DePaulia
The
Volume #103 | Issue #24 | May 6, 2019 | depauliaonline.com
Censure: What must be done
Faculty Council made the right call By The DePaulia Editorial Board
XAVIER ORTEGA | THE DEPAULIA
A coalition of student groups hosted an anti-hate rally on the patio of Arts & Letters Hall on Thursday, May 2, in response to an article written by philosophy professor Jason Hill in which he wrote that Israel has the “moral right” to annex the West Bank.
See ANTI-HATE RALLY, page 5
Faculty Council condemns content of Hill article, reaffirms academic freedom By Carolyn Bradley Copy Editor
A week after the controversial article DePaul professor Jason Hill published in The Federalist received a strong response from students, Faculty Council voted to condemn the content of the article at its May 1 meeting. The vote for the resolution was 21-10-0. At the heated meeting, Faculty Council did not vote to condemn Hill himself, only his article’s content, as Council President Scott Paeth clarified. “This is not a judgment on Jason Hill as a human being; it is, however, a judgment that his writing had a particular kind of content to it, which the majority of members of Faculty Council found to
be morally objectionable,” Paeth told The DePaulia. Paeth said that although the council condemns the content of his article, it is not calling for sanctions; rather, it makes the point of affirming Hill’s academic freedom to write what he wrote. “I would actually say that this is a resolution that is primarily about the affirmation of Jason Hill’s academic freedom, while at the same time affirming the Faculty Council’s position that the tone and content of his article were worthy of condemnation,” Paeth said. Representatives expressed concern that the university should create specific processes that will help decide when free speech crosses boundaries. But representatives also argued that
extramural speech from faculty is essential to a thriving academic environment. Some members pointed out that there is an obligation to display a variety of speech to students when free speech itself is under assault. “When we don’t agree with something, we begin to shut them down,” said Cathy Elias, a music professor. “What happened to dialogue in the sense of talking about things? There is no debate anymore. We’re just showing students what to do, to shut things down.” Laura Owen, a business professor, said she found the piece repugnant, but disagreed with the resolution to condemn its content.
See FACULTY COUNCIL, page 8
After the anti-hate protest on Wednesday, May 1, students and faculty were still not satisfied with the administration’s non-response to the article written by philosophy professor Jason Hill. At the current moment, the administration is not making efforts to hold Hill accountable for directly offending the students he teaches and the faculty he works with. Prior to this, President A. Gabriel Esteban wrote in a letter that DePaul “holds academic freedom in the highest regard” and that faculty have the right to have controversial opinions if they keep “mutual respect” in mind. It is unlikely that the administration will take any formal stance on the matter. In his article published in The Federalist on April 16, Hill took the controversial stance that Israel has the right to annex the West Bank and strip Arabs living there of their right to vote, classifying them as non-citizens. As journalists, we take the First Amendment as seriously as anyone. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to publish stories that increase transparency in what the administration is doing, actions that directly affects students and faculty. We wouldn’t be able to hold them accountable. We can do that here at our independent, student-run paper. Hill doesn’t take the First Amendment lightly either, and he shouldn’t. Hill has the right to his beliefs, as controversial and offensive as they are. When he went on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” to discuss the controversy, he discussed the backlash the article received and his experience with what he deems a suppression of this right. “I’m a conservative independent who speaks his mind very clearly and will not be silenced,” Hill said on the show. “Students are calling for my removal, for the president to fire me, calling for my downfall, for Professor Hill to be dumped.” Later, Carlson responds to videos of students protesting inside the Arts
See EDITORIAL, page 8
Lenti Ponsetto: ‘We haven’t arrived yet’ By Shane Rene & Lawrence Kreymer Managing Editor & Sports Editor
DePaul’s men’s basketball program has seen brighter days. But now, for the first time in more than a decade, it can also look back on its darker ones. The Blue Demons’ 2018-19 campaign ended an 11year postseason drought with the program’s first winning season since Jerry Wainwright marched the 2006-07 team to the NIT quarterfinals. However, unlike Wainwright’s sole winning season at DePaul, the Blue Demons only managed a 7-11 record in conference play to finish last in the Big East for the third consecutive season. A winning record is a sign of light in what has been a very long and dark tunnel, but the Blue Demons are still the runts of the Big East litter. Climbing up the rungs of the conference standings will be a priority next season as Head Coach Dave Leitao enters his fifth year back in Lincoln
“I think we are constantly building, I don’t know about a rebuild. I don’t know what that means.” Jean Lenti Ponsetto
Athletic Director
Park with what promises to be DePaul’s most talented roster in recent memory. Now, just over a month removed from the conclusion of a DePaul men’s basketball season highlighted by a run to the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) title game, The DePaulia sat down with Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto to get a sense of how she evaluates the state of
Blue Demon Basketball. “I think the growth was significant from the previous year to this year,” Lenti Ponsetto said. “But I think a lot of it had to do with the experience of the team. As a fan, when you are watching it’s always about wanting [to have] a winning program as fast as you can. But I think last year, we had a lot of players who didn’t have as much experience on the court.” Lenti Ponsetto pointed to the emergence of players like Paul Reed, who showed flashes of talent in his freshman season but pushed his game to a whole new level in 201819. Reed, along with fellow sophomore Jaylen Butz, played with a level of poise and experience in DePaul’s front court this season that has been lacking in years past. Both more than doubled their points and rebound totals. At the core of the roster was Eli Cain, DePaul’s only 4-year starter, and star transfer Max Strus. One of Leitao’s first tasks when he returned as head coach was to salvage
See FUTURE, page 26