LIFE & CULTURE, 6A: Black History Month events bring up racial issues still faced today. MONDAY February 2, 2015
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Families of missing UI student, recent graduate bond over similar tragedies BY CHARLOTTE COLLINS STAFF WRITER
Julieta LaMalfa does not believe her brother, Vicente Mundo, would disappear without any warning. Mundo, a junior majoring in statistics and a member of Theta Chi fraternity, was
last seen around 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25 in the 900 block of S. Third Street. He was leaving a friend’s apartment to meet another friend. L a M a l fa sa id she believes the body of a male found alongside a road in
Tolono Township on Saturday morning is her brother. The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office said the autopsy for the body is scheduled for Monday. A missing persons report for Mundo was filed Tuesday, Jan. 27.
“I hate to give up hope,” said LaMalfa. “I know that my brother wouldn’t have left voluntarily, which is why, with everything I know, that I can feel it in my heart that they did find him.” LaMalfa said her broth-
er was happy to attend the University and is a determined individual. “He loved being here, he loved Champaign,” LaMalfa said. “He was the first
SEE MISSING | 3A
VICENTE MUNDO
Vigil held for missing student BY LILLIAN BARKLEY STAFF WRITER
FOLAKE OSIBODU THE DAILY ILLINI
Isaac Bahn, sophomore in LAS and Vicente Mundo’s fraternity brother, is comforted during the vigil held for Mundo at the Illini Union on Sunday.
A vigil was held for missing student Vicente Mundo, junior in LAS, at 3 p.m. Sunday, one week after his disappearance. The vigil was moved to the Illini Union room C due to inclement weather. Friends, family and c om mu n it y members filled the room as Stephen LaMalfa, Mundo’s brotherin-law, reminisced about Mundo’s kindness the first time he met him. “The kid wouldn’t hurt a fly,” he said. The same sentiment was echoed by many throughout the service. Father Daniel Gifford, assistant chaplain at St. John’s Catholic Newman Center, led a prayer for Mundo.
Julieta LaMalfa, Mundo’s older sister by 12 years, spoke about how humbling the experience had been and thanked the crowd. “The support and help from the community has been truly, truly overwhelming,” she said. Mundo was in the first generation of his family to go to college, she said. He fell in love with the University and made many friends through his love of soccer and the brotherhood of Theta Chi, his fraternity. “He was so happy with this school, and I’m so proud of him,” LaMalfa said. She requested that anyone with memories of her brother share them on Facebook. She also asked
SEE VIGIL | 3A
Champaign Sheriff’s Office investigating found body DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT
The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of an unknown male found near Tolono, roughly 10 miles
south of Champaign. The body was found in the area of County Road 900 N near the intersection of 1000 E in Tolono Township. The Champaign Coun-
ty Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene shorty before 9 a.m. Saturday after a body was found laying along the roadside. The Sheriff’s Office and the
Champaign County Coroner’s Office processed the scene, and the investigation is currently ongoing. The identity of the victim is pending.
Salaita sues UI administration, donors BY MEGAN JONES AND ABIGALE SVOBODA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER
Steven Salaita filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Illinois Thursday, claiming his constitutional rights were violated after his employment offer was denied.
Salaita
University
The Coroner’s office has scheduled an autopsy for Monday, Feb. 2. Check DailyIllini.com for updates throughout the day.
SALAITA TIMELINE Oct. 3, 2013: Salaita receives an offer for a position in the American Indian Studies program as a tenured associate professor. Mid-July: Salaita publishes vulgar tweets regarding conflict in Gaza.
Aug. 1: Salaita receives an email from Wise, explaining his position would not go on to the board for approval. • •
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Steven Salaita filed suit in the federal court of the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago. Salaita is suing the Board of Trustees, Chancellor Phyllis Wise, President Robert Easter, Vice President for Academic Affairs Christophe Pierre and unnamed donors. The complaint seeks monetary relief “for violations of his constitutional rights, including free speech and due process, and for breach of contract ...” Salaita is represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights and Anand Swaminathan of Loevy & Loevy, a law firm in Chicago. Swaminathan said the University’s attempts to resolve the issue outside of court were done in an effort to “buy him off.” He wants the University to acknowledge the impact the decision has had on Salaita’s life. Salaita’s legal team upholds the recommendation by the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure to reconsider Salaita’s appointment.
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Following Salaita’s press conference Thursday the University issued a statement saying the, “University to vigorously defend against meritless claims.” “As a private citizen, Dr. Salaita has the constitutional right to make any public statement he chooses,” the University said in a statement. “Dr. Salaita, however, does not have a constitutional right to a faculty position ...” Trustee James Montgomery, the only trustee to vote in favor of hiring Salaita, was not named in the suit. Unnamed donors are also being sued, despite the University’s Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure’s report which said they did not influence the decision. University statutes uphold that all employment is contingent on the approval by the Board of Trustees. According to the University’s statement, they have “attempted to negotiate a settlement for his reasonable losses and expenses, but he has refused those offers.”
Aug. 16: The University begins receiving emails from
donors threatening to stop giving money if Salaita’s position is approved.
Aug. 22: Chancellor Phyllis Wise sends mass emails explaining her decision rests on protecting diverse dialogue. Aug. 24 – Oct: 14 campus departments submit votes of no confidence in University administration. Sept. 11: The Board of Trustees votes not to approve Salaita’s appointment.
DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO
Member of AAUP reflects on suit John Wilson, co-editor of the American Association of University Professors Academe blog, said he doesn’t think the University has a good chance at winning the lawsuit. “It’s very hard to sort of defend (the University’s) position from a
Unnamed ‘John Doe’ donors
The suit claims the Board of Trustees was influenced by donor’s threats to cease donation if Steven Salaita was employed at the University. The investigation by the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure DAILYILLINI, DAILYILLINISPORTS
INSIDE
constitutional standpoint as well as from other sorts of standpoints,” Wilson said. “They’ve essentially admitted that they fired him for his political speech.” Wilson said the University is facing a long road of challenges, including the lawsuit and the “likelihood of censure” from the AAUP.
“This is likely to hang over the University of Illinois for quite a long time, and frankly it will probably require a change in the administration and the Board of Trustees before there’s an end to this — and that’s not likely to happen anytime soon,” Wilson said.
reaffirmed the University’s stance there was no evidence donors had any influence in the decision, Salaita’s lawyer, Anand Swaminathan, said this is an incorrect interpretation of the report. “What the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure saw was
that they had not received any evidence of (donor pressure), and that of course was true because they didn’t receive any evidence from the University. All they had was the same, highly selective, highly redacted, set of records the University chose to release,”
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Salaita supporters gathered in protest, many sporting duct tape as a symbol of censorship.
Sept. 17: 330 University faculty members call on the administration to restore principles of academic freedom. Nov. 17: Salaita sues the University for what he claims as FOIA violations. The suit was filed at the Champaign County Circuit Court.
Dec. 23: The University’s Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure report is released and recommends the Board of Trustees to consider reappointment. Jan. 15: The Board of Trustees states it will not reconsider Salaita’s appointment.
Jan. 29: Salaita files a federal suit against the Board
of Trustees, University administration and donors for his rejected appointment.
Feb. 13: A motion hearing between the University
and Salaita will be held for his suit regarding the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
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