Indiana University Board of Trustees Meeting Interrupted by Screams of Protesters

About a dozen pro-Palestinian protesters were escorted from the room after shouting repeatedly following President Pamela Whitten’s remarks to the Indiana University Board of Trustees.

The action was part of a rally held outside Henke Hall, where trustees were meeting, calling on the board to end Whitten’s presidency. The meeting was organized by the IU Divestment Coalition, the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition (IGWC), Jewish Voice for Peace Indiana and the IU Faculty Rapid Response Group.

During the first day of the two-day board meeting, protesters held signs calling for divestment from Israel and criticizing IU’s response to the Dunn Meadow encampments, but remained largely silent . IU staff had handed out flyers to audience attendees informing them that no “noise, protesting or chanting” was allowed.

As Whitten presented the president’s report, several protesters stood up, one by one shouting at her. Protesters shouted messages such as “IU supports genocide” and “IU has direct affiliations with an apartheid state.” Others talked about IU’s response to the Dunn Meadow encampments, saying, “They brought Tasers, riot shields, assault rifles and pointed a sniper at us.”

As Whitten continued to speak about the protesters, Speaker Quinn Buckner regularly interrupted them, asking them to stop and saying, “We do not tolerate this.” »

“We need to make changes in the way we behave and the way we deal with each other because we are not disrespecting each other in that way,” Buckner said. “Standing up and interrupting another human being is not the way to solve any problem.”

Protesters continued to stand and shout following Whitten’s remarks every 30 seconds or so, until Buckner decided to adjourn the session and move the administrators to a private room. Audience members remained in Henke Hall and watched the remainder of the session, including discussion of a new chancellor for IU Bloomington, via a live television broadcast.

Mark Bode, IU spokesperson, said protesters violated IU policies on time, place and manner of proceeding with the disruptive action.

“To ensure that IU campuses consistently welcome free expression, we have long enforced conditions related to the time, location and manner of such exhibitions to ensure the safety of the campus community and the continuity of our academic mission,” Bode said. “As today’s protest clearly disrupted this mission, the meeting was reconvened in another room and broadcast live to the public in attendance to allow the board of trustees to continue the activities of the university.”

‘They will never sympathize with us’: Protesters say action was needed

Outside Henke Hall in Soha, a student protester who was escorted out and refused to give his last name said Buckner’s comments about “disrespect” were offensive given the response from IU and FAI at peaceful protests at Dunn Meadow in April.

“I would love for them to be more respectful,” Soha said. “I would love it if they didn’t have snipers pointed at us, or arrest 57 students and faculty, but here we are.”

Elena, another student protester who was escorted out and also refused to give her last name, said disruptive actions were necessary given Whitten and administrators’ perceived casualness toward student opinion and teachers.

“With Whitten, with the board, they will never sympathize with us,” Elena said. “Disruption is the only way to get our message across, because disruption ends their actual function within the university. No amount of mere talk or discussion will achieve that at this point.”

Contact Brian Rosenzweig at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter/X at @brianwritesnews.