PrintUpdate: Professor Klocek and DePaul University
Several weeks ago The American Thinker informed its readers about the plight of Professor Thomas Klocek, who was fired for daring to question the rabid anti—Israel display by some Moslem students at DePaul University, a Catholic university, in Chicago. Klocek, who is not Jewish, was an untenured professor who taught for many years at DePaul.
But now Klocek has responded.
An ex—DePaul University part—time faculty member filed a defamation suit Tuesday against his former employer in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging the university breached its employment contract and maligned his character following a verbal confrontation with members of Muslim and Palestinian student groups at the school.
In the lawsuit filed against DePaul and top officials including President Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, Thomas Klocek alleges that he was suspended from his teaching duties by administrators after he engaged in "vigorous discussion" with members of Muslim and Palestinian student groups at a September gathering of student organizations.
According to his attorneys, Klocek, who has taught at the university since 1991, has never been the subject of complaints.
Klocek alleges that DePaul violated its own policies when it suspended him.
Klocek further contends that comments made by university officials "have fixed an image of [him] as a bigot and racist in the minds of students, colleagues and the public at large."
Klocek, in his suit, seeks to get his job back along with other unspecified damages.
A spokesman at DePaul declined to comment on the lawsuit.
John Mauck, who is representing Klocek, said, "The message is if you're not tenured, don't speak up on behalf of Israel or Christians in the Middle East at DePaul."
Mauck's comments are on target. Those students and faculty who don't believe the Arabs are victims of the evil Israelis and its equally willing evil tool, the United States, are harassed and intimidated on campuses across the country. Klocek, students at Columbia University and other campuses are beginning to fight back.
The campaign against Klocek became ugly when even DePaul University president, Rev. Dennis Holtschneider contacted media outlets across the country to slander Klocek and even publicly tried to make Klocek.s health an issue. A letter of his was published in April 9, 2005 edition of The Rocky Mountain News, where Holtschneider wrote,
Last September, Klocek acted in a belligerent and menacing manner toward students who were passing out literature at a table in the cafeteria. He raised his voice, threw pamphlets at students, pointed his finger near their faces and displayed a gesture interpreted as obscene.. DePaul offered to give Klocek a spring quarter class assignment if he met with the students to apologize for his behavior and if the program director could drop by his class to ensure that the health issues that affected his teaching were resolved. He refused.
He refused to apologize for exercising his right to free speech and to be watched by big brother.
Ethel C. Fenig 6 15 05
