The Illinois Student Senate’s Committee on Campus Affairs will hold a special session Tuesday, to discuss a proposed resolution regarding whether or not they support Chancellor Phyllis Wise’s decision to rescind Steven Salaita’s job offer.

The resolution was introduced at last week’s meeting in a statement written by Student Body President Mitch Dickey in support of Wise’s decision, but is pending senate approval.

“We recognize the situation for its entirety, so the fact that the hiring process had basically been completed, that (Salaita) was going to be on campus with housing,” Dickey said. “But we also recognize that the Inclusive Illinois principles … would say that (Salaita) crossed the line of what we would consider for a faculty or potential faculty member.”

Dickey said he does not believe Salaita would have created a comfortable and inclusive environment on campus.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the committee will discuss the resolution and make any changes they find necessary. If the resolution is approved out of the committee meeting, it will be put on the agenda for Wednesday’s ISS meeting and discussed in an official capacity.

The purpose of the resolution, Dickey said, is to give an official voice to the student body because so far, there has not been any formal action taken by students, only faculty.

“My hope is that we can have some really great discussion on this; that we as students can voice our opinions,” he said. “Aside from the few students that are doing the protesting, there really hasn’t been an official voice of the students on this issue, and one that’s been really well thought out and taken both sides into consideration.”

He added that he hopes the resolution is passed out and approved to be voted on at the board meeting, so that board members know there is an official student statement on the issue that they can take into consideration.

Matt Hill, Vice President-External, also shared his hopes that the resolution will positively impact University students.

“My hope is that the student body can see that the student senate is really dedicated to our campus’s Inclusive Illinois initiative,” Hill said. “My hope is that the resolution will help facilitate and encourage more dialogue about issues that students care about on this campus and that we can effectively weigh in on this issue.”

The resolution has also added one important aspect since its introduction last week: a suggestion from the senate to the Board of Trustees regarding their appointment process.

“We vehemently urged the Board of Trustees to change their appointment process, so that the appointment of a member of the faculty that will start in the fall will be done in the summer,” Dickey said. “So they shouldn’t have their final appointment after they’ve already begun their first day of work here.”

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in the Student Government Complex, located on the second floor of the Illini Union.

“It’ll be another interesting week,” Dickey said. “This is a really big decision, and I hope that all of our student body realizes what this means for us in the world of academia.”

Eleanor can be reached at [email protected]