IU suspends Palestine Solidarity Committee, says it's a 'substantial risk' to campus

A pro-Palestine group at Indiana University has been ordered to cease and desist all activity and comply with a university investigation into alleged misconduct.

A letter to the group from the Office of Student Conduct references a "report that the Palestine Solidarity Committee may be involved in an alleged incident" at some point in the past two academic years.

The letter orders the group to provide a roster of its members, including the date they became involved.
 

IU Deputy Director for Media Relations Teresa Mackin declined an interview request but said in a statement that the PSC investigation isongoing.

While the alleged incident has not been specified, the Office of Student Conduct said it's related to disruption of university operations and damage to property, possibly a reference to a 100-day occupation of IU's Dunn Meadow protesting Israel's war on Gaza. Many PSC members participated in the protest, but members of other groups, such as the Indiana Divestment Coalition and Jewish Voice for Peace, took leading roles as well.

According to IU policies, a cease and desist is an interim measure used "when there is an immediate threat of harm to individuals based on credibly reported behaviors."

The PSC's faculty advisor Amr Sabry, a professor of computer science, doesn't think that's the case.

"Usually we hear about fraternities, they were hazing or they were drinking. It's like, 'Hey, two years ago you were drinking and caused a disruption, so we're going to investigate now,'" Sabry said.

He added that he wasn't contacted by the university and doesn't know what incident is being investigated.

The Office of Student Conduct sent its letter the day after IU professor Ben Robinson was reprimanded for criticizing the university and discussing in class his protests against the war in Gaza. It came one week after a closed-door executive session of the IU Board of Trustees.

Pro-Palestine activists have been subject to restrictions at IU before, although never explicitly for the content of their speech. A Palestinian artist's show at the Eskenazi Museum was cancelled last year for unspecified security reasons, the previous advisor for the PSC was suspended from teaching for a room reservation error and dozens of protesters were arrested after violating a policy IU had changed the night before.

"Maybe it's not surprising, but that's the pattern of what we've seen," Sabry said. "Targeting this particular group for this particular speech, I mean, it's kind of it's too obvious that this is not normal business with a student group."