U. of I. trustees vote 8-1 to reject Salaita

[King_David]

URBANA -- The University of Illinois board of trustees voted Thursday not to hire controversial professor Steven Salaita, finalizing a decision that has created much backlash on campus and from academia nationwide.

The 8-1 decision came after top university administrators said they could not recommend hiring Salaita. His job offer was pulled last month after he wrote contentious social media posts about Israeli military action in Gaza, some of which contained profane and inflammatory language.

The rare, if not unprecedented, board decision to reject a faculty hire set the stage for either a lawsuit or a financial settlement in a case that already has led to a difficult fall semester at the Urbana-Champaign campus of the state’s flagship public university. Students have held protests on campus while faculty have argued the decision is an affront to free speech and academic freedom — the principle that protects faculty who have unpopular and controversial views.

Salaita’s attorney, Anand Swaminathan, said after the vote that “the only real route available at this point is to pursue litigation.” Salaita was scheduled to start Aug. 16 with a tenured position in the American Indian studies department, but Chancellor Phyllis Wise told him Aug. 1 that she was rescinding the job offer.



http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-salaitia-board-decision-20140911-story.html#page=1

[King_David]

1. BDS

?

[Shrike47]

2. It's hard to boycott a university unless you are a high school senior.

You can stop making alumni contributions but that's about it unless you have big money you can wave as a supporter. Other than that, it's derogatory comments on Facebook.

[azurnoir]

3. The university was threatened with exactly that sort of BDS by donors

might have had some influenced the decision

A business school alum wrote to Wise to say he was “very disappointed in the rhetoric emanating from a recent hire.”

“Having been a multiple 6-figure donor to Illinois over the years I know our support is ending as we vehemently disagree with the approach this individual espouses,” he wrote about himself and his wife. “This is doubly unfortunate for the school as we have been blessed in our careers and have accumulated quite a balance sheet over my 35-year career.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-steven-salaita-illinois-protest-20140909-story.html#page=1

[King_David]

4. I meant the university is boycotting the ant Israel professor

That's what BDS is usually about in the opposite direction.

[azurnoir]

5. Salaita was slated to teach American Indian studies

if he is being denied that for being Pro-Palestinian one must wonder about the slant Urbana wants on those studies, and here I thought Custer stopped being the good guy a few decades ago

[King_David]

6. Actually fanatically extremist anti Israel

Having said that I don't agree with BDS and if this dude is an advocate of BDS he may well be a victim of what he may well be advocating .

[azurnoir]

8. never the less how does your spin disqualify him from teaching American Indian studies?

Unless of course U of I Urbana wants to turn the clock back 50 years in that department?

[Mosby]

13. anyone who supports genocide should not be teaching at any university period.

[azurnoir]

14. you're accusing Salaita of supporting genocide?

by what means does he support genocide?

[Mosby]

15. what do you call this?

“You may be too refined to say it, but I’m not: I wish all the (expletive) West Bank settlers would go missing.”

[azurnoir]

16. I call it wishing the West Bank settlers elsewhere or gone missing from the WB of course

but spin it any way you wish or need to

[OutNow]

9. Boycott - not just for students

Thousands of professors and other related folks have decided to boycott U I until they reverse the decision. What does this mean? It means professional conferences scheduled to be held at U of I have already been cancelled. That well known subject experts have cancelled scheduled speaking engagements and seminars. It means U of I professors will not be invited to conferences, scholarly papers authored by U of I employees will not have their work published by university presses around the country, etc, etc. The U or I will be isolated and criticized until they adhere to procedures on academic freedom that were adopted in the 1940s and which the U of I claims to endorse.

Also note that several departments, including the department that Professor Salaita was set to join, have registered a no confidence vote against the university dean and board of directors for their unjust action.

Here is the statement issued by the American Association of University Professors.

http://www.aaup.org/media-release/statement-case-steven-salaita

[enough]

7. Corey Robin has a very interesting website which has been discussing the Salaita case at length.

http://coreyrobin.com/

Also other topics.

[shira]

10. Good! n/t

[LeftishBrit]

11. Admittedly I'm 4000 miles away, and don't really know the situation in detail....

but I don't think universities should be selecting or sacking people, especially in fields unrelated to the Middle East, on the basis of their views on the I/P issue.

I'm not in favour of academic boycotts - in either direction.

[intaglio]

12. So anti-Palestinian is good but anti-Israeli is bad

A fine professor who informs his opinions of the slaughter of Palestinians by reference to the slaughter of the native American peoples is too rich a meal for the Trustees.

[GeorgeGist]

17. The Fighting Illini.

[King_David]

18. Seems some people think it's ok to boycott one or other side of this,

I am against all boycotts.

This should give the BDS pause- what's good for the goose...

[intaglio]

19. And how does boycotting freedom of speech affect either Hamas or IDF war criminals?

Please note I do not support a boycott of your particular opinions, I would rather they were seen for what they are ...

[LeftishBrit]

21. I think what David is saying...

is that he opposes both boycotts of academics just because they are from Israel or pro-Israel; and rejection of academics because they are critical or hostile to Israel.

I agree; and think that it is good neither for the goose nor for the gander - or, even more crucially, for the students' exposure to a variety of viewpoints without censorship.

[King_David]

23. Yes , than you .nt

[King_David]

22. Reread my post where I stated clearly I don't believe in boycotts

And my opinion is the same as almost all the Democratic Party official policy , that's why I support and am a member of that party.

[LeftishBrit]

20. Both anti-Palestinian and anti-Israeli are bad; but neither should be grounds for rejection for

an academic post that has nothing to do with Middle Eastern studies.