On Thursday, the Board of Trustees reaffirmed that Steven Salaita will not be a professor at the University of Illinois. The decision is final despite reports and recommendations to reconsider the situation, and we are glad to put this situation behind us.

Over the past several months, the University has been nationally criticized by the American Association of University Professors, notable academics and students regarding Salaita’s withdrawn job offer after he posted a series of controversial tweets regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We agree with these critics that the University’s hiring procedures need some work, but it’s time to move forward, and the board’s reaffirmation of its September vote allows the University to do so. 

A decision had to be reached, and the board decided to remain firm. Students, faculty and outside affiliates have debated Salaita nearly every day since the start of the year. We’ve debated Salaita nearly every day in the newsroom since the start of the year, and the one thing we can agree on now is that it’s time for the University to learn from this and take a step forward. 

In order to do this, the University will need to address the points raised by critics such as the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure. On Dec. 23, the committee released a recommendation for Salaita to be reconsidered by a group of “qualified academic experts.” They also urged that Salaita should be able to respond before another decision is made.

In an interview with The Daily Illini, Salaita said ideally he would  “join the American Indian studies program and get to work. Then, I and the University of Illinois can put this behind us.” 

Twenty-four days later, a decision was upheld despite these recommendations.

What the report shows is that people are still concerned. While Salaita won’t have a job on this campus, what about other future professors?

We think it is highly beneficial that professors are taking a look at the procedure that was followed during the Salaita situation, and that they continue to seriously analyze the circumstances that surround this case. There is much to be observed, questioned and analyzed as details of the controversy slowly unraveled these last several months. 

Our campus is full of incredibly intelligent and talented people, and for a while, that image was overshadowed and in question by many. We hope that the University can learn from this and make necessary policy changes.