Ousted IU lecturer challenges university following non-renewal over ‘MAGA’ graphic controversy

Jessica Adams, a lecturer in Indiana University’s School of Social Work, has filed a challenge against the university after administrators informed her in late May that her contract would not be renewed, ending her appointment on June 30, 2026. The decision follows a months-long investigation triggered by a student complaint over a graphic used in her graduate-level course, *“Diversity, Human Rights, and Social Justice,”* which placed Donald Trump’s *“Make America Great Again”* slogan in a pyramid illustrating forms of systemic racism. The controversy began in September when Adams displayed the *“Pyramid of White Supremacy”* during a lecture, categorizing covert acts of racism alongside overt ones. Though she did not explicitly discuss *“MAGA”* in the lesson, an anonymous student reported the slide to Republican Senator Jim Banks’ office, which alerted IU administrators. The university launched an investigation under Indiana’s Senate Enrolled Act 202 (SEA 202), a law requiring *“intellectual diversity”* and allowing reports on perceived ideological bias in classrooms. IU removed Adams from teaching in October, replacing her with guest lecturers for six weeks while reviewing the complaint. She returned in December under strict conditions, including mandatory lecture recordings and observer attendance, before being placed on a 30-day performance improvement plan in the spring. In May, Chancellor Latha Ramchand formalized the non-renewal, citing standard performance evaluations rather than explicitly linking it to SEA 202. Academic groups have condemned the decision, with the University Alliance for Racial Justice calling it a *“termination”* and the Indiana NASW defending Adams’ curriculum as standard for teaching cultural competency. Adams has contested the performance claims and vowed to pursue legal action, framing the case as a test of academic freedom in Indiana’s public universities.