Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition Demands “Whitten Goes, Union Grows” in New Campaign

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—On Friday, November 1st, the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition (IGWC) delivered a letter to the Chair of Indiana University Board of Trustees that demands the termination of Pamela Whitten’s Presidency, the revocation of IU’s new Expressive Activity Policy (UA-10), and the establishment of a formal bargaining agreement with IGWC. 

The letter demands a response by November 20th, or the IGWC “will move forward with [its] own objectives for ensuring the university remains a world-class educational and research institution.” The IGWC has named its latest campaign “Whitten Goes, Union Grows.”

You can read the full letter here.

IGWC delivered the letter only after it made numerous attempts to meet with upper administration regarding the management of the university and working conditions for graduate laborers. The administration has ignored all attempts by the IGWC, who represents a majority of graduate workers on campus, to open a dialogue with administrators about stipends that are 33% below a living wage, as determined by the MIT Living Wage Calculator. President Whitten has never responded to any IGWC letters since starting her presidency in 2021. 

“We’ve tried and tried and tried again,” said Madeleine Meldrum, a graduate worker in the Sociology Department and one of the union members who delivered Friday’s letter. “Not only are we fighting for union recognition and a living wage, we are also now fighting for freedom of speech and assembly on this campus. We are now fighting for the removal of a university president who would subject its students to police brutality and sniper rifles.”

Back in April, President Whitten directed state police to respond to students peacefully protesting the war in Gaza. Since then, the administration drafted a new Expressive Activity Policy, UA-10, that overturned decades of campus freedom of speech precedent and banned many activities performed by both war protesters and union members during the year. The new policy is currently being challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union. 

“This policy is contrary to the spirit of free expression that is so central to the research and teaching missions of IU,” the IGWC demand letter reads. “The selective enforcement of this rule has unfairly targeted speakers on the basis of the content of their speech and not on reasonable time, place, and manner grounds. This failure to enforce the policy neutrally has weakened the credibility of IU as an institution: the administration's unprincipled and radical politicization of this policy is contrary to IU's commitments to truth and fair and free discourse.”

UA-10 was just another misstep in a long line of unpopular decisions made by Whitten in the 2023–24 school year. The suspension of Professor Abdulkader Sinno, the cancellation of the exhibition of renowned Palestinian-American and IU alumna Samia Halaby, and the lack of transparency and communication in the potential severing of the Kinsey Institute from the university led the IGWC, the Graduate and Professional Student Government, and a dozen other graduate student associations to pass formal votes of “No Confidence” in Whitten’s administration during the Spring semester. The Bloomington Faculty Council, the governing body for IU faculty, followed with their own “No Confidence” vote, which passed 827-29 against Whitten on April 16th.

“Whitten has repeatedly shown us contempt with her unwillingness to listen to the IU community,” said Ashish Nambiar, a graduate worker in the Department of Biology. “If she actually cared about the students, staff, and faculty at IU, we would have had union recognition a long time ago. The only way this campus can move forward is if Whitten is gone.” 

In the event that the Trustees do not respond to the demand letter, the IGWC will kick off a new campaign by holding a rally, in conjunction with faculty, staff, and undergraduates, on Friday, December 6th, at noon.

“We want to use this opportunity to build an even bigger coalition of organizations on campus who love this university and hate how Whitten has dragged IU’s reputation through the mud,” said Elijah Beaton, a graduate worker in the History Department. “We invite other organizations to join us in planning this event, whether they are groups of undergraduates, faculty, or staff members. It’s a moment for us all to join together and put IU back into the hands of those who actually care for the university.”