I wasn’t too surprised to read Jack Hutchens’ response to the petition article (‘Petition calls for resignation of professor who cals Chief racist’ in the Nov. 3 issue of the Daily Illini). After all, it seems that Mr. Hutchens stopped reading the article after coming across the title, since his counter-arguments have absolutely nothing to do with the actual petition or article.

Like most people who disagree with the petition, Mr. Hutchens tries to change it from being a moral dilemma to a racist debate. Had he actually decided to investigate further, it has nothing to do with being pro-Chief or anti-Chief, but rather the actions that some professors have chosen to pursue. After all, their goal is to get rid of Chief Illiniwek, which can only be done via the Board of Trustees or NCAA. Their decision to contact other schools to stop scheduling U of I or their contacts with potential recruits of U of I reflect a calculated campaign intended to cause harm to the University of Illinois. In any private sector of the United States, their actions could (and would!) be reprimanded.

But, these professors have decided to take the “easy” way out and hide behind their tenures and “freedom of speech.” Which raises another issue: why does it seem that public institutions have absolutely no power? If tenured professors can freely speak their mind on ANY topic, without any repercussions, then where is there a limit? Additionally, as some Supreme Court cases show, teachers who speak publicly on personal self-serving issues are not protected by the First Amendment and risk disciplinary action. Regardless of your stance on Chief Illiniwek, there is no denying what the group of professors lead by Stephen Kaufman are doing to our beloved school. And for that reason, the petition seeks to bring them to justice.

Brian Glickman

Senior in Business