Indiana
College faculty overwhelmingly opposed to bill seeking to end “viewpoint discrimination” – Indiana Capital Chronicle
Faculty from higher education institutions across Indiana descended on the Statehouse Wednesday to speak out against a contentious bill that would increase lawmaker oversight of state colleges and universities and push speech in the classroom toward “intellectual diversity.”
Sen. Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, has called his Senate Bill 202 a “reform” effort intended to reverse “declining views” of higher education.
But dozens of opponents argued the proposed changes could harm students and professors, or would overly burden public institutions.
Testimony was heard on the bill in the House Education Committee on Wednesday. Committee chairman Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, said a vote on the measure is expected next week.
“At the end of the day, there is an elephant in the room that we need to address, and that’s the increasing number of students who just don’t feel like higher ed is a place for them,” Deery said, He pointed to a 2023 Gallup survey which found the percent of Republicans “with confidence in higher education” declined from 56% in 2015 to 19% in 2023.
“Addressing this issue will both improve the quantity of Hoosiers that we can get enrolled in higher education,” Deery continued. “I also believe it will improve the quality of education they receive, because we all benefit — no matter your political beliefs — from being challenged and exposed to new scholarly ideas.”
Faculty, students and other campus representatives from Ball State University, Indiana University, Indiana State University, Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue University, University of Southern Indiana and Vincennes University disagreed, however. They argued the bill “would severely constrain academic freedom” and threaten schools’ ability to recruit and retain top faculty.
“SB 202 will put the state at odds with specialty accreditors and risk programs’ specialized accreditation, resulting in even greater shortages fundamental to the needs of Indiana citizens,” said Lindsey Everman, a professor at Indiana State University. “I encourage and welcome intellectual and ideological diversity in my classroom and throughout my scholarship. I work to educate students to also welcome diversity in the way they think.”
“Effective practitioners have to embrace diversity of thought, and it is a misconception that one cannot both believe in diversity, equity and inclusion, and also offer an opportunity for free expression of faith and political ideology,” she continued. “A college classroom is meant for this kind of dialogue. And everyone — faculty and students together — grow in their critical thinking from this kind of exchange. Instead of encouraging free expression, as the bill hopes to do, the ambiguity of SB 202 will only stifle those activities that encourage critical thinking.”
Preventing faculty from imposing their views
Deery and other Republican lawmakers contend that conservative students and faculty members are increasingly ostracized at progressively liberal college and university settings — or at least perceive such shunning.
As an attempted remedy, Deery’s bill would change up institution boards of trustees by removing appointment power from alumni councils and pass it off to House and Senate Republican majority leaders — “with advice” from Democrat minority leaders. It would require boards’ existing diversity committees to consider “intellectual diversity” alongside cultural diversity in employment policies and faculty complaints.
The legislation would additionally require the committees to make recommendations promoting recruitment and retention of “underrepresented” students rather than the “minority students” specified in current law.
Conservative-friendly higher education legislation clears Senate
The measure re-shapes tenure and promotion policies, too.
Boards of trustees would be required to prevent a faculty member from getting tenure or a promotion if the board thinks the member is “unlikely to foster a culture of free inquiry, free expression and intellectual diversity” and unlikely to offer students scholarly works from a range of “political or ideological frameworks.” Boards would also dock members considered likely to bring up personal political views unrelated to their specific field or class.
Boards would get wide latitude in making those policies. The bill says decisions would be based on past performance “or other determination by the board.”
The bill also mandates that boards conduct reviews of tenured professors every five years based on the above, as well as if faculty members “adequately” carry out academic duties and more. A fiscal analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency notes IU’s flagship campus at Bloomington alone has over 1,000 tenured faculty, meaning its board would have to conduct 200-plus reviews annually.
“One of the fundamental things that ought to happen to you as a young person in college is to be challenged by thoughts you’re not familiar with — thought you’re not comfortable with, thought you don’t agree with,” Democrat Rep. Ed DeLaney told Deery during committee discussion, adding that his bill “will cut that down.”
“You’re requiring the professors — for example, in sociology or political science — to give a range of opinions and to be neutral,” DeLaney continued. “In effect, you are neutering your faculty. That’s what you’re trying to do.”
Deery opposed that description of his proposal and maintained that he wants to protect tenured faculty by codifying things the board can’t consider in reviews, like expressing dissent or engaging in research and public commentary, as well as criticizing institutional leadership and engaging in political activity outside teaching or mentoring duties.
In effect, you are neutering your faculty. That’s what you’re trying to do.
– Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis
Still, institutions would be required to adopt policies establishing disciplinary actions — termination, demotion, salary cuts and more — for tenured faculty members who fail those reviews.
Deery said the bill does not “mandate that any particular content be taught,” nor does it require students be exposed to “every scholarly idea” or “pseudoscience.”
“If you believe that it’s unreasonable for faculty to answer, occasionally, how they expose students to competing scholarly views, or if you believe that doing so will somehow ‘threaten’ the stature of your university, or the economic and cultural vitality of our state, or weaken the intellectual rigor of your students … then you and I have a very different definition of what it actually means to be higher in higher education,” Deery said.
“If you believe that we should not include in our definition of diversity the importance of competing ideas, along with the traditional goals of creating equal opportunity for all, then you and I also have a very different view on what diversity is, and I stand by that policy difference.”
University faculty speak out
A joint statement released Monday by the Purdue-West Lafayette and Indiana University-Bloomington chapters of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) said adoption of the Senate bill “would severely damage the ability” of the two public research universities “to recruit and retain outstanding faculty, erasing the State of Indiana’s uniquely prominent national profile in higher education.”
“In its attempt to ensure that all students and faculty at state universities feel confident they can express their political and intellectual views freely — an aspiration the AAUP shares — SB 202 mandates a system of surveillance and political scrutiny that will instead stifle the free flow of ideas,” the statement said. “It requires that hiring, tenure, and promotion become subject to reviews that judge faculty based on political criteria, and that post-tenure employment be contingent on further periodic reviews. These measures would severely constrain academic freedom at our university.”
Story continues below.
240212 IU-Purdue SB 202 joint statement
That sentiment was echoed by multiple other faculty members from public universities across Indiana who testified against the bill on Wednesday.
Mary Dankoski, who has served as faculty at IU’s medical school for 24 years, said Senate Bill 202 “is unprecedented” and will have “an enormous impact.”
“It is a deterrent to prospective faculty from considering making Indiana their home and the place to grow their careers,” Dankoski said.
Dan Smith, a professor and dean emeritus at IU’s Kelley School of Business, noted that students in all classes already complete faculty evaluation surveys and appear content with their teachers.
“One of those questions has to do with whether the faculty member for that course creates an environment in that classroom that is conducive to engagement from all students,” Smith said. “When you look at the battery of responses, and you add them all up — the Kelley School has 10,000 students, 400 faculty — last year, the average on this composite index was a six-point-three out of seven on a seven-point scale. That’s comparable to how happy and satisfied you are with your Apple iPhone.”
College faculty emphasized, too, that within campus environments now, students have the ability to think critically and for themselves — and they actively do so.
“I think that the misconception that higher education may be indoctrinating students would be better evidenced if we had a room full of liberals as legislators,” said Everman, from ISU. “We’re not as effective as you think we are at changing the minds of our students. And that is because we are able to have a dialogue in a classroom and that the system evaluates our ability to do that.”
Capital Chronicle reporter Leslie Bonilla Muñiz contributed reporting.
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Caitlin Clark explains what she learned from injury in Indiana Fever season
Caitlin Clark spoke for seven minutes on the opening day of Indiana Fever training camp. Here’s what she learned from an up-and-down season, and more.
INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark has some new strategies to help keep her loose throughout games, and one garnered a lot of attention in the Indiana Fever’s season opener against the Dallas Wings.
Saturday was Clark’s first regular season WNBA game since July 2025, when she suffered a right groin injury against the Connecticut Sun. She was limited to just 13 games last season because of various injuries that compounded and lingered throughout the season, including to her left groin, right groin, left quad, and ankle.
Clark, who finished with 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes, went back to the Fever’s tunnel twice throughout the 107-104 loss, and she said postgame it was just to get her back readjusted. It’s something new for the Fever star after she missed most of last season because of various injuries, but she didn’t report any major issues with her back.
“It gets out of line pretty quickly,” Clark said. “It’s just that, getting my back put back in place a little bit, but other than that, I feel great.”
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Clark also started wearing a heat therapy pad on her back as well when she’s on the bench, but that doesn’t automatically mean an injury, either. Former Fever player Natasha Howard wore one while sitting on the bench the entire 2025 season, and she did not miss a game.
These back issues, Fever coach Stephanie White said, shouldn’t keep her out of the game.
“We wouldn’t have played her 30 minutes if she wasn’t OK,” White said.
Clark’s response postgame came after ABC’s commentators reported in-game that trainers were working on Clark’s hip flexor and groin area — the same that kept her out of most of the 2025 season. When asked about ABC’s in-game report, White said: “That would be the first time I’ve heard that.”
Fever communications staff added that they did not provide an official update to ABC on why Clark left for the tunnel, so everything reported on the broadcast in-game was speculation.
“I think it’s just part of maintaining the body,” White added of the tunnel trips. “… I mean, look, when we’re all really young, we don’t learn proper mechanics, and then it doesn’t get exposed until something happens, and we’re trying to get her body mechanically the way it needs to go. This is gonna be an ongoing thing, and not just her. We’ve had multiple players who have gone back, and we don’t have a blue tent, right, but they’re gonna go back and get it adjusted and make sure that the body’s working.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at chloe.peterson@indystar.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
The six towns below all sit within a two-hour drive of downtown Indianapolis, close enough for a quick trip into the city, far enough that housing money goes considerably further. Each one brings something specific to the trade. Frankfort pairs lower-than-state-median home values with a small-town pace and an 18-hole course right next to its top assisted-living campus. Connersville has a working heritage railroad running through downtown and a population where nearly one in five residents is already over 65. Greenville, just over the Ohio line, splits the difference between Indianapolis and Dayton and still keeps a Main Street that earns the name.
Frankfort, IN
About 40 minutes from Indianapolis, Frankfort is one of the best blends of senior resources and affordability around the capital. Rent comes in well below the average inside Indianapolis city limits per Zillow, and home values sit below the state median. Combined with healthcare at IU Health Frankfort Hospital and senior living communities like Wesley Manor, independence in retirement is realistic here.
Things happen at a slower pace, which might be just the speed a senior is looking for in a new community. The historic downtown holds shops and eateries like the locally loved Downtown Diner. For golf, Frankfort Commons Golf Course is a well-maintained 18-hole course right next to the Wesley Manor campus.
Crawfordsville, IN
Crawfordsville sits roughly 55 minutes from downtown Indianapolis and offers an affordable alternative for retirees who want some distance from the city. The proximity keeps seniors connected to a wealth of resources when they’re not using in-town options like emergency and specialty care at Franciscan Health Crawfordsville or social programming at the Crawfordsville Community Center. The cost of living here runs 10% below the national average per the Economic Research Institute, with rent and home values below the state median.
Cultural life is a big draw, much of it tied to Wabash College’s programming. The town was also the home of Lew Wallace, who wrote Ben-Hur, and residents can dig into that history at the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum. Outdoor options include Turkey Run State Park’s views and trails or Sugar Creek Nature Park’s nearly 64 acres for birdwatching.
Shelbyville, IN
Shelbyville sits about 35 minutes from downtown Indianapolis. Its centuries-old architecture is a draw, and its commitment to senior living is solid. Ashford Place Health Campus is a top-tier assisted living facility with a life enrichment team on site. Healthcare is conveniently placed via the Indianapolis proximity, with smaller clinics in town for specialty and short-term care. Home values run below the state median per Zillow.
To see the ‘Streets of Old Shelby,’ visit the Grover Center Museum and Historical Society. The free attraction has storefronts from the early 1900s, including a bank, post office, and saloon. The Historic Strand Theatre opened in 1916 and still plays films, hosts concerts, and works as a community gathering spot. A few miles away, Horseshoe Indianapolis offers horse racing and casino games for anyone wanting a livelier change of pace.
Connersville, IN
Connersville has long been a solid option for seniors, which is probably why nearly 20% of the population is over 65. The town sits about an hour and 15 minutes from Indianapolis, a reasonable drive for those commuting regularly. The cost of living offsets the distance, falling below the national average across most categories. If assisted living becomes a need, places like Hickory Creek promote independent living with various levels of assistance.
Standing here since 1813, Connersville blends history and nature for retirees ready for a slower pace. The historic downtown district has a few protected properties, including the Canal House, a museum focused on Fayette County’s history. The Whitewater Valley Railroad runs along the historic Whitewater Canal on diesel locomotives with a direct connection to Metamora. Connersville is also a gateway to Brookville Lake, with 25 miles of shoreline and access for fishing, camping, and hiking.
Greenville, OH
Crossing into Ohio, Greenville sits about an hour and forty-five minutes from Indianapolis and only about 50 minutes from Dayton. The cost of living runs below the national average, including a $650 a month median rent that comes in below what people pay in Indianapolis. Connection is another big draw, starting with Wayne HealthCare’s facilities, which now include a helipad and robotic technology for orthopedic surgeries. For assisted living, Trustwell Senior Living at Oakley Place is a top option.
Greenville works for seniors looking for an American Main Street town. Local history is on display at the Garst Museum & National Annie Oakley Center. The historic downtown has many protected facades and shops including the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe, which has been there since 1934. Greenville also hosts the Great Darke County Fair in August, with entertainment, showcases, rides, and harness racing.
Richmond, IN
About an hour and 15 minutes from downtown Indianapolis, Richmond is one of the most cost-effective and connected options on the entire list. The general cost of living runs below the national average and below Indiana’s average. Reid Health’s campus covers emergency, cardiovascular, orthopedic, and vascular care. The town has multiple senior amenities including Springs of Richmond and the Friends Fellowship Community for retirees who need more attention as they age.
Richmond has historical depth from several angles. Wayne County’s evolution gets the full treatment at the Wayne County Historical Museum, housed in an old Quaker house from the 19th century. Richmond was also home to Gennett Records, a recording studio that produced songs for Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke, now honored at the Gennett Records Walk of Fame. The arts side runs through the Civic Hall Performing Arts Center, with a packed performance calendar from Richmond’s own professional symphony.
Towns near Indianapolis can mean greater savings for seniors without giving up the resources of the big city. Each of the six places listed brings something different, whether it’s the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe in Greenville serving loose meat sandwiches since 1934 or riding the rails on refurbished diesel locomotives from downtown Connersville.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A business owner on the city’s south side on Friday morning reported a theft, saying a person stole thousands of dollars’ worth of Pokémon cards from his store.
Security footage captured the suspect breaking into Grandmaster Games and targeting valuable card collections.
The thief gained entry by breaking through a window and immediately went to a display case containing high-value cards.
The suspect bypassed six other display cases, making a direct route to the owner’s private collection, which included a One Piece card alone worth approximately $12,000. Other stolen cards are valued between $5,000 and $6,000 each.
Alex Bradshaw, owner of Grandmaster Games, said many people underestimate the value of such collectibles. “People think ‘cardboard,’ not really worth a lot. Except for these instances where a bunch of stuff gets taken. You can see the suspect trying to break into the display case, but couldn’t get it open.”
Bradshaw described the suspect’s actions inside the store. “He came over here to where our Pokémon cases are, and he smashed one of our cases that had our ungraded cards. Took the top row of those and moved on to graded cards.”
Approximately 60 Pokémon cards were stolen during the break-in, with their total value estimated to be between $10,000 and $15,000. The suspect was inside the store for only about five or six minutes.
Bradshaw thinks the suspect had prior knowledge of the store’s layout due to the targeted nature of the theft. “Because if you aren’t familiar with my store, you wouldn’t necessarily know to go to this display case because this has stuff of value.”
Grandmaster Games has been in business for about a decade, and it’s the first break-in the store has experienced.
Following the theft, Bradshaw is reconsidering how he displays his valuable collection. “I don’t know if I’m going to completely take this display down because there’s a lot of cool nostalgic stuff from the last 20 years — especially the Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! items. But the manga collection is definitely going into the safe. I realize having this stuff out makes me a target.”
With the PopCon Indy convention underway during the weekend at the downtown Indiana Convention Center, Bradshaw was concerned the stolen cards could easily be sold or concealed among other merchandise.
Despite the significant loss, Bradshaw has expressed a desire not to press charges. He attributes the theft to potential desperation and indicated he would rather offer assistance than punishment. “Nobody steals because they want to. They steal because they need to. Most of the time, people are at the end of the rope. They want something easy, which you can’t blame them for wanting something easy. If you need some help, most of us are willing to help one way or another.”
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department encouraged anyone with information regarding the theft to contact them.
Bradshaw said he simply wants his cards returned.
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