Last modified: Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Statement from the Bloomington Provost
Tuesday night, scores of flyers entitled "Manifesto #1" were posted around campus. These anonymous flyers, which criticized the current state of the art world, IU's departments of Telecommunications and Fine Arts, and student media groups, contained violent language and were splattered with red paint to suggest blood. (Portions of the text seem to have been cribbed from Nick Zedd's Cinema of Transgression Manifesto.)
As an institution of higher learning, Indiana University supports the free expression of ideas, including ideas that are controversial and are expressed in ways that may offend. At the same time, the University cannot ignore potential threats of violence, particularly given the recent experiences of violence on college campuses and in our greater communities. Because this message contained language that could be construed to threaten violence, the IUPD is aware of these flyers and is investigating the incident.
As always, we encourage all members of our campus community to treat each other with civility and respect.
Thank you.
-- Karen Hanson, IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President
