Attorney General Todd Rokita demands Kinsey Institute financial data from IU

On Wednesday, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and Elise Nieshalla, state comptroller, sent a letter to Indiana University President Pamela Whitten and the IU Board of Trustees requesting proof of compliance concerning funding for the Kinsey Institute that was part of a state law passed last year.

House Enrolled Act 1001 prohibits state dollars be used to fund the Kinsey Institute. The law went into effect on July 1, 2023.

The Kinsey Institute , located on the IU Bloomington campus, studies human sexuality. Named for its founder, Alfred Kinsey, the institute has data on sexual behavior from more than 18,000 participants and is controversial, in part, because that includes responses from pedophiles.

With the new law in place, IU must maintain compliance with the Indiana State Board of Accounts .

“IU has engaged with the State Board of Accounts to address compliance with IC-21-20-6, using standard accounting practices in regard to budget reporting,” said IU spokesman Mark Bode on Thursday afternoon.

What Rokita and Nieshalla are requesting from IU

In a Thursday press release concerning the letter, Rokita said it's been more than a year since "IU assured the public and state officials that it would follow the law, yet we have seen no indication that any serious actions have been taken."

The release says the "2023 law cites more than a dozen potential funding loopholes which must now operate using zero taxpayer dollars." Nieshalla is quoted as saying, "With the absence of evidence per state law that tax dollars are no longer supporting the Kinsey Institute, we are calling for necessary financial information to prove adherence to state statute."

The letter requests that IU provide:

• confirmation by independent audit that no tax dollars have been used since July 1, 2023, in a manner prohibited by the state law,
• written explanation under attestation for "each and every instance" that IU is unable to confirm compliance of funds,
• a detailed and transparent accounting plan on how IU will stay in compliance in the future, and
• a detailed list of all funding sources for the Kinsey Institute since July 1, 2023.

What Indiana University has done in the past concerning the Kinsey Institute

In April 2023, IU issued a press release stating it would comply with the law.

In November 2023, the IU Board of Trustees tabled a vote that would have separated the institute from IU by creating a nonprofit.

In March 2024, the board declined to create a nonprofit to separate the Kinsey Institute from IU, keeping the institute on the Bloomington campus .

Which Kinsey Institute functions the law says cannot use state funds

The state law states Kinsey Institute cannot use state funds for:

• on campus facilities;
• equipment, furniture, furnishings or office supplies;
• land or property;
• utilities; advertising or promotional material;
• loans, grants, special accounts or research;
• facility maintenance;
• administrative costs, operational costs, rentals or mortgages;
• printing, duplicating or copying;
• publication of materials;
• restoration, maintenance or housing of research documents;
• exhibits or displays.

Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Attorney General Todd Rokita demands Kinsey Institute financial data from IU