Fr. Dennis Holtschneider
Office of the President
DePaul University
55 E. Jackson, 22nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60602
Dear Fr. Holtschneider,
This letter is to inform you of the actions students are currently taking in response to the violation of academic freedom and the tenure process at DePaul University. Recently, the decision was made to deny tenure to professors Dr. Norman Finkelstein and Dr. Mehrene Larudee despite being approved at both the departmental and college-level. We believe that their denials were politically motivated and that you should reverse them. As President of DePaul University we feel that it is your responsibility to uphold justice in academia and the honor attached to our degree, both of which has eroded in the past month.
After our last meeting in your Executive Offices, when you retracted your offer to provide us a location for our sit-in after only three days, we realize that you do not understand how seriously we see this matter. We have begun a liquid fast to express how seriously we regard the infringement of academic freedom at DePaul, as well as to demonstrate our level of determination, control, and self-restraint. We will be meditating and reflecting upon recent events and on our own understanding of what has taken place. Over the past few weeks, we have been inspired by the overwhelming support of our fellow students and alumni; our motivation for this action has not and will not diminish one thousandth of one inch.
Our program will continue to escalate as weeks and months pass, and will only build greater support once the Fall quarter begins. While this fast is only the first, we assure you that our fasts for this purpose will become regular and that they will only increase in length and numbers with each occasion. We invite you to join us in our fast for academic freedom. After careful thought and meditation perhaps you will realize the damage DePaul has performed upon its students as well as the university’s credibility.
Your intention not to alter your decision regarding the two tenure cases has been clear, but we hope that our fast demonstrates our steadfast commitment and determination. We continue to demand the following:
• Issue a public apology to Dr. Finkelstein and Dr. Larudee,
• Recognize the appeals process espoused in resolutions passed by the Faculty Council and the Faculty Governance Council,
• Discard the Dept. of Political Science minority report from Dr. Finkelstein’s tenure file,
• Include the Dept. of Political Science faculty response (dated 12 April 2007) to Dean Charles Suchar’s report on Dr. Finkelstein,
• Investigate the University Board for Tenure and Promotion (UBTP) decisions on tenure and promotion made in this past year, and
• To reverse the decision of the UBTP regarding Dr. Larudee and Dr. Finkelstein’s tenure, and to grant them their deserved tenure and promotion to Associate Professor.
Please feel free to visit our website at www.finkelgate.com, you can reply to us at finkelgate@gmail.com, or visit us at the Student Center as we continue our fast in public.
Sincerely,
Academic Freedom Committee – DePaul Students
Showing posts with label tenure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tenure. Show all posts
Monday, June 25, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
DePaul University students have more BALLS than the US Congress
by Seth O'Neil
http://runnyguts.blogspot.com/2007/06/depaul-university-students-have-more.html
At DePaul University, this year's graduation ceremony assumed some elements of a protest regarding the utterly moronic University decision to deny tenure to Norman Finkelstein and Mehrene Larudee.
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.
If you're one of the vast majority of Americans who gets news from the MSM, you probably don't know anything about the issue of Norman Finkelstein's tenure fight and the reprehensible little egomaniacal putz and pompous AIPAC butt-smoocher Alan Dershowitz's waaaaayyyy over-the-top efforts to prevent Finkelstein's tenure.
Now let's do a brief comparison, eh?
The US Congress has had 6 years to stop this horrific Bush Administration march toward totalitarianism and global armageddon. What have they done? Nothing. The cost? Dead and injured US troops, dead and injured Iraqis, dead and injured New Orleans citizens, massive increases to the contributions toward global climate change, huge American treasury deficit and an abhorrent percentage of US debt with the creditors being arguably the most advanced and, even on our own terms, competitive, industrialized nations with whom we share the planet -- China, Japan. We have a whole planet of other nations who fear us because of Mr Bush's reckless disregard for human lives, for cultural monuments and other important historic locations and buildlings, for the inevitable societal destruction wrought by 6 years of illegal war. We have a gutted Constitution and eviscerated civil rights. Our President can declare any one of us an "enemy combatant" and in that simple two-word declaration, we can be deprived of every one of our native rights -- including life itself.
And yet the US Congress does nothing.
Then, at DePaul University, we have a group of students who have studied under, taken classes from, got to know Norman Finkelstein and out of those interactions, determined that from their view as students at the University, the University should give Dr Finkelstein tenure on the faculty. They supported his faculty tenure bid. And yet, the University chancellor denied the tenure bid, and publicly determined that Dr Finkelstein's research and writing are too politically "touchy" -- translated, the Chancellor is a moral and intellectual coward, and doesn't want to have to explain or justify the tenure of the "insensitive" Dr Finkelstein, and surely doesn't want to be seen as supporting Dr Finkelstein.
So some students protested during the graduation ceremony.
College students are willing to stand up for a professor, when it's not even their JOB to do so. They are supporting Dr Finkelstein because they think it is the right thing to do for Dr Finkelstein, for the University, and for the University's students.
Yet a group of "representatives" in the Congress who make a big fat salary and get huge $$$ from their wealthy supporters can't even muster a single tiny obstacle in the path of the runaway Bush Administration juggernaut.
The errors of Vietnam are repeating themselves, a hundredfold. And it's happening because the US Congress don't even collectively muster the simple courage to do what's right -- and so, the example of proper courageous conduct must be shown by a group of college students.
I'm way more optimistic about Dr Finkelstein's chances in light of the students advocating his tenure, than I am for our Nation's chances in light of the apathy, complacency and "loyal Bushies" complicity of the US Congress.
http://runnyguts.blogspot.com
At DePaul University, this year's graduation ceremony assumed some elements of a protest regarding the utterly moronic University decision to deny tenure to Norman Finkelstein and Mehrene Larudee.
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.
If you're one of the vast majority of Americans who gets news from the MSM, you probably don't know anything about the issue of Norman Finkelstein's tenure fight and the reprehensible little egomaniacal putz and pompous AIPAC butt-smoocher Alan Dershowitz's waaaaayyyy over-the-top efforts to prevent Finkelstein's tenure.
Now let's do a brief comparison, eh?
The US Congress has had 6 years to stop this horrific Bush Administration march toward totalitarianism and global armageddon. What have they done? Nothing. The cost? Dead and injured US troops, dead and injured Iraqis, dead and injured New Orleans citizens, massive increases to the contributions toward global climate change, huge American treasury deficit and an abhorrent percentage of US debt with the creditors being arguably the most advanced and, even on our own terms, competitive, industrialized nations with whom we share the planet -- China, Japan. We have a whole planet of other nations who fear us because of Mr Bush's reckless disregard for human lives, for cultural monuments and other important historic locations and buildlings, for the inevitable societal destruction wrought by 6 years of illegal war. We have a gutted Constitution and eviscerated civil rights. Our President can declare any one of us an "enemy combatant" and in that simple two-word declaration, we can be deprived of every one of our native rights -- including life itself.
And yet the US Congress does nothing.
Then, at DePaul University, we have a group of students who have studied under, taken classes from, got to know Norman Finkelstein and out of those interactions, determined that from their view as students at the University, the University should give Dr Finkelstein tenure on the faculty. They supported his faculty tenure bid. And yet, the University chancellor denied the tenure bid, and publicly determined that Dr Finkelstein's research and writing are too politically "touchy" -- translated, the Chancellor is a moral and intellectual coward, and doesn't want to have to explain or justify the tenure of the "insensitive" Dr Finkelstein, and surely doesn't want to be seen as supporting Dr Finkelstein.
So some students protested during the graduation ceremony.
College students are willing to stand up for a professor, when it's not even their JOB to do so. They are supporting Dr Finkelstein because they think it is the right thing to do for Dr Finkelstein, for the University, and for the University's students.
Yet a group of "representatives" in the Congress who make a big fat salary and get huge $$$ from their wealthy supporters can't even muster a single tiny obstacle in the path of the runaway Bush Administration juggernaut.
The errors of Vietnam are repeating themselves, a hundredfold. And it's happening because the US Congress don't even collectively muster the simple courage to do what's right -- and so, the example of proper courageous conduct must be shown by a group of college students.
I'm way more optimistic about Dr Finkelstein's chances in light of the students advocating his tenure, than I am for our Nation's chances in light of the apathy, complacency and "loyal Bushies" complicity of the US Congress.
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