Dear Friends, The Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois will be meeting this Thursday (September 11), and Professor Steven Salaita’s case is likely to be on the agenda, thanks to you and all the other people who have raised their voices against his abrupt termination. The nature of this struggle against the decision of the chancellor of UIUC backed by the trustees and especially their use of “civility” to silence speech and solidarity work supporting Palestine has broad consequences that go beyond the damage done to Professor Salaita and his family. These consequences have to do with due process and legal issues related to free speech and faculty governance on American campuses. Pro Israel propagandists (and their money) on American campuses are especially hot on "civility" this academic year - their new tool to silence critics of Israel and supporters of Palestinian human rights. For example, the Ohio University student senate president is being bullied right now, according to a report on EI, and was criticized by the president of her university for "lacking" civility for making a video supportive of Palestinian rights and BDS. She has deleted all her social media accounts and she's told the media she's getting death threats. Please take a minute to write a note expressing your view on the Salaita case to the trustees of the University of Illinois before their meeting on Thursday. Your note need not be long. You can simply say to them what you have already said here on this petition. Here are their individual e-mail addresses: pmwise@illinois.edu, chris@northbankandwells.com, lnfrye2@illinois.edu, estradar@metrofamily.org, patrick.fitzgerald@skadden.com, hasgot28@aol.com, pholmes@schiffhardin.com, timothy.koritz@gmail.com, dleibo2@uic.edu, mcmillaned@sbcglobal.net, james@jdmlaw.com, pbstrobel@comcast.net, uibot-BOT@mx.uillinois.edu Please speak up in solidarity with supporters of Palestinian human rights on American campuses and against all illegal and duplicitous measures taken by university administrators to chill speech, subvert University statutes and ruin these people's professional lives under the guise of "civility." Speak up for what is right. Thank you.