As Steven Salaita recounts it in his just-published book,“Uncivil Rites: Palestine and the Limits of Academic Freedom,” on the afternoon of Aug. 2, 2014, he was “enjoying a typical Saturday: the Blacksburg farmer’s market and Bollo’s in the morning, followed by a group nap and family time on the back deck.” Then came a short, curt email from the chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where Salaita had just accepted a tenured position on the faculty. It said, simply, “Dear Dr. Salaita, Please read the attached letter.” He continues, “Why in the world, I wondered, would the chancellor write me a letter? With a feeling of dread, I opened the attachment to find what appeared to be a termination letter.” ...
Salon
November 18, 2015