Students Support 2 Professors Denied Tenure
by Katherine Schrup, NBC5 Next
CHICAGO -- DePaul University's recent decision to deny tenure to two professors prompted some students to take a stand in their defense at Sunday's graduation.
During the ceremony, some students held up signs in favor of the professors, Norman Finkelstein and Mehrene Larudee. Some students also refused to shake DePaul's president the Rev. Dennis Holtschneider's hand and turned their backs to him while he gave the closing remarks.
Finkelstein, who has taught in the political science department at DePaul since 2001, became a controversial figure for his criticism of Israel and for accusing some Jews of exploiting the Holocaust for monetary gain. He has published many books, including "The Holocaust Industry" and Beyond Chutzpah".
Finkelstein also engaged in a public feud with Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, best known as one of the defense lawyers in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Dershowitz wrote faculty members at DePaul urging them to vote against Finkelstein's tenure.
Finkelstein released a statement to the protesting students, saying: "This University must acknowledge and reverse the terrible mistake it has made. For an institution of higher learning to act so blatantly against academic freedom is a sad commentary on the state of our nation."
Holtschneider released a statement, saying: "Over the past several months, there has been considerable outside interest and public debate concerning this decision. This attention was unwelcome and inappropriate and had no impact on either the process or the outcome of this case."
Holtschneider also said in the statement that he could "find no compelling reasons" to overturn the decision.
Larudee, an international studies professor, was denied tenure even though she passed the first two stages of the process unanimously.
"It makes DePaul look very stupid nationwide," Larudee said. "There are a lot of people who understand that you can't do this. The university has made a very bad mistake in terms of its reputation nationwide, and it really should remedy that."
Kathryn Weber, a junior at DePaul, is one of the leaders of a group of students protesting the decisions.
"We're willing to do whatever it takes, by whatever means necessary, to make sure these two professors get tenure. It is not negotiable," Weber said.
The students also held a three-day sit-in at the president's office last week.
Finkelstein told the New York Times that he plans to move to New York City and that "as a result of this 'blacklisting, I will be barred from ever entering a college classroom again.'"
Larudee said she will return to DePaul next semester, but she will have to leave after a year as a result of not receiving tenure.
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