Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Indiana Senate Bill (SB) 202 into law Wednesday, increasing government oversight into public universities and changing the criteria for tenure in the state.
Opposed by many students and faculty members at Ball State, this bill is designed to increase "intellectual diversity" in higher education, creating policies that could prevent faculty members from receiving tenure if they are not deemed likely to foster free inquiry and offer multiple viewpoints of teachings in the classroom.
According to the bill, this would create a process that requires receiving a review of their performance in meeting this criteria every five years. Additionally, a system to report faculty students who feel are not meeting this criteria will be created.
“Rather than promoting a “neutral” environment, this bill will introduce a layer of political bias in higher education where none existed before, particularly as the proposed five-year review makes no exception for apolitical fields, like STEM disciplines,” the American Association of University Professors said in a statement Jan. 31.
Co-author of the bill Spencer Deery released a statement after the signing of the bill saying, "While some Indiana public universities are already working on creating truly diverse communities, this law makes it an expectation across the state, and it does so without mandating or prohibiting any content and with no interruption to the important ongoing efforts to recruit and retain minority students in higher education."
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