Call for Release of Complete Information about the Scandal

We applaud the spirit of President Killeen’s massmail to campus (August 13). Faculty members also wish to move forward. But we must move forward with justice. President Killeen should follow the recommendation of the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure, as endorsed by the Academic Senate, and remand Dr. Steven Salaita’s case to a committeeContinue reading “Call for Release of Complete Information about the Scandal”

Alma Answers Ethical Questions about Emails

Dear Alma, I don’t get it.  Why is it wrong for U of I administrators to use private email accounts? Love, B. Fuddled. Dear B, There’s nothing wrong with using private email accounts. I passed notes in class, too. But when a court tells you to turn over all your correspondence and you do not, andContinue reading “Alma Answers Ethical Questions about Emails”

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”

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”

Letter from AAUP to Chancellor Wise explains why UI actions are unacceptable

Anita Levy, from the national American Association of University Professors (AAUP), today sent a forceful letter to Chancellor Phyllis Wise stating that the AAUP is extremely concerned that the firing of Steven Salaita constitutes an “arbitrary dismissal,” an unacceptable action according to long-standing AAUP statements and policies (to which the University is formally committed). Levy argues that theContinue reading “Letter from AAUP to Chancellor Wise explains why UI actions are unacceptable”

What Can We Do about the University of Illinois Administration? Get Organized!

We are at a crisis point for faculty governance and academic freedom. Last Friday, the administration imposed a capricious and arbitrary standard of “civility,” governing what faculty are allowed to say both on and off campus. On Monday, Inside Higher Education revealed that  the Chancellor was heavily lobbied by donors and University fund-raisers as she made her decision toContinue reading “What Can We Do about the University of Illinois Administration? Get Organized!”

A Letter from Robert Warrior

To my fellow members of the Campus Faculty Association and other colleagues at Illinois and beyond, As American Indian Studies has been responding to unprecedented actions from the Board of Trustees, Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, and Vice President for Academic Affairs Christophe Pierre in our hiring of Steven Salaita as a tenured AssociateContinue reading “A Letter from Robert Warrior”