How to celebrate Chinese New Year PAGE 21
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Vol. # 95, Issue # 11
January 23, 2012
Freedom of speech?
Finkelstein returns to campus after ban expiration
By ALEX THIBODEAU Contributing writer For the first time since a 2007 tenure dispute that resulted in his resignation, former political science professor Norman Finkelstein returned to DePaul Monday, Jan. 16. Two men dressed in black stood at the door of a crowded Cortelyou Commons creating an unofficial
For more on freedom of speech issues at DePaul see FOCUS, page 14 ulia
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SOPA/PIPA bills rejected By CALLIE BRETTHAUER Contributing writer
An anti-piracy bill that was expected to pass easily through the committees of the House of Representatives is now dead after an online petition to Congress collected nearly seven million signatures. The House’s Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate’s Protect IP Act (PIPA) were both introduced last year (May and October). Both acts faced controversy from tech companies and Internet enthusiasts across the country, but recently gained widespread attention after popular websites like Google and Wikipedia were blacked out to protest the
pending legislation. If enacted, major media companies would have had the ability to shut down any site that is making commercial gain off of copied material without explicit consent of the content owner. The legislation was aimed to protect movie and music industries, which have cited substantial financial losses—an estimated $58 billion annually, according to the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI)—due to piracy and online trafficking. “Intellectual property (IP) is a huge source of revenue for this country,” said Jacob Furst, professor in the College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul. “I don’t know See SOPA, page 10
checkpoint before people were allowed to enter. The men were not searching guests, but they appeared to represent security. Inside, the room bustled with anticipation as guests were asked to find their seats. The excitement became nearly palpable as a statement was read on behalf of the university, warning that those being disrespectful would be removed from the venue. Finkelstein stepped up to the podium looked weary but spoke slowly and with confidence. Finkelstein began his speech by announcing that he would not be speaking about “academic freedoms,” as was widely publicized on campus. Rather, the speech became a personal statement of innocence and an announcement that he had not “moved on” from the injustice he says he experienced for his proPalestine advocacy. “I am not forgiving what is
DENNIS GEORGES | The DePaulia
Norman Finkelstein returned to DePaul on Jan. 16. happening, and I will not forget,” Finkelstein said. At the time a tenure-track professor, Finkelstein resigned following a private settlement with the university nearly five years ago. Finkelstein was brought back to DePaul through a joint effort by two student organizations, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the Middle East Politics Association (MEPA). Although the Jewish professor has earned academic fame for his views on the Israel-Palestine conflict, he remains a very controversial figure due to his pro-Palestine stance. In his speech, Finkelstein referred to his tenure denial as a “filthy frameup” and a “plot to destroy” see FINKELSTEIN, on page 14
Lincoln Park neighborhood preserved in redistricting By JOHN DICKOW Contributing writer The Chicago City Council voted Thursday to pass a new redistricting map that will preserve the Lincoln Park community and keep DePaul University in the neighborhood. The new map passed 41-8 in a City Council vote, receiving the minimum votes needed. The amended map, called “The Map
for a Better Chicago,” will keep the majority of Lincoln Park intact and place DePaul University’s entire Lincoln Park campus in the 43rd ward. The original proposed map would have split Lincoln Park into five separate wards, which many Lincoln Park residents dissapproved of, including 43rd Ward Alderman, Michele Smith. Just hours after the vote, Smith sent a letter to the community, congratulating them on their efforts. “Without your hard work, our
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We support a map that keeps Lincoln Park intact. EMMA ROSENBERG, 43RD WARD DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS community would have been divided into fragments that do not reflect traditional
neighborhood boundaries. In the original proposal, almost half of Lincoln Park would have been excised from the 43rd ward,” she said. Over the last month, members of the Lincoln Park community spoke out against the previously proposed remap through letters, phone calls and e-mails. Earlier this month, 650 members of the community attended a hearing at the DePaul University Lincoln Park Student Center. See REDISTRICTING, page 6