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USF fires Al-Arian after terrorism charges
By ANITA KUMAR, Times Staff Writer View related 10 News video:
She finally did on Wednesday, one week after Al-Arian was arrested on federal charges of being a terrorist. "We have determined that USF must sever all ties to Sami Al-Arian once and for all," she said. "His use of this educational institution for improper, noneducational purposes will not be tolerated." USF sent the tenured computer science professor a termination letter Wednesday, explaining he was being fired immediately for violating his contract, including engaging in terrorist activities that harmed the school and interfered with his job. The school contends Al-Arian used USF as a cover to bring faculty and students into the country for terrorist meetings under the guise of academic conferences and used university equipment -- including computers and phones -- to operate a terrorist organization. Al-Arian, for example, booked a conference where money was raised for terrorist activities using USF's name and used the USF credit union to launder money, the letter states.
"As a general rule, you're innocent until proven guilty -- except at USF," said Roy Weatherford, president of the USF faculty union. Genshaft, criticized by some for not firing Al-Arian sooner and by others for violating his academic rights, made the announcement Wednesday afternoon alongside her attorneys at a news conference attended by reporters from across the nation. The firing of a tenured professor is a rarity in higher education, only occuring a handful of times a year nationally. She said she planned to fire Al-Arian even if he had not been indicted and accused of overseeing the North American faction of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terrorist group that killed dozens of people in the past decade. "Dr. Al-Arian has repeatedly abused his position at the university," Genshaft said. "He has misused the university's name, reputation, resources and personnel. . . . It is clear that throughout this process, Dr. Al-Arian's statements about his activities have been false and misleading, and he has failed to meet our high professional standards." In December 2001, when Genshaft first threatened to fire Al-Arian, professors across the nation rallied around him. But the mood has changed. "We're at a different place than we were 18 months ago," said Gregory Paveza, president of the USF Faculty Senate. "The president's actions were justified." The reputation of USF has suffered because of its ties with Al-Arian and the nickname of "Jihad U." "I felt like having him here was not good for this university," said Dick Beard, chairman of the USF board of trustees. "The board felt like we had a terrorist on our hands. It's a sense of relief for me. It's a sense of relief for this university. . . . Hopefully it's behind us." While university officials said Wednesday they hoped the firing would allow the school to move forward, it still faces the threat of censure from the American Association of University Professors in Washington. That could hurt USF's national reputation and its ability to hire quality faculty.
"You may be well justified in guessing there would be censure," said Jordan Kurland, AAUP's associate general secretary. "But I'm not going to say this will be a slamdunk." AAUP, like other Al-Arian supporters, were critical of Genshaft for making a decision without waiting for a jury to weigh the charges. "They may believe they have a strong case," Kurland said. "But president Genshaft, as we see it, short-cut the process." Genshaft said she made her decision in the last couple of days after reading the indictment and consulting with provost David Stamps and faculty members in Al-Arian's department. She said the indictment was a "confirmation" of what the school already suspected. "I fully expected her to fire him," said Mulham Shbeib, 26, a USF graduate and former member of the school's Muslim Students Association. "Honestly, I think she took a cowardly approach. He hasn't even had a chance to defend himself." Al-Arian, who is being held without bail in the Orient Road Jail in Tampa, had been on paid leave and banned from campus since controversy erupted after he appeared on the Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "From day one, I've said we were safer without him," said Mike Griffin, USF student body president. "Now, his salary can go to more important things." Al-Arian, 45, who has a wife and five children, three in college, lost his $67,500 annual pay as of Wednesday. Other family members do not work. "Who is the provider here? USF or God?" asked his wife, Nahla Al-Arian, when she heard he lost his job. "We still accept what God dispenses for us." Al-Arian said before the indictment that he would file a grievance and lawsuit against USF if he were fired. A grievance would trigger months of meetings and reviews at the university before a hearing that would be presided over by an arbitrator agreed upon by both sides. Al-Arian had been in the midst of appealing USF's decision to place him on paid leave and ban him from campus. Earlier this week, the university upheld that decision. Bob McKee, his labor attorney, declined to comment Wednesday. He planned to speak to Al-Arian Wednesday night and hold a news conference this morning.
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