Vivian Winston, who holds one of three alumni-elected positions on the Board of Trustees, told the IDS in an email Monday that she would not be running again after her term is up June 30.
Winston was first elected by IU degree holders in 2022, winning slightly over half the vote. She ran on a platform of wanting to be a voice for students and inclusivity.
Since then, she has been a notable voice in opposition to recent BOT decisions. After board chair Quinn Buckner issued a statement affirming board support for Whitten amid a faculty no confidence vote in April 2024, Winston claimed she had no role in creating the statement and did not agree with it.
Winston also voted against the board’s expressive activity policy in their July meeting. The policy set parameters for expressive speech and protest on campus, limiting them to between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. and prohibiting camping and obstructing traffic or building entrances.
Most recently, she was the sole dissenting vote in the board’s February meeting measure that extended President Pamela Whitten’s contract to 2031 and gave her a raise of nearly $200,000.
Prior to her appointment, Winston served as a lecturer at the Kelley School of Business. IU alumni and degree holders can vote in the next trustee election starting June 1 by mail or online. Voting closes June 30, and the winner would start their three-year term July 1.
IU alumni can run for the position by submitting a nomination packet including 200 signatures from alumni, a digital photograph, two statements for the election website and printed ballot materials to the Alumni Trustee Election office by April 1.
The candidates below are those that the IDS is aware of at time of publication:
John McGlothlin III, who earned his master’s degree and doctorate from IU and also ran for a seat in 2024, is vying for a spot once more. He was endorsed last year by the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition and had the second-most votes last year.
Justin Vasel earned his doctorate from IU in 2021 and is also collecting signatures for a spot. According to his website, his platform stands on protecting academic freedom, transparency and shared governance.
Mark Land is also running for the seat and announced he would officially be listed on the ballot via Facebook on March 28. He is an IU graduate and IU's associate vice president of public affairs and government relations between 2011 and 2016.
Clarification: This story was updated to include Mark Land’s campaign for Vivan Winston’s seat and to clarify this list of candidates is not comprehensive.
