URBANA, Ill. ― The University of Illinois is facing scrutiny as classes resume from some of its faculty, other academics and students over its decision to rescind a job offer to a professor after his prolific, sometimes profane use of Twitter to voice anger at Israel.
Phyllis Wise, chancellor of the university’s Urbana-Champaign campus, says she decided not to hire Steven Salaita, a professor of American Indian studies, over concerns about what she called demeaning and abusive language. She heard by email from several dozen students, parents and financial donors expressing concerns, some of whom accused Salaita of anti-Semitism.
Salaita’s defenders say the decision violates his academic freedom, a concept that, along with the tenure that shields professors from fallout over unpopular or controversial opinions, goes far beyond the legal protections shared by workers in most businesses.
“As far as I am concerned, this would never (have) happened without external pressure,” said Robert Warrior, chairman of the university’s American Indian Studies Program.
Salaita was an English professor at Virginia Tech University when in October 2013 he accepted an offer to become a professor in the University of Illinois’ American Indian Studies Program, scheduled to start in the fall of 2014 with a salary of $85,000.
But in July, as Israel and the Palestinians battled in Gaza, Salaita frequently used Twitter—sometimes authoring dozens of messages a day, many with obscenities—criticizing Israel, Arab nations and others. For example, in a post on July 20, he wrote: “Zionists: transforming ‘antisemitism’ from something horrible into something honorable since 1948.”
Emails recently released by the university to The Associated Press show that dozens of people urged Wise in July and early August not to hire Salaita.
