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The Editorial Board mourns the journalists at WDBJ PAGE 4A

THE DAILY ILLINI

THURSDAY August 27, 2015

5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

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Vol. 144 Issue 5

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Salaita files motion: ‘UI destroyed evidence’

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I am even being careful with this email address and deleting after sending,

”

PHYLLIS WISE FORMER CHANCELLOR DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

Steven Salaita’s appointment to the American Indian Studies program was rejected after a series of controversial tweets. He filed a federal suit in January against the University.

Salaita files motion for deleted personal emails ABIGALE SVOBODA

S NEWS EDITOR

teven Salaita has another bone to pick with the University: destroying evidence in his case. In a motion filed late Tuesday, Salaita charged officials for intentionally destroying evidence and asked for the University to preserve all evidence in the case. Salaita’s lawsuit was filed in January after the University rejected his appointment. He initially sued University administrators, the Board of Trustees and unnamed donors for violation of his rights to academic freedom and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In the suit he seeks monetary compensation and the position for which he was originally hired. Salaita is currently serving as the chair of American Studies at the American University of Beirut. The job is a one year, untenured position and he said he would still like to return to the University as a tenured professor in American Indian Studies. These motions come after the University released 1,100 pages of personal emails that were not included in Freedom of Information Act requests.

Within the released emails, Wise wrote that University spokesperson Robin Kaler warned her not to use email. “We are doing virtually nothing over our Illinois email addresses. I am even being careful with this email address and deleting after sending,” Wise wrote. Omar Shakir, one of Salaita’s representatives with the Center for Constitutional Rights, said Salaita’s legal counsel does not know the full extent to which the University deleted evidence. Rather, Shakir said the released emails give Salaita’s legal counsel reason to believe administrators “consciously destroyed communications about the case.” Shakir said the intent of the motion is to gather more evidence to be used in the discovery portion of the trial, in which each side is given the opportunity to present evidence supporting their stance. Salaita said he doesn’t think they released emails have necessarily affected the lawsuit itself but he believes they have influenced the public perception of the case. He said he can’t speculate on why administrators destroyed evidence, if at all. “I can only observe that it wasn’t a very good idea,” Salaita said. If evidence was destroyed, Shakir said administrators would be “in violation of clear obligation, not only under state law under state law but also to the courts.”

Kaler said the University received copies of Salaita’s motion late Tuesday and attorneys are still in the process of reviewing and responding to them. Wise and Provost Ilesanmi Adesida both resigned after the emails were released. The email release also revealed an email from Senator Dick Durbin, in which he told Wise he supported her decision to dismiss Salaita. “Phyllis, I want you to know that I totally understood the difficult decision you faced in the recent tenure dispute and never doubted that you acted in a good faith effort to serve the University and its values,” Durbin wrote. He also told Wise he spoke to former Board Chairman Chris Kennedy, who was “solidly in (Wise’s) corner.” Salaita said he was concerned a senator has “so little concern for the first amendment.” In a press release issued by the Center for Constitutional Rights, Salaita called the University’s decision to destroy evidence disheartening. “The wonderful students and scholars at the University have a right to expect transparency and accountability from the leadership of their great university,” Salaita said in a press release. “I am hopeful that new leadership will restore the University’s reputation by rectifying the wrongs stemming from my case.”

asvobod2@dailyillini.com

Illinois students face revised Advanced Placement rules BY ALI BRABOY ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

In fall 2016 all Illinois freshmen will be able to receive college credit for AP scores of three or higher. Advanced Placement courses, commonly called AP, are classes taken during high school that offer college credit if completed successfully, according to the College Board website. The site states that students who take AP classes are more likely to graduate in four years along with increasing their eligibility for scholarships, which saves students money. In August, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law the changes for AP credits in Illinois. Charles Tucker, vice provost for Undergraduate Education and Innovation, said more students receiving AP credit is a good idea, if the credit they get leaves them prepared to succeed in later classes. Although all Illinois colleges are required to give credit for AP scores of three or higher, Tucker said the law allows each campus to decide what score gets credit for a course in their major, elective or general education course. For example, a University student who receives an AP score of three on the Calculus AB AP exam will not necessarily get credit for Calculus 1 in college. The student could instead receive credit to fulfi ll a general education requirement, Tucker said. He said he would be sur-

prised to see many changes come from the new law. One purpose of the bill was to help students with college completion, but students who earn AP credits already tend to graduate at high rates and on time, Tucker said. Todd Spinner, academic adviser in the School of Chemical Sciences , said the new law will not affect students in the chemistry department, a school in LAS. He said almost all chemistry students forgo AP credits — no matter the score — because of the rigor of the classes. If students use AP credits for chemistry, it often causes them to be a semester behind because they are not ready for the secondary classes. The University requires students to earn a 5 on the AP biology exam to elect out of Integrative Biology 150 and Molecular and Cellular Biology 150. Tucker said the requirement is so high because schools found students failed at high rates when they used AP credit to go directly from high school to secondary biology courses. The law is tremendous news for Illinois students, Greg Walker, vice president of the College Board Midwestern regional office, said in a statement. “At a time when AP participation and performance has increased significantly in the state, this law provides more students with

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INSIDE

SEE AP SCORES | 3A

WILLIAM SHI THE DAILY ILLINI

Former Chancellor Phyllis Wise speaks with Provost Ilesanmi Adesida before the ground breaking new Electrical and Computer Engineering building on Oct. 7, 2011.

“There are very clear rules we have to follow on how the committee is established,” said Kim Graber, SEC vice chair. However, before the senate’s Committee on Committees can begin looking for willing participants to serve on the chancellor search committee, Killeen’s office must initiate the process through a letter. Then, the senate must approve the search process, which might not happen until their next meeting on Sept. 21. This means a slate of candidates for the chancellor search committee could be voted on, at the earliest, at their Oct. 19 meeting. Some senators expressed their concerns with this lengthy timeline. “Let’s get this before the senate and vote on it,” said

Nick Burbules, SEC member and professor in general educational policy. “We don’t need to wait until the middle of October to do this- that’s too late in the cycle.” The SEC did endorse a resolution stating they would support additional SEC or senate meetings, if necessary, to speed up the search process. Both Wise and Adesida resigned in August after 1,100 personal emails that skirted Freedom of Information Act requests were leaked. The emails contained information on the creation of the Carle-Illinois College of Medicine, Steven Salaita, whose appointment was rejected, and the employment status of James Kilgore.

SPORTS

LIFE & CULTURE

Volleyball to host Illini Classic

Phair taking on new project

Blue Waters hosts Open House

This weekend marks the season opener for Illini volleyball

Defensive coordinator brings broad experience to table

Students can tour the facility from 3-5 p.m. on Friday

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BY MAGGIE SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

The search for a new provost to replace Ilesanmi Adesida, who resigned Monday, will not begin until a new chancellor is named first, said Jan Dennis, assistant director for the Office for University Relations. “It’s important the new chancellor have input into the decision of provost, because they work so closely together,” Dennis said. He said a similar process was used when President Timothy Killeen was named in November. Killeen had input in the Chicago campus’ chancellor because his position works so closely with the chancellor, Dennis said. Typically, the search process to find a new chancellor takes six to 12 months, with a provost search pro-

cess taking around the same amount of time, Dennis said. This means it is likely the interim provost, when they are named, will serve for more than a year. “You never know how these things are going to go,” Dennis said. Adesida will return to the faculty on Sept. 1 and Dennis said his pay has not been decided yet. Senate Executive Committee members reviewed the search process to replace former Chancellor Phyllis Wise at their meeting Monday. The process requires the Academic Senate to establish a committee chaired by a faculty member and comprised of eight faculty members, three students, one dean, one academic professional and one staff member.

Provost search will not begin until new chancellor is named

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