Indiana University Indianapolis
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

The campus actively supported the referendum on the ballot in 2016 to support a .25% income tax for mass transit in Indianapolis. This included the Chancellor testifying in support of the referendum before a committee of the Indiana General Assembly. The referendum passed and will fund an expanded, more efficient transit system that will provide reliable public transportation to a larger percentage of Indianapolis residents. https://www.transitdrivesindy.com

Indiana University President Michael McRobbie released a statement in support of the Governor's call for a hate crime law in 2019: https://president.iu.edu/news/monthly-update/2019/january.html AND https://news.iu.edu/stories/2019/01/iu/releases/16-president-mcrobbie-statement-hate-crimes-law.html Indiana University President Michael McRobbie released a statement opposing Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and reaffirming IU's commitment to equality in 2015: https://archive.news.iu.edu/releases/iu/2015/03/rfra-mcrobbie-statement.shtml Faculty can and do engage in the public policy process to advocate for and against legislation. A sample of engagement is below: Amber Comer, Asst. Professor of Health Sciences at IUPUI testified before the Indiana House Committee on Public Health regarding a bill that would expand Indiana's health care consent law. Her class was present so they could experience legislative deliberations on a public health issue: https://news.iu.edu/stories/2017/04/iupui/21-intelligence-health-care-consent-law.html Brad Ray, Director Center for Health & Justice Reform, research findings on the opiod epidemic, helped inform a new law that standardizes how coroners handle possible overdoses: https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/indiana-legislature-passes-bill-standardize-overdose-reporting-142961/

(1) IU Government Relations IU Government Relations oversees all activity, support and involvement of IU in all political engagement. IU has been represented in Washington, DC in support of various Higher Education and Public Policy and Health Initiatives at the National Level. https://gov.iu.edu/federal/iu-leadership.html A Recent event: Senator Donnelly, a member of the Senate Aging Committee, worked to bring Executive Director of the Hall Center for Law and Health at IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law and Professor of Law Nicolas Terry to Washington on May 23, 2018 to testify before the committee about prevention and treatment of opioid abuse among older Americans. https://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/health-law/index.html

(1) Diplomacy Lab Launched by the Department of State in 2013 by Secretary of State John Kerry, Diplomacy Lab is a public-private partnership that enables the State Department to "course-source" research and innovation related to global policy challenges by harnessing the efforts of students and faculty experts at colleges and universities across the United States. Projects originate in offices across the State Department and include diverse topics on which faculty bid. Through engagement and education, students and faculty actively contribute to the Secretary of State’s public diplomacy goals. http://diplomacylab.org/ https://news.iu.edu/stories/2019/09/iub/inside/26-diplomacy-lab-seeks-faculty-state-department-collaboration.html https://news.iu.edu/stories/2018/12/iu/inside/14-state-department-visit-spotlights-diplomacy-lab.html https://international.iupui.edu/global-learning/diplomacy-lab.html IUPUI is one of 31 U.S. institutions of higher education that participates in the Diplomacy Lab, the U.S. State Department’s initiative to “‘course-source’ research and innovation related to foreign policy challenges”. Faculty and students can explore real-world challenges, contribute to the policy making process, and further global learning. - IUPUI Spotlight: Gabriel Filippelli, PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES Since 2015, Gabriel Filippelli has integrated Diplomacy Lab bids into several courses including Applied Earth Sciences: The Human Dimension and a capstone course for the B.S. Environmental Sciences degree titled Global Cycles. “Internationalizing the curriculum through engagement with the Diplomacy Lab provided invaluable opportunities for my students to learn the value of their academic training in a global setting, and for me to continue efforts to improve international diplomacy through university partnerships.” IUPUI is now involved with our 3rd and 4th Diplomacy Lab project this semester. One project is a partnership and mentoring program between our class and a sustainable engineering course underway at the University of Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, with our involvement being training students and advising them on how to develop and conduct research that has real impact. Another project is on developing tools that the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia can use in its outreach and engagement efforts to highlight the importance of environmental protection in preserving its coastal ecosystems. More: http://international.iupui.edu/global-learning/curriculum-internationalization/profiles-in-action/filippelli.html (2) Public Policy Institute The Indiana University Public Policy Institute (PPI) produces thoughtful, policy-related research, analysis, and guidance. Clients use PPI research to enhance their programs and services, to develop strategies and policies, to evaluate the impact of their decisions—and ultimately to help the people they serve. Established in 1992, PPI is part of the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI. A recent project of the PPI: Precursor activities related to U.S. terrorism incidents. Policy implications; Research conducted during the project was intended to help investigators and prosecutors make more educated guesses regarding the answers to several questions they must ask themselves when they become aware of a terrorist plot:The definitive temporal record of acts related to previous terrorist plots in the United States can be used by investigators, fusion center analysts, and federal prosecutors to develop a better understanding of the nature of the terrorist incident planning cycle and to help develop adaptable tools and approaches to disrupting and preventing terrorist activities. More: https://policyinstitute.iu.edu/research-analysis/research-findings/terrorism-planning.html (3) AMPATH Consortium Indiana University leads the AMPATH Consortium. The AMPATH Consortium is a network of universities and academic health centers in high-income countries that aims to foster long-term, equitable partnerships with health centers and universities in low-income countries. Each institution brings their own perspective and provides its own opportunities for medical trainee exchange programs and hands-on education, both in Kenya and North America. AMPATH provides not only treatment and care, but also programs that help patients take hold of their economic independence and their futures. And AMPATH's training, technology, and research go beyond Kenya to serve the whole world. Through the IU Center for Global Health the AMPATH Research Network seeks to improve the health of the Kenyan population through the identification, development and dissemination of relevant and timely information on health and health care systems for use by decision-makers in medical care, public health and public policy in Kenya and other resource-constrained areas of the world. More: https://globalhealth.iu.edu/impact-map/ampath.html

IU Public Policy Institute thru the IUPUI School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) https://policyinstitute.iu.edu/index.html The Public Policy Institute includes: Center for Civic Literacy:The Center for Civic Literacy examines the causes and effects of Americans’ low levels of civic knowledge. It also promotes tools to help educators and others improve civic understanding. Center for Health and Justice Research: CHJR works with public safety agencies and social services organizations to conduct impartial applied research on criminal justice and public safety issues. Center for Research on Inclusion & Social Policy: CRISP analyzes and disseminates community-relevant research about social disparities and complex policy issues with the goal of supporting and improving outcomes for Central Indiana organizations. Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations: The Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations facilitates communication and cooperation between federal, state, and local units of government to improve services for Indiana citizens. See Recent Impact & Outcomes: https://policyinstitute.iu.edu/impact-outcomes/index.html - PPI findings helped inform a new law that standardizes how coroners handle possible overdoses. - PPI helped determine what to consider when Indianapolis was choosing the locations for 4000 new street lights, Operation Night Light PPI interviewed experts and led public forums to identify the key factors for street lights placement and created an interactive mapping tool that shows the areas of highest need. - PPI's multiyear Thriving Communities, Thriving State project examined Indiana’s changing demographics and economic realities through urban, mid-sized, and rural communities—all to provide a clearer view forward for Hoosier citizens and leaders. - Support for refugees: To help refugee teens from other countries who recently moved to Indianapolis, PPI partnered with the IUPUI Welcoming Campus Initiative and the Immigrant Welcome Center on the RHYME mentoring program. Improving criminal justice responses - The Mobile Crisis Assistance Team (MCAT) pilot program launched in August 2017 in Indianapolis. MCAT integrates police, paramedics, and behavioral health specialists into teams that respond to emergency calls involving people with mental health or substance use issues. PPI researchers evaluated the program’s first five months to identify MCAT’s early outcomes, barriers, and areas for improvement.