Students, faculty and others rallied in support of Steven G. Salaita at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign in September 2014. Photo from UIUC American Indian Studies / Facebook
An Indian studies professor who was offered, then denied, a job at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign reached a settlement for $600,000 plus $275,000 in attorney fees. Steven G. Salaita was due to join the American Indian Studies Program in the fall of 2014 until he criticized Israel's policy towards Palestinian in posts on his Twitter account. His offer was revoked amid controversy about his remarks and he later sued the school. "Palestine solidarity isn’t a slogan. Black Lives Matter isn’t a hashtag. Unionization isn’t a catchphrase. Idle No More isn’t a trend," Salaita wrote in The Nation today. "These phenomena, disparate and inconsistent and mercurial, respond to very real traumas." The incident shined a light on the status of the Indian studies program at the university, which is down to just two people: a director and one professor. The university has long faced criticism over its retired Chief Illiniwek mascot. The saga will end up costing the university more than $2 million because it already spent $1.3 million fighting Salaita's two lawsuits, The Chicago Tribune reported. Get the Story:
University of Illinois OKs $875,000 settlement to end Steven Salaita dispute (The Chicago Tribune 11/13)
U. of Illinois settles with professor in a free-speech dispute over anti-Israel tweets (The Washington Post 11/12)
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