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Terror Indictments
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 26, 2003
TAMPA -- Citing safety concerns, the University of South Florida has reaffirmed its decision to keep Sami Al-Arian on paid leave.
Al-Arian filed a grievance against USF last month, accusing president Judy Genshaft of discriminating against him based on his religion and ethnicity. But an administrator upheld the school's action.
The faculty union, which filed the grievance on Al-Arian's behalf, now must decide whether to appeal the decision, which would move the dispute to binding arbitration.
Genshaft says she still hasn't decided whether to fire Al-Arian, which she threatened to do after he made a controversial appearance on national television shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Genshaft placed Al-Arian, a tenured professor of computer engineering, on paid leave and banned him from campus. The grievance demands she rescind both actions and restore his full rights and responsibilities as a member of the USF faculty.
USF officials, however, contend that Al-Arian was never disciplined. They say the leave and campus ban were imposed to ensure safety after the school received a dozen death threats following his television appearance.
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush also spoke about the Al-Arian case Tuesday.
"I was concerned when these allegations came out a year ago and I'm pleased that the FBI has completed its investigation," Bush said. "They found sufficient enough evidence to take this to court."
-- Times staff writer Julie Hauserman contributed to this report.