Science advocacy group Concerned Scientists at Indiana University Bloomington has called for the removal of IU Board of Trustee Sage Steele for her X post that she wants to waterboard Anthony Fauci, former chief medical advisor to the President.
The letter calls upon Gov. Mike Braun and the Board of Trustees to follow “its own code of conduct” and remove Steele. It also asks IU President Pamela Whitten, Chancellor David Reingold, and Interim Provost John Ciorciari to speak publicly on this matter.
Concerned Scientists at IUB is an organization independent of the university, comprising over 1,000 IU faculty, staff, students, and local community members. The group promotes scientific integrity and science-based public policy.
Steele was appointed by Braun in June 2025, following the passing of a state budget that also gave Braun the authority to appoint and remove IU trustees. Prior to being a trustee, Steele was a television broadcaster working for a variety of stations, including ESPN.
On Aug. 10, Steele posted, “Where do I get permission to waterboard this man?? As he hangs upside by his toes, of course. Anyone wanna join me?” In the post, Steele links to a New York Post article which discusses Fauci raising concerns that the Covid-19 vaccine could be linked to miscarriages.
Concerned Scientists at IUB wrote to IU’s Chief Compliance Officer Tuesday claiming that Steele violated IU’s Principles of Ethical Conduct, said Steven Vigdor, IU professor emeritus of physics and steering committee member of Concerned Scientists. The letter was also sent to Braun.
IU’s Principles of Ethical Conduct states that it applies to IU community members, including the Board of Trustees. The advocacy group referenced part of the conduct which states, “Community members are expected to: Be respectful, fair, and civil;…Respect and defend the free inquiry of associates, even when it leads to findings and conclusions that differ from their own…;Avoid all forms of harassment, discrimination, threats, or violence…”
“If an IU faculty member made a comment as threatening as Ms. Steele’s tweet in class, whether jokingly or not, they would be subject to suspension, possible loss of tenure, or firing,” the advocacy group wrote. “Recent incidents at the University make this clear.”
When an adjunct at the IU McKinney School of Law posted her prank making light of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death, local and national politicians from Indiana condemned the action and called for her firing.
There has been no such reaction to Steele.
“There is a danger, I think, of the Board of Trustees sending a very decided message about a double standard,” Vigdor said. “If faculty members are now being held responsible for behavior that the administration or that students or parents find objectionable, but board members are not held to the same standard, and the IU Principles of Ethical Conduct explicitly state that they are intended to apply to members of the board of trustees, and the specific elements of those principles of ethical conduct that we included in the statement seem to us to be quite clearly violated by Ms. Steele's tweet.”
Read more: Does Sage Steele’s post about ‘waterboarding’ Fauci violate code of conduct for IU trustees?
The advocacy group wrote that, although some people may find Fauci’s opinions and actions to be controversial, there is no place for violent and threatening language at IU.
Vigdor noted the impact a statement like this could have on individuals in the science field as well as prospective IU science students. He said if he were applying to college or a job after seeing Steele’s post, he would not apply or accept a position at IU.
“When I applied to IU, I had four offers from very good places like Stanford University,” he said. “I accepted the IU position because I thought it was the best fit for me, and that calculation would be completely altered by such a statement by a Board of Trustee member.”
The Board of Trustees also has a separate code of conduct which states: “…Trustees (are to) to act in good-faith and in a manner that the Trustee reasonably believes to be in the best interests of Indiana University and its public purposes, rather than their own interests or the interests of another person or organization, and to avoid conflicts of interest. The Trustee must not act out of expedience, avarice, or self-interest.”
The code also states trustees should avoid situations where their personal interests or those of their immediate family members or close associates would cause a person to think their actions are influenced by considerations other than the best interest of the university.
If a trustee is in violation of the code of the conduct, evidence or allegations would be handled by the chair and vice chair of the Board, the code states. There would be a review and if the trustee is determined to be in violation, the chair may confidentially inform the governor, and the governor would decide the consequences.
Neither the Board of Trustees nor Steele responded to a request for comment.
