University Senate

Senators to vote on academic freedom resolution Wednesday in wake of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign firing

The University Senate will vote on a resolution on Wednesday reaffirming the need for academic freedom at universities following the firing of a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Steven Salaita had his appointment at U of I revoked after he tweeted his critical opinion of Israel’s conduct in Gaza. As a result of this violation to Salaita’s academic freedom, political science professors and university senators Mark Rupert and Margaret Susan Thompson will introduce a resolution calling on U of I to honor Salaita’s contract as well as reaffirming SU’s commitment to academic freedom.

The resolution also “calls upon Chancellor Wise and the Board of Trustees to honor the contract of Professor Salaita or to demonstrate, via (American Association for University Professors) recognized procedures of academic due process, that termination is warranted.”

“People need to be free to express themselves in controversial or unpopular topics,” Thompson said. “Where do you draw the line? The line is always moving. I don’t think it should be drawn at all.”

According to the AAUP, academic freedom entitles teachers “to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results” and “to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject.” The AAUP also says: “when they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline.”



In October 2013, Salaita left his tenured teaching position at Virginia Tech to accept a tenured faculty appointment at U of I where he would teach in the American Indian studies program beginning in January 2014. But university officials including U of I Chancellor Phyllis Wise, withdrew Salaita’s appointment after the former professor posted his views of Israel on Twitter.

According to an article from The Guardian, one of his tweets read: “Only Israel can murder around 300 children in the span of a few weeks and insist that it is the victim.”

“If (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu appeared on TV with a necklace made from the teeth of Palestinian children, would anybody be surprised?” read another one of Salaita’s tweets, according to an article from the Chicago Tribune.

The whole situation is highly unethical, Thompson said. Salaita was promised a tenured position and that, along with academic freedom, should have protected him, but it didn’t, she said. That’s why the situation is troubling, she added.

Many of the people outraged by the tweets were influential donors, Rupert said, and this pressured university officials to do something about Salaita’s tweets.

One way to protect professors is to have a commitment to basic academic freedom, Rupert added.

“These issues are not limited to one university or one person. Broad issues of administrators taking more power away from professors to avoid controversy and appease donors happen nationwide. No school is immune to those pressures,” Rupert said. “It’s a chilling effect that spreads like ripples and may eventually affect SU — that’s why we want to take action now.”

Pat Cihon, president of SU’s chapter of the AAUP, has no doubts that the resolution will pass.

“I don’t think there’s a whole lot of discussion to be had and I don’t anticipate any problems with it passing. It’s a no-brainer,” he said.

The point of a university is to explore different and new ideas. Without the free exchange of thoughts and ideas, one person can dictate how things are and what is right and what is wrong, Cihon said.

Thompson added that while people may not always agree with certain opinions, that doesn’t diminish an individual’s right to state those opinions.

“Anyone can disagree with something someone says, but they still need to defend their right to say it,” Thompson said.





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