IU Provost Rahul Shrivastav rejected a student board’s vote to fund the Indiana Daily Student, according to a letter we received June 5.
The IDS applied for funding from mandatory tuition fees last October, a process reviewed every two years by the student-run Committee for Fee Review. That process started after The Media School implemented its new student media plan, which included cutting back on our print edition — a vital part of our operation. We went from printing on a weekly basis to every two-to-three weeks in the spring and not at all this summer. In an attempt to reconcile this financial and educational loss, we looked elsewhere for answers.
We immediately faced hurdles. First, the Office of Student Life told us we needed approval from the dean of The Media School before submitting our application — a policy which is, to our knowledge, not a standard part of the application process. Student Life did not respond to a request for comment.
Upon seeking approval from the dean, we were told we would have to apply in conjunction with IU Student Television and WIUX — despite both groups previously applying separately for the same funding. Again, we are unfamiliar with any other organizations facing this requirement.
At the time of our application, we had not yet, and still have not, merged business operations with IUSTV and WIUX, something outlined in The Media School’s student media plan. Student leaders are still largely in the dark as to how and when The Media School plans to implement this merger.
Media School Dean David Tolchinsky said in a follow-up email exchange he was trying to foster holistic thinking among student media leaders in the wake of the student media plan by suggesting a group CFR application.
“Once we got the message that the students weren’t interested in doing so, we didn’t want to stand in their way, so I granted permission,” he wrote in the email.
The dean eventually approved our lone application. But IU still wouldn’t budge.
The CFR was informed in the midst of its deliberation that the initially expected increase in mandatory student fees for IU Bloomington students would instead stagnate with a 0% change. Its final recommendation for the IDS, submitted in late March and accounting for the 0% fee increase, was a $1.11 allocation from each student’s yearly mandatory fees. For students taking more than six credit hours, that's less than 0.15% of the total $761.02 they pay each term.
This would have been a boon of roughly $50,000 per year for the next two years, a number trivial to IU but monumental for us.
All CFR recommendations are subject to the provost’s approval, and the provost ultimately decided he would not approve funding for new applicants given the 0% fee increase, according to the June 5 letter. He rejected a unanimous decision by the CFR made with that number in mind.
Shrivastav added the recently approved state budget significantly lowered state appropriations to IU, further constraining the university’s funds over the coming cycle.
The IDS was the only new group to apply for funding and the only group to be denied. We are not aware of any examples in recent memory of the provost rejecting CFR recommendations. In a follow-up email to the IDS, Shrivastav did not address whether this was common practice.
In the letter, the CFR informed us it had additionally recommended the vice provost of Student Life allocate us $200,000 from fee reserve funding, something we will pursue.
If the provost’s decision is purely due to an aversion to increasing fee allocation over a cycle where tuition isn’t growing, that is something we understand. We are as aware as anyone that state funding for universities is dwindling.
But it is a concerning trend that we are bucked at every turn when we seek support. And it’s not a trend unique to Bloomington.
The Purdue Exponent announced June 5 that Purdue suddenly refused to facilitate distribution of its print edition on campus, something it had done for more than 50 years. Reporters from The Columbia Spectator were barred by Columbia Public Safety officers from reporting on the scene of a protest in May. Student newspapers across the country face unprecedented barriers to reporting in what should be our sanctuaries.
The IDS has been a pillar of IU, Bloomington and student journalism since 1867. We have maintained our editorial independence throughout our 158 years of existence, even when that involved publishing news or opinions critical of powerful figures — including IU administration.
The same week we received the letter, recent IU graduate and IDS alumnus Nicole Blevins was named a finalist in the Hearst National Journalism Championship, and IU won fourth place overall for writing. We are proud of Nicole and the rest of our staff, but not surprised. We are a consistently awarded and recognized publication.
It’s concerning for administrators to reject the careful consideration of students — who should be the driving force behind any university decision. It’s concerning that a student government-affiliated entity had its unanimous decision rejected before it even reached the Board of Trustees for a vote.
We will continue to try in good faith to reach an agreement with IU. We will continue to assume good intentions from administrators. If this letter is to serve as anything, we hope it will be a wake-up call.
To the administration, we ask that you hear us and take us seriously. We are a learning lab and an invaluable educational resource to all who walk through our doors. We create professional-quality work and train professional-quality journalists because we are given the financial and editorial freedom to do so. If IU has an interest in maintaining The Media School’s longstanding sterling reputation, part of that plan must be helping student media to thrive.
To students, parents and the Bloomington community, we ask that you make your voices heard. Regardless of whether you read us or even like us, our existence should not be a debate — no more than any other club or organization.
If you have anything you want to share with us, please reach out to us on social media or at editor@idsnews.com
