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WEDNESDAY April 29, 2015
THE DAILY ILLINI 5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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AAUP: UI wronged Salaita BY ABIGALE SVOBODA NEWS EDITOR
The climate of academic freedom at the University is “at best uncertain.� After months of investigation, the American Association of University Professors released a report Tuesday stating the University violated principles of academic freedom and tenure in the rescindment of Steven Salaita’s appointment. Salaita was hired as a tenured associate professor in the American Indian Studies department in October 2013. In August 2014, weeks before Salaita was to begin teaching at the University, Chancellor Phyllis Wise emailed Salaita to inform him that the Board of Trustees would not approve his appointment to the University
faculty. He had recently posted tweets regarding the confl ict in Gaza. The finalized report stated members of the association’s Committee A found the University’s rescindment of Salaita’s job offer to be in violation of the association’s 1940 “Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure.� “I think it summarized a lot of the problems with the dismissal of Steven Salaita and both the procedural issues about the failure to follow due process, as well as the substantive issues about the danger of using civility as a criteria for fi ring faculty,� said John Wilson, co-editor of the AAUP blog “Academe.� The Committee A will
SEE SALAITA | 3A
THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO
Salaita’s tweets about Gaza raises questions about the Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure.
ILLUSTRATION BY TYLER COURTNEY
University research teams are working together to study helicase, searching for new uses for the repair protein. There are hopes that it may be useful to many biological systems, including premature aging, birth defects and cancer.
New uses found in DNA repair University research teams experiment with helicase, disease cures BY LIYUAN YANG STAFF WRITER
University researchers are exploring new possibilities for uses of helicase, the repair protein in DNA. By using a new laboratory technique which can detect the structure of enzymes and measure the DNA unwinding process simultaneously, two research laboratories in the University collaborated to study the relationship between the structure and function of specific proteins called helicase, which is critical in DNA sequencing and the DNA repair system. “Helicases are a large family of proteins that exist in all living organisms. These enzymes can unwind the double stranded helix of the DNA like a zipper,� said Sinan Arslan, primary researcher and the postdoctoral research associate in Ha’s laboratory.
His group is studying two different types of helicase, Rep and PcrA, and associate professor Yann Chemla’s is studying another, UvrD, but both are in the same class of helicase. Taekjip Ha, a professor in the College of Engineering, and Chemla discovered there are two structures of helicase, open and closed, but the closed helicase is the functional structure. They attempted to respond to debates in the community about the helicases. Chemla said the first debate is on how many helicase are required to carry out the function of unwinding DNA, and the other is what the functions of the helicase are in the open and closed states. Chemla said the innovation has the potential to be applied to several biological
Panel debates AAUP censure
strip of paper made of super helicase to confirm whether the material is infected. If a pathogenic organism, like Ebola, existed in the material the paper would change colors. Additionally, Ha said the super helicase is able to kill cells by completely unwinding the DNA. “My fantasy is to do the same with the human enzyme and then maybe you can use this trick to kill cancer cells,� Ha said. “If you put this super helicase into human cells and target them only to the cancer cells. Maybe the cancer cells will die.� Chemla said the research is fundamental to understanding how nature works and will provide insight into the inner workings of the human body.
lyang5@dailyillini.com
Greeks push for equal rules BY MADISON JOHNSTON STAFF WRITER
BY MAGGIE SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
The American Association of University Professors censure could be a stain on the University’s reputation or a FARAZ MIRZA THE DAILY ILLINI chance to start new, depend- AAUP censure panelists (from left to right) Matthew Finkin, ing on perspective. Roy Campbell and Susan Davis listen to Andrew Ross speak Roy Campbell, Senate on the University’s potential for censure via Skype Tuesday. Executive Committee chair, said he sees censure of the versity chapter of the AAUP. an Studies program. The University faced cenUniversity administration Ross, who publicly boycotby the American Association ted the University for how sure only once in its history; of University Professors as it handled the rescindment in 1963 Professor Leo Koch a “black mark� on its repu- of Salaita’s appointment, was dismissed after writing tation. Dr. Susan Davis said joined the panel discussion a letter published in The Daily Illini defending trial marshe sees it as an opportunity via Skype. The University is “likely� riages and premarital sex. for change. Davis, professor of com- to face AAUP censure, Finkin “We learned very little munications and a member said. The AAUP released its from the episode of censure of the Campus Faculty Orga- first official report about in 1963,� Finkin said. “I view nization, said she actually the University’s handling of the situation unfolding with hopes for censure. Salaita’s dismissal Tuesday. considerable dismay. How “I would see censure as a The report concluded that did it come to this? Was there terrific opportunity to take a Salaita’s rights were violated. no one aware of the consevery realistic, not PR (pubThe AAUP will officially quences of these actions?� lic relations) look, at the state vote on whether to censure Campbell said the Acaof freedoms on our campus,� the University at its June 13 demic Senate has worked to Davis said. meeting in Washington D.C. fix University policy over the Davis spoke on a panel In August 2014, after last school year. He said the discussing the consequenc- Salaita posted controversial Board of Trustees has inities of AAUP censure Tues- tweets regarding the conflict ated a new faculty appointday night. She was joined in Gaza, Chancellor Phyllis ment initiative, which would by Campbell; Matt Finkin, Wise emailed Saliata, inform- require appointments to be former AAUP Committee ing him the Board of Trust- approved by the Board of A member and professor in ees would not approve his Trustees before newly hired Law; and Andrew Ross, pres- appointment as a tenured proSEE AAUP | 3A ident of the New York Uni- fessor in the American Indi-
NEWS
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Powdered alcohol to hit shelves this summer
Humans vs. Zombies brings together University for fear, fun
Aron, Jared fuel Big Ten champs with lifelong competition
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systems but will also hopefully answer questions people haven’t been able to answer before. He said it will also have the potential to regulate the activity of helicase — which is critical to DNA repair — in cells. Arslan said the study of super helicase could be used for purposes beyond DNA repair, as well. He said they wanted to develop the super helicase into a diagnostic tool that makes it easy to detect the pathogenic organisms, such as HIV and Ebola, under every condition without the limits of temperature. He said, for example, the process for detecting Ebola could be expedited to take a matter of minutes, rather than 21 days. Arslan said people could add a sample of possibly infected material into boiling water and dip a
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The rules of having alcohol on a Greek chapter’s house premises differ dramatically between fraternities and sororities. Kelly Doherty, president of Delta Gamma and junior in education, said alcohol is banned by their national executive board for insurance purposes. If there was a fi re in the house, and the fire department found alcohol in the rubble, the home insurance policy could be voided and the chapter would lose the funds neces-
sary to rebuild. This contrasts the policies regarding alcohol in fraternity chapter houses. Josh Dubois, president of Alpha Gamma Rho and junior in Business, said his fraternity no longer allows kegs within the house, but fraternities on campus have little to no restrictions on the presence of hard alcohol or any other alcoholic beverages. House rules are set by each organization’s national or international policies. The University Greek system enforces the rules set
by the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council in the Risk Management Policy, which was last revised in September 2014. Glenn Hohn, associate director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, said the policy itself does not restrict sorority houses from having alcohol on the premises, but rather reinforces the rules that are made by a chapter’s national executive board. “If tomorrow a national sorority were to change their policy on this, then the
SEE DARTMOUTH | 3A
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