Author Archives: Susan Davis

Where Were You Living Forty Years Ago? My Experience With Background Checks

By a UIUC Faculty Member It is with some dismay that I see that the Board of Trustees has adopted a policy of background checks for all new faculty at the University of Illinois. In order to take advantage of a fellowship opportunity at another academic institution, I recently had to submit to four backgroundContinue reading “Where Were You Living Forty Years Ago? My Experience With Background Checks”

Faculty Alert: U of I Pushing for Criminal Background Checks

All UIUC faculty need to be aware that the UI Administration is rapidly advancing an ill-thought-out and far-reaching criminal background check policy for faculty and staff, without adequate faculty oversight or input.  The proposed policy will be brought before the Academic Senate on Monday, Sept. 21, 2015, and if approved, will take effect October 5,Continue reading “Faculty Alert: U of I Pushing for Criminal Background Checks”

Dear Alma: Wanda Nestegg wants to know

Dear Alma, Could you recommend some unethical acts bad enough to get me a big payout from the university, but not so bad as to land me in jail? Secret emails worked for Lisa Troyer, Michael Hogan and Phyllis Wise. Or should I verbally abuse some students, like that athletics coach recently? Love, Wanda Nestegg DearContinue reading “Dear Alma: Wanda Nestegg wants to know”

How Much Can the Governor Ask About Your Personal Life?

CFA is deeply concerned about the Supplemental Statement of Interests form (the new “yellow form” following Executive Order 15-09). Many tenured and tenure-track faculty have been required to sign this form, including all those who hold grants. Under the pretext of asking about potential conflicts of financial interest, the form asks faculty to report their non-workplace activities andContinue reading “How Much Can the Governor Ask About Your Personal Life?”

Mark Leff (1949-2015) In Memoriam

by James R. Barrett (History) Mark Leff passed away on February 22, 2015, surrounded by his family. One of the finest human beings I have encountered anywhere, he happened also to be one of the most talented and dedicated teachers, most treasured colleagues, and most astute scholars and this underscores the sense of loss amongContinue reading “Mark Leff (1949-2015) In Memoriam”

CAFT Report on the Steven Salaita Case: Serious Violations of Shared Governance and Due Process

The report of the Committee of Academic Freedom and Tenure (CAFT) on the Steven Salaita case has been made public. As the Campus Faculty Association has been saying since early August, the treatment of Professor Salaita was a serious violation of due process. With the CAFT report, the University of Illinois faculty as whole standsContinue reading “CAFT Report on the Steven Salaita Case: Serious Violations of Shared Governance and Due Process”

Academic Freedom and the Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois: A Historical Perspective

by Belden Fields At the IPRH panel on “Academic Freedom and Free Speech across Disciplines” held at the Beckman Institute on Monday, September 29, one of the panelists Prof. Colleen Murphy said that the faculty’s effort now must be to see that the way Professor Steven Salaita was treated by the university never happens again.Continue reading “Academic Freedom and the Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois: A Historical Perspective”

Dear Alma: A New Ethics Test?

Dear Alma, Been feeling down in the dumps, so I went back to the dumpsters. Found a new ethics question that the state’s consulting firm has sent for approval. Pressure from a Supervisor:  Lilith is the Chancellor of a University campus. Her supervisor, Mistopher, is appointed by the Governor. One day Lilith overhears Mistopher makingContinue reading “Dear Alma: A New Ethics Test?”

Meet Us at the Alma Mater, Noon, Thursday, September 11

Dear Colleagues, As you know, UIUC faces an unprecedented crisis of academic freedom and shared governance. At the same time, our non-tenure-track colleagues are facing frozen wages and an unwillingness to bargain, while clerical staff on campus are battling the destruction of their collective bargaining agreement. Clearly, the Board of Trustees and Chancellor Wise areContinue reading “Meet Us at the Alma Mater, Noon, Thursday, September 11”