Dunn Meadow, an iconic spot on Indiana University’s campus, has been off limits all semester and is surrounded by a chain link fence. Indiana University has not confirmed when Dunn Meadow will reopen.
Indiana University administration reported this closure in early August for maintenance to the irrigation system and turfing. The university reported that heavy usage by Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments created over $100,000 worth of damages to Dunn Meadow.
These encampments, led by the IU Divestment Coalition, lasted exactly 100 days, beginning in April and ending in August.
Indiana University spokesperson, Mark Bode, declined an interview regarding the details of this project. Bode did issue an official statement.
“IU Facilities and Capital Planning has planted turf and is working to ensure it develops and holds properly. Dunn Meadow is still on track to reopen before the end of the semester,” Bode said.
The university brought in Chicago-based law firm, Cooley LLP, to assess these damages and more. The firm reviewed over 10,000 internal documents and more than 100 hours of footage. The firm also conducted interviews with law enforcement and university officials. This review resulted in eight new recommendations for Indiana University administration.
The most prominent of these recommendations was creating a new expressive activity policy. This new policy took effect at the beginning of August. This policy disallows any expressive activity on campus between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. This policy also requires any structures, such as tents, and any signage be approved by the university at least ten days in advance.
Dunn Meadow has served as the on-campus location for the expression of free speech and peaceful protest on campus for over 50 years. In 1969, various anti-war protests were held in Dunn Meadow. Images from the Indiana University Archives show armed students meeting with former Chancellor Herman B Wells during these protests. Similarly, in the 1980s, students created a ‘tent city’ or ‘shantytown’; in Dunn Meadow in response to the South African Apartheid. In 1991, students camped overnight for 45 days in Dunn Meadow to protest the Gulf War. The largest protest held on Dunn Meadow included over 10,000 students who gathered to protest rises in tuition in 1969.
According to a ranking created by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Indiana University ranked the second-worst public university for free speech in 2025. Overall, Indiana University ranked 243rd out of 251 universities ranked.
