[Peace-discuss] Letter to N-G

[C. G. Estabrook via Peace-discuss]

Modestly putting aside his own manic partisanship, Jim Dey writes in Tuesday’s News-Gazette that Steven Salaita’s “backers certainly have been noisier than his critics.”

Perhaps. But the issue at UIUC is not in fact Professor Salaita’s thoughts and actions. It’s academic freedom, and its reprehensible denial by the university administration.

The standard description of academic freedom in US universities since World War II has been the “1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure” from the American Association of University Professors. After discussing the freedom of the teacher in the classroom, the statement makes an additional point: “College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline...”

It is hardly deniable that Professor Salaita was speaking and writing as a citizen, and suffered “institutional ... discipline.” Against this, the university and its defenders like Cary Nelson can only urge the claims of civility and the possibly injured feelings of some students. 

“If you're in favor of freedom of speech, that means you're in favor of freedom of speech precisely for views you despise” (Noam Chomsky). The principles of academic freedom are even stronger. They have clearly been violated in this case.

Meanwhile the level of argument from the UIUC administration is embarrassingly childish. It amounts to asserting that Steven Salaita forgot to say “Mother May I?” to the university trustees. 

--C. G. Estabrook