI personnel, and scrubbing of university websites of the words “diversity, equity, and inclusion”
• The elimination of degrees that do not align with the Trump administration’s compact
• The elimination of shared faculty governance

Standing with colleagues at institutions of higher education across the nation, the IUB AAUP soundly rejected (99%) the Trump Compact this past week and the Bloomington Faculty Council rejected it Tuesday through a Resolution.

The core mission of US higher education – the production of knowledge, education of students, and service to society – is currently at grave risk from the groundless and unjustified attacks of the Trump Administration.  Sadly, those threats are mirrored in the actions of the Whitten Administration, attacking academic freedom and civil rights. 

The press conference will call on all members of the Indiana University community—students, faculty, staff, alumni—to contact the Board of Trustees and IU’s President and join us in urging IU to uphold its academic mission of world class student education and innovative research without ideological interference.