BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) – Indiana University students and staff are reacting to Thursday’s independent review of the spring pro-Palestinian protests on campus. 

The report found that despite the university’s poor communication, they followed their own rules in their handling of the protest.

The report also highlighted the university’s newly proposed expressive activity policy centered on campus protesting, which could vastly change how students speak out at the university. 

The policy would create several guidelines, including explicitly prohibiting overnight camping on school grounds and requiring permission to install any structures. It also says that violating the policy could result in being punished by the law. 

“This new expressive activity policy adds to an already severe culture of fear on campus,” “Jess,” an IU engagement staffer, said. “This policy creates a new minefield for workers that want to express themselves and advocate, but don’t fall in line with the administration’s hardline positions.”

The proposal comes after IU made last-minute changes to the protesting policy in April ahead of the planned protests. The move incited a police crackdown on the protests.

Up until that point, the university had followed the protesting rules adopted in 1989, which were based on policies established during the Vietnam War. 

Protesters say they were following existing school rules, which labeled Dunn Meadow as an area for free expression, and accuse the school of arbitrarily changing the rules. 

“The next day, state police, at the urging of IU’s president, brought troopers in full military gear, with military hardware onto our campus,” IU professor emeritus Russ Skiba said. “A sniper was placed on the roof of the Memorial Union. Over the course of that day, and two days after, over 50 faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members were arrested.”

One of the people arrested was Ph.D. student Bryce Greene. At a Friday news conference, he questioned the integrity of the report, which was commissioned by IU President Pamela Whitten. 

“Now, of course, anyone with millions of dollars can hire a bunch of lawyers and say that they did everything right, and, of course, you can send that report to people and call it independent,” Green said. “And, you know, people will repeat it’s independent, but that’s a farce.”

Bryce worries the report’s aim to enact the new expressive activity policy is biased and will be rushed. 

The president responded to the report by saying, “I am grateful for this independent and thorough third-party perspective We sincerely appreciate the depth and detail of Cooley’s independent review and will leverage their insights to move forward with purpose, guided by our core values and tirelessly pursuing our top priority: a safe campus with freedom of speech for all.”