Record IS08.27m: Institutional Suffocation Index (ISI)
Last Registered Use: 18 June 2060 — End of the Great Decline Era (2035-2060)
Definition: The ISI measured epistemic pressure within research-intensive universities under fossil-fueled, metrics-driven governance (2040–2060). Inputs included:
Unpaid labor hours normalized as "service"
Ratio of performance reviews to acts of care
Funding tied to corporate or military agenda
Number of divergent voices silenced
Cumulative deadlines per staff
Ratio of dismantled care infrastructures to publications
Reported instances of burnout framed as personal failure
Highest Recorded ISI: Site SW-014 (classified).
Primary trace: “Slow choking, not only of ideas and resources, but also of access to help, support, or even the ability to hear divergent voices.” Atmospheric failure confirmed.
Postscript: After the metrics regime collapsed in 2061, care infrastructures were rebuilt.. Drawing on early disability justice frameworks (e.g., Piepzna-Samarasinha's Care Work and critical university studies), recovery teams implemented breathing protocols, interdependent learning spaces, and banned “ventilation-optional” buildings. “No one is disposable” became policy. Site SW-014 is preserved to remember the harm it made possible.