Indiana’s Governor Holcomb Signs Bill Into Law  

 On March 13, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed Senate Bill 202 (SB 202) into law, paving the way for the removal of divisive practices and ideologically-driven initiatives from the state’s colleges and universities, including those with medical schools and healthcare education programs.

Authored by Senators Spencer Deery, Jeff Raatz, and Tyler Johnson, SB 202:

• Prohibits educational institutions from imposing mandatory diversity statements from applicants in the hiring process and faculty members in the promotion and tenure process
• Bans required adherence to DEI tenets for staff and students
• Promotes intellectual diversity in classrooms and among faculty
• Expands resources that were previously focused on student groups based on race (e.g., first-generation college students who need assistance, regardless of race/ethnicity)

Examples of divisive concepts that this bill addresses have been seen at the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) in recent months, such as its DEI Leadership Certification Program. And, a training module that instructed job search committee members to consider their “implicit bias” and “whiteness” while evaluating applicants was offered by the IU Office of Academic Affairs last fall.

“Indiana just sent a strong signal that our state is committed to academic freedom, free expression, and intellectual diversity for all students and faculty,” Sen. Deery said in a press release. “While some Indiana public universities are already working on creating truly diverse communities,” he continued, “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.”

Do No Harm applauds the efforts of these legislators to restore merit and eliminate DEI-inspired practices in Indiana’s public universities.