Who Is Included In Inclusive Illinois

Who Is Included In Inclusive Illinois Source: http://www.maths.leeds.ac.uk/undergraduate/study-abroad/partner-institutions.html There has been a lot of talk about “Inclusive Illinois” in the past year, and it has sparked a debate on what this slogan means, and how we can bring it to life here at the University of Illinois. Last January the university made national news (and Buzzfeed’s highlight reel) when students angry about the lack of a snow day sent out racist tweets about Chancellor Wise. The Chancellor graciously replied that although the tweets were offensive, and far less than she would expect from students, they were a form of protected speech. It was important, she said, that the university “should be home to diverse ideas and differing perspectives, where robust â€" and even intense â€" debate and disagreement are welcomed.” Fast-forward six months to the controversy surrounding the hiring of Professor Steven Salaita, when Dr. Salaita was “unhired” for posting tweets denouncing the Israeli bombing of Gaza. Inclusive Illinois was invoked on both sides of the controversy. Pro-Israel activists denounced Salaita as an anti-Semite (ironic given that several of the tweets were directly about overuse of that label) and said they would feel unsafe if he was on campus. On the other side proponents of academic freedom called for a university that would respect all views, reminding Chancellor Wise of her statements about diverse ideas and different perspectives made in January. Questions of donor influence, the opinions of Palestinian Americans, faculty hiring procedures and the difference between personal and professional spheres erupted into a protest movement that has put the university on the defensive in these recent months. At the center of all of these questions- what does it mean to be inclusive? Who are we including? What is diversity? This month the Students for Justice in Palestine Club has held several meetings about bringing Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (commonly referred to as BDS) against Israel to campus in response to the recent conflict in Gaza. Two days after their first meeting, a resolution was on the floor of the student senate to disallow any BDS campaigns on the grounds that they violated the principles of Inclusive Illinois, despite the fact that traditionally boycotting has been one of the most famous forms of non-violent protest (think Montgomery Bus Boycott). I don’t have the ultimate answer to what Inclusive Illinois means, or what it should. On all of these (and the many other) issues that we face as a university, there are widely differing viewpoints. But I think its time we sat down and realized that Inclusive Illinois is quickly becoming little more than a cute alliteration. It is continuously co-oped for the purposes of the person speaking, with little deeper investigation of a commitment by the university community to diversity, including a diversity of ideas. The use of Inclusive Illinois to justify or deride every decision on campus in the last semester has simply served to water it down. Now what was once a goal and a promise has become little more than a slogan. Sources: http://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/after-being-denied-a-snow-day-university-of-illinois-student https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/01/30/chancellor-u-illinois-responds-twitter-incident http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/world/middleeast/professors-angry-tweets-on-gaza-cost-him-a-job.html