The University has had a complex history when it comes to academic freedom. 

John Wilson, co-editor of the American Association of University Professors’ Academe Blog, brought this history into the context of Steven Salaita’s ongoing case at a talk on Monday.

Wilson opened the lecture in Allen Hall by stating that he believes the University has once again violated academic freedom. 

“It’s really a violation in two senses,” Wilson said. “One is the prohibition on judging faculty based on their political borders, and the other is the issue of punishing professors for what we call ‘extramural utterances.’”

Salaita was set to start teaching in the American Indian Studies program this fall. However, his offer was rescinded after he posted several politically charged tweets regarding the conflict in Gaza, which many categorized as “hate speech.” 

Wilson stated that opinions expressed outside of one’s profession, such as tweets, have been significant in the “extraordinarily important” history of the University. He cited several events that occurred in the past, including the 1960 firing of Leo Koch and the 2010 firing of Kenneth Howell.

As told by Wilson, Koch was an assistant professor of biology when he wrote a letter to the editor of the Daily Illini that defended premarital sex. Within three weeks, he was fired by President David Henry, due to what he cited as the “encouragement of immoral behavior”.

“Unlike the University statutes today, which don’t allow what happened to Steven Salaita, the University statutes back in 1960 explicitly allowed faculty to be fired for immorality,” Wilson said.

Wilson described an “enormous backlash” in 1963 from the AAUP, who decided to put the University on a censure list—the highest form of condemnation that the association has for those who violate academic freedom.

As a result, the University decided to change its statutes and policies, which began to protect academic freedom, and led to its removal from the list “fairly quickly.”

In relevance to the 2010 firing, Wilson said that Howell was a religion professor when he made homophobic comments to his class and later sent a similar email expressing his views. 

Wilson noted that one big difference between Salaita and Howell is that Howell made his comments in a classroom, while Salaita made his comments on a personal social network.

“It was, in my view, much more explicitly offensive to the people and bigoted than what Steven Salaita had to say,” Wilson said.

Another difference Wilson mentioned, was that Howell was rehired in the Spring of 2011, following a faculty meeting that oversaw the case after concerns were raised.

Wilson said he believes that what the University did in the Howell case is a model of what should have been done in Salaita’s case: contact the faculty, consider the concerns of the community and look at the qualifications of the professor.

“Essentially what happened is that the Board of Trustees went to a meeting one day, heard about Steven Salaita’s tweets and decided he wouldn’t be allowed at the University,” Wilson said. “That’s something that potentially could happen to almost any professor or student at the University of Illinois.”

Many professors around campus have addressed similar perspectives on the Salaita case, agreeing that proper procedure was not followed. 

“I haven’t heard any good explanation as to why that good-faith offer would have been withdrawn,” said Michael Rothberg, head of the English department. “I wouldn’t say I love everything that he says in his tweets, but I would defend his right to say those things.” 

Rothberg said he thinks the removal of Salaita is a “very great threat to academic freedom on campus,” which created a bad image for the University nationwide. “It penalizes someone for things they’ve said in their private life, without any connection to the University,” Rothberg said. He also spoke publicly in support of Salaita at a press conference on Sept. 9.

Wilson addressed several other issues that have been considered significant in the Salaita case, such as the trustees’ justification for his firing.

A mass email from the Board of Trustees and President Robert Easter, sent to all students on Aug. 22, stated, “Our campuses must be safe harbors where students and faculty from all backgrounds and cultures feel valued, respected and comfortable expressing their views.”

However, Wilson said, “being comfortable is not a fundamental right.”

Wilson cited the controversy that erupted in January, when Chancellor Phyllis Wise refused to cancel classes when extreme temperatures were predicted to occur the next day. The decision was met with disapproval from students, and resulted in threats and racist remarks aimed at Wise. 

However, she responded by saying that despite the offensive nature of the comments, the University is meant to be a place that promotes the discussion of ideas, and refused to have any students punished for the sexist and racist hate speech. 

Wilson said he believes that if Wise had reacted similarly to the Salaita case, she would have been “in the right,” as he believes she had been when she allowed classes to continue in January.

Mary Mallory, associate professor of library administration, also voiced her opinion on the Salaita case at the Faculty Senate meeting on Sept. 22. 

“When a case like this arises, the chancellor’s job, according to the statutes, is to go back to the department,” Mallory said. “That did not happen, and what I would like to know is why no one on this senate has asked about that.”

Wilson predicts a lawsuit in the near future, which he thinks the University will lose, as well as an AAUP censure of the University.

“Under constitutional law, this is going to be a very difficult case for the University of Illinois to win,” Wilson said.

Salaita stated on his personal Twitter account that he will be “giving a series of talks in Chicago” in the upcoming weeks.

“I’m likely coming to a city near you! Will be wonderful to return to public life, say ‘thank you’ in person,” Salaita tweeted on Sept. 20. 

Faraz can be reached at [email protected].