Accused by his fellow poly scientists at DePaul U. of engaging in “ad hominem attacks [and] invective” in his otherwise well-argued books, Norman Finkelstein said,
“It is rather regrettable that DePaul is carrying on the spirit of Chicago’s Al Capone rather than St. Vincent de Paul.”
The poly sci faculty supported him in his recently lost battle for tenure. Do they think their professionalism is a suicide pact, that it can countenance bad manners?
This is a Ron Grossman Chi Trib article today, “DePaul memos tell of run-ins with professor,” which shows what someone who knows the territory can discover about faculty in-fighting. Saturday’s Sun-Times piece, on the other hand, had none of this.
Blithe Spirit 
Non-tenured faculty at major Universities engage notoriously in strugglimg for the tenured slots that open. Sometimes, these struggles are not gentlemanly nor ladylike.Whispered negative com-ments directed at the victim’s research, teachng or writng are commonplace — and not always rooted in objectivity. In cutting one another’s throats, these junior appointees aare joined by those senior staff who find the level of political correctness of the junior insufficient. We shoold not kid ourselves about honor or object-ivity among faculty members. Today’s University is rent by the committment of many faculty to (stupid) notions of political correctness.
Richard L. Cutler
Former Professor of Psychology, Education and Medicine, and Vice-Prewident, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
LikeLike