Identity of Speakers
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Ben Robinson
Faculty/Staff
OtherTenured professor of Germanic Studies at Indiana University Bloomington
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Classroom
Course Content
Other course-related event
Other
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Incident Political Orientation:
Left wing -
Incident Responses:
Faculty sanctioned
University administration invoked formal speech code in response
State Campus Free Speech Act
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
Professor Benjamin Robinson, a Germanic Studies faculty member at Indiana University, became the first professor formally sanctioned under Indiana’s intellectual diversity law, Senate Enrolled Act 202. In April 2025, an anonymous complaint alleged that Robinson had used class time to criticize the university’s free speech policies and share personal experiences related to Israel and the Gaza conflict. The complaint, initially filed as a bias incident report, was later reclassified under SEA 202, which requires public university faculty to foster intellectual diversity, ensure free expression, and keep instruction aligned with their expertise.
The university investigated Robinson over the following months. Faculty guidance under SEA 202 emphasized the importance of balancing classroom discussion with compliance, maintaining academic rigor, and following shared governance principles. On August 14, 2025, Dean Rick Van Kooten issued a formal warning to Robinson, stating he needed to exercise greater care to prevent personal experiences or opinions from unduly influencing his teaching. The dean also noted that the warning would be considered in future faculty evaluations.
Robinson criticized the university’s response as a show trial and expressed concern that the sanction could have a chilling effect on other faculty members. His case sparked widespread discussion about the balance between academic freedom and compliance with SEA 202, highlighting tensions over how state law interacts with classroom instruction and faculty autonomy.
SEA 202, signed into law in March 2024, provided the broader context for Robinson’s sanction. The law mandated five-year reviews for tenured faculty, established a formal complaint process, required diversity committees to advise on faculty policies, and directed universities to adopt neutrality statements distinguishing personal views from institutional positions. It also required universities to report annually on efforts to uphold intellectual diversity, a framework within which Robinson’s conduct was evaluated.
Robinson is also a plaintiff in Wirtshafter, et. al v. Trustees of Indiana University, a lawsuit challenging certain administrative practices and governance decisions at the university, reflecting his ongoing engagement in broader efforts to influence institutional policy and protect faculty rights.
