A faculty adviser at Indiana University has taken the university to court after he was fired over a dispute involving the student newspaper’s homecoming print edition. James Rodenbush says his free speech and due process rights were violated when he refused to block all news stories from that issue.
Rodenbush, who advised the Indiana Daily Student, the university’s student paper, sued last week in federal court, seeking to get his job back and receive damages. The university’s media school dean, David Tolchinsky, fired him on October 14, citing “lack of leadership” and not aligning with the university’s Student Media Plan. Tolchinsky also ended the newspaper’s print editions.
Rodenbush’s lawyer, Jonathan Little, questioned whether the university can simply shut down a student newspaper if it doesn’t like the content. According to the lawsuit, Rodenbush was asked to only print light stories about homecoming and leave out all hard news in that edition. When he refused, he was fired.
The university said the decision to pause print editions was about financial and educational reasons, not to censor content. However, student editors Mia Hilkowitz and Andrew Miller disagreed, calling the move censorship. They emphasized that telling student journalists what they can’t print is censorship, no matter how the university tries to spin it.
In response to the backlash, Indiana University reversed its decision to stop print editions for the rest of the school year. Chancellor David Reingold said the paper can continue printing, using its budget through June 30, 2026. The next print issue is set for November 20. Reingold admitted the university mishandled the situation but insisted there was no attempt to censor the newspaper’s editorial content.
The student newspaper has struggled with declining ad revenue. Currently, it receives a $250,000 annual subsidy to keep running, but print editions have been reduced to seven special issues a year. The homecoming edition, which was due shortly after Rodenbush’s firing, was set to greet thousands of alumni celebrating the undefeated and highly ranked Hoosiers football team.
Rodenbush said before he was fired, editorial control was left to the student journalists. The lawsuit describes his dismissal as a direct attack on First Amendment rights because he refused to censor student work in the homecoming issue.
This case raises questions about university control over student media and the protections of free speech on campus. The Indiana Daily Student has a reputation as one of the country’s top college news outlets, making the dispute all the more significant for student journalism nationwide.