AAUP Condemns, but Does Not Censure, U. of South Florida for Firing Professor Accused of Aiding Terrorists By WELCH SUGGS Washington
The American Association of University Professors on Saturday accused the University of South Florida of "grave departures from Association-supported standards" in firing Sami Al-Arian, a professor indicted on charges of aiding Palestinian terrorists. The association stopped short of formally condemning South Florida, but its action drew a strong response from Judy L. Genschaft, the university's president. "I cannot fathom how the AAUP can look at the same set of facts we looked at and come to the conclusion to condemn us for terminating Dr. Al-Arian," Ms. Genschaft said in a written statement. "The criminal courts still have their job to do, but USF has found Dr. Al-Arian used his university position to support terrorism." A professor of computer engineering, Mr. Al-Arian was indicted in February on federal charges of racketeering and conspiracy to raise money for Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an organization that the U.S. Department of Justice says is responsible for more than 100 murders in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories. According to the indictment, Mr. Al-Arian used the university and two nonprofit organizations, World Islamic Studies Enterprise and the Islamic Committee for Palestine, to raise money for Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and had discussions with members of that group and of Hamas, another militant Islamic group that has carried out attacks in Israel. |
In October 2001, the university placed Mr. Al-Arian on paid leave, citing concerns for his safety. Last August, South Florida filed a motion for declaratory judgment in a federal court, asking Judge Susan C. Bucklew to rule that by being involved with the Palestinian groups, Mr. Al-Arian had violated the faculty's collective-bargaining agreement. In January, the judge denied the motion, saying that the university was trying to circumvent the standard arbitration process. However, shortly after the charges were filed, Ms. Genschaft went ahead and fired Mr. Al-Arian, saying he had used the university for "improper, non-educational purposes." That provoked concerns from the AAUP, and on Saturday the association's Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure accused the university of suspending Mr. Al-Arian "without demonstrable cause, by suing him to obtain a declaratory judgment to justify the dismissal, and by then dismissing him without affording him a pre-termination hearing." Ms. Genschaft said, "It is important to keep in mind that this is just the perspective of one advocacy group. USF will continue to grow and develop into an even stronger national research university."
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