A reporter called me today and asked for a statement. [Update: link to the story.] I thought I would take the chance to gather my thoughts on the Salaita affair to date. As to the statement of goals, I think I'm just restating what's been said in many of the letters of complaint and the no-visit pledges. Text follows:
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Please note that in this matter — and in all matters in which I speak on matters of public concern — I speak solely as an individual scholar. My affiliation details are for identification purposes only and should not be taken to imply that I am speaking in any capacity as an institutional representative.
I do however claim the traditional rights of academic freedom as they are codified by the AAUP: http://www.aaup.org/issues/academic-freedom. In particular I reject Cary Nelson’s misjudgments in this matter and would like it noted that his position has been repudiated by the national office of the AAUP: http://www.aaup.org/media-release/statement-case-steven-salaita.
See also statements by the Illinois chapter of the AAUP:http://academeblog.org/2014/08/06/illinois-aaup-committee-a-statement-on-steven-salaita-and-uiuc/ and by the CFA of UIUC:http://cfaillinois.org/2014/08/07/cfa-statement-on-steven-salaita-and-u-of-illinois/
See also this statement by noted law school professors:https://www.dropbox.com/s/gxfbptf2t0d17vw/Faculty%20Letter%20to%20U%20of%20I.pdf
This is however not simply a matter of the individual academic freedom of Professor Salaita, though that would be enough to justify our actions. It is also a matter of supporting our colleagues at Illinois in the exercise of their rights to faculty governance and in particular their rights as to faculty hiring without arbitrary or worse, motivated, administrative interference well outside normal procedures, as in this case.
As for the technicalities proferred by Nelson and others as to Salaita's exact contractual status, how could Board approval be anything other than pro forma if Salaita’s classes were scheduled to begin before the Board next meets?
See also this quote from a university spokesperson on July 22, referring to Salaita as already an “employee” of the university: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2014-07-22/updated-soon-be-ui-profs-mideast-posts-drawing-ire.html
“Faculty have a wide range of scholarly and political views, and we recognize the freedom-of-speech rights of all of our employees,” Kaler said in response to the tweets.
As to our goals then: we respectfully but firmly demand that Professor Salaita’s contract be honored according to standard academic custom in which Board of Trustees approval is pro forma. We thus urge Chancellor Wise not only to forward Salaita’s contract to the Board for approval but to do everything in her power to ensure it is approved.
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