An Indiana University professor says she was kicked out of a class after a student complained to U.S. Sen. Jim Banks’ office about the course’s content, and the school believed her lecture might violate state law.
Jessica Adams’s research focuses on the white supremacy graphic she presented in her graduate-level social work class entitled “Diversity, Human Rights, and Social Justice.”
A letter from administrators said she may have violated Indiana’s “intellectual diversity” law. According to Senate Enrolled Act 202, a professor must respect free speech and intellectual diversity and cannot lecture on political views unrelated to his field.
“During class, the instructor talked about white supremacy and showed a graphic that listed Make America Great Again (MAGA) as worse than police killing people of color and stated that MAGA was socially unacceptable as white supremacy,” the complaint states. “Also referred to Columbus Day and ‘colorblindness’ as White Supremacy.
Adams says the graphic was misinterpreted and that she explained why it was presented in the classroom. She argued that the complaint should have been dismissed as unfounded as she was teaching within her discipline and course scope.
“I feel that my academic freedom has been stifled,” Adams said on Nov. 7. at a press conference in Bloomington. “I feel that I have not been treated with care and I have not been allowed to do the right thing and I also feel that my students are suffering and their education has been compromised.”
Two students said at the press conference that they were not properly notified of the professor’s suspension and for what reason. In the past few weeks, they said, assignments have been undergraded and guest lecturers have started teaching.
IU spokesman Mark Bode said the university does not comment on personnel matters. The Banking Senate office did not respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this semester, Indiana University’s Bloomington campus was likely the first university to sanction a professor under the state’s new law. German professor Ben Robinson was disciplined after the dean determined the anonymous complaint was valid, though Robinson claims an investigation was never conducted.
White supremacy graphics
Several social work organizations, including Grand Challenges for Social Work and the National Association of Social Workers, cite racism and oppression as major issues that need to be addressed in the profession, which they often encounter.
When on September 22 class she presented a graphic called the pyramid of white supremacy, Adams, a master’s-level lecturer, said the sources for her lecture material go back to academic journals and experts.
The week focused on race and ethnicity, according to the class syllabus, where students should leave with “a deeper understanding of the formation and legacy of racial and ethnic identity, the ways in which structural racism continues to shape society, and the experiences of people affected by racial and ethnic differences.”
“I taught that white supremacy is not just a hierarchy that favors white people and puts them at the top of power structures, but about centralizing white thought and experience as the common experience of all citizens, all Americans,” she said. “I think it’s important to name the very specific ways we see white supremacy manifest in our society, because if you can’t name it, then you can’t address it.”
The classroom graphic Adams provided to the IndyStar provides examples of what she refers to as covert and overt white supremacy. The original source for the pyramid is the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence list.
Indiana University professor Jessica Adams presented the White Supremacy Pyramid to her class on September 22nd.
At the bottom of the pyramid are things like racist mascots, cultural appropriation, and claims of reverse racism, which are described as hidden or socially acceptable white supremacy. As the pyramid rises to a certain point, examples shift to overt white supremacy, including racial slurs and burning crosses topped by lynching.
President Donald Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” appears just below the line between overt and covert white supremacy. Adams said her lecture focused on the phrase, not the movement.
IU’s complaint caught Adams off guard, she said, because she thought her students would understand the values of the social work profession. She said leaders in her profession have recently emphasized that eliminating racism is an industry-wide goal.
“I know the topics I’ve taught are considered divisive right now, and they shouldn’t be, but they’re topics that are important to our profession, our values and our ethics,” she said. “…I think because of the discipline I taught, I thought SEA 202 was protected wrongly.”
From Jim Banks to Dean of Social Work at IU
She said a student in Adams’ class initially complained to Banks’ Senate office instead of using SEA 202’s reporting system. But after his office contacted the university, Kalea Benner, dean of the School of Social Work, decided to file a formal complaint, naming herself as the lead complainant, Adams said.
October 6 she was banned from teaching class and from contacting her students. When she asked the administrators, they said it was because another complaint had been filed, but they couldn’t make a written complaint because it hadn’t been formally filed.
Adams said she was told by administrators that she was removed from training “out of an abundance of caution.” According to IU policy, faculty may be suspended or suspended if “the situation involves an immediate threat of harm to the complainant.”
Administrators have not given a timeline for a decision on the complaint, Adams said. She still teaches three other courses at IU.
If sanctioned, Adams would likely see no immediate consequences. However, as an additional sanction, she may be subject to probation, suspension, termination, or any number of possible penalties related to promotion, tenure, or pay under the IU Code.
Do you follow IU policies?
Like Robinson, Adams and the Indiana University chapter of the American Association of University Professors say the university overstepped its own policy in handling her complaint.
Adams is concerned about Benner, her dean acting as the complainant and the administrator involved in the complaint. According to IU SEA Policy 202, the school dean determines whether the complaint is legitimate and merits review.
“She was also consulted as a content expert and was effectively allowed to establish the merits of her complaint,” Adams said. “I asked if it was allowed, and I was basically told, ‘Yes, it is allowed,’ which is outrageous.”
She claims that several of her rights were violated, including her right to an attorney, to be present during the gathering of evidence, and to avoid incriminating herself as the university gathers evidence and investigates complaints.
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This article originally appeared in the Indianapolis Star: IU professor rises above white supremacy graphic list MAGA