BLOOMINGTON — Dunn Meadow, the long-standing designated assembly area on the IU Bloomington campus is set to reopen after having been fenced off since August.
IU Spokesman Mark Bode confirmed the fences would be removed by the end of the semester.
In August, IU fenced off the meadow to repair what the university said was the result of "heavy use of that space since April," adding "the placement of temporary structures unfortunately damaged the area, necessitating extensive repairs now that the structures have been removed."
The fences came the same week the Indiana University Board of Trustees voted to approve an expressive activity policy that sets new guidelines for when, where and how the IU community can protest on campus.
Under the new policy, which was drafted in June, expressive activity would be defined as “assemblies, speech, distribution of written material, carrying of signs, picketing, protests, counter-protests or sit-ins.”
Encampments and overnight expressive activity are also prohibited under the proposed policy, which mirrors the policy changed late into the night on April 24, the night before the IU Divestment Coalition began their encampment.
The expressive activity policy sets restrictions on “temporary structures,” but does not specifically state what is considered a temporary structure. The policy was revised in November, but still kept much of the same frame work.
Indiana State Police arrested 55 people on April 25-27, but the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office declined to file any of the charges.
