The removal of Steven Salaita, a tenured professor at the University of Illinois, for his tweets in support of Palestine should be of great concern to those who value academic freedom at American universities. Salaita had been offered a job as a tenured professor of American Indian studies, and his appointment was contingent on approval by the University of Illinois’s Board of Trustees. The university chancellor, Phyllis Wise, refused to forward Salaita’s appointment to the board.
Chancellor Wise justified her decision in a statement, saying, "What we cannot and will not tolerate at the University of Illinois are personal and disrespectful words or actions that demean and abuse either viewpoints themselves or those who express them."
Clearly it is a significant threat to academic freedom if an individual cannot express an opinion that includes criticism of the state of Israel.
This is a dangerous and blatant attempt to silence yet another person who stands against the state of Israel. The decision sets a dangerous precedent where even those in academia are not safe from corporate and political interests.
Professors shouldn’t have to fear losing their jobs or their tenure for simply criticizing the state of Israel or for taking a position on any social justice issue. Steven Salaita deserves our support.
Eric Brown
UF political science senior
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 9/8/2014 under the headline "Removal of University of Illinois professor should cause concern"]
