DePaul University Fires Biology Prof Over Optional Course Assignment About ‘Genocide’ in Gaza
“We investigated the matter, spoke with the faculty member, and found it had negatively affected the learning environment by introducing extraneous political material that was outside the scope of the academic subject as outlined in the curriculum”
A part-time biology professor has been fired by DePaul University over an optional assignment that asked students to write about the biological impacts of ‘genocide’ in Gaza.
DePaul, which is a Catholic school, has several anti-Israel students who have engaged in various forms of campus protests in recent months.
The school justified the professor’s firing by claiming the assignment was political and unrelated to the course material.
FOX News reported:
DePaul University fires biology professor over assignment about Israel-Hamas war
DePaul University says it has fired a part-time biology professor after she gave an optional assignment to students last month asking them to write about the impact of “genocide in Gaza on human health and biology.”
An investigation into the assignment offered by Anne d’Aquino “found it had negatively affected the learning environment by introducing extraneous political material that was outside the scope of the academic subject as outlined in the curriculum,” according to the school.
“The class was provided a new instructor, and the faculty member has been released from their appointment as a part-time faculty member,” DePaul University said in a statement to The Associated Press, adding that some students “expressed significant concern” about politics in a science class on how microorganisms cause disease.
The Chicago-based school also said an email with the assignment showed support for people “resisting the normalization of ethnic cleansing.”
Around the same time, DePaul administrators were grappling with an anti-Israel encampment on campus.
Here’s a local video report featuring a statement from the professor:
More details from the Associated Press:
Anne d’Aquino told students in May that they could write about the impact of “genocide in Gaza on human health and biology.” The theme of the spring class at the Chicago school was how microorganisms cause disease.
DePaul said some students “expressed significant concern” about politics in a science class.
“We investigated the matter, spoke with the faculty member, and found it had negatively affected the learning environment by introducing extraneous political material that was outside the scope of the academic subject as outlined in the curriculum,” DePaul said Friday in a statement.
The school noted an email with the assignment expressed support for people “resisting the normalization of ethnic cleansing.”…
About 50 people protested last Thursday in support of her, waving Palestinian flags, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Professor d’Aquino played some academic sleight of hand here. By including the words ‘genocide’ and ‘resisting,’ she built in a conclusion about which side she is on in this issue.
The fact that she is getting so much support from anti-Israel students confirms this. Had she taken a more objective approach, she would have become a target of the protesters.
Featured image via YouTube.
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Comments
Gives “Stop Asian Hate” a whole new meaning.
another self hater who loves defending the people who love to smash her people into the asphalt
Amazingly, I don’t know the politics of a single one of my biology or chemistry professors, save one that I have known personally before and after he taught me. I assume most of them are raging leftists, but I really don’t know.
This was only 20 years ago.
Same for my engineering professors. Not a peep.
The assignment used charged words (genocide, ethnic cleansing.)
Would the assignment been OK if it was described as the conditions existing in Gaza during 2024?
Clearly, human health and biology have been impacted by the war:
Destruction of living quarters
No running water
No operating sewers
Food shortages
Unmet Medical needs
These facts also relate to the conditions in Ukraine.
In the case of Gaza these conditions were self inflicted, they had it coming.
Frankly no.
It’s a passive-aggressive means of abusing her position to proselytize for activism in the Hamas cause among her students.
There is nothing whatsoever unique and study-worthy about Gaza in the history of places impacted by war. Except perhaps that the conflict is ongoing and items of information about conditions there are highly polluted by propaganda. No data which can be considered factual exists at this point. So how valid could the possible product be?
However, assuming the professor is truthful of her desire to research wartime biology, death and genocide, why isn’t she assigning Sudan/Darfur for study? As many as 150,000 have died there in an unquestionable genocide the last 12 months (MANY more than have perished in Gaza). Many bloody battles have taken place in the fields where the locals grow their food and among the wells where they draw their water. There is a heap of verifiable information and actual records which can be examined (on both sides).
Oh that’s right, Sudan is Muslim v. Muslim.
“”Destruction of living quarters
No running water
No operating sewers
Food shortages
Unmet Medical needs””
All due to the actions of Hamas, which has been confiscating pretty much 100% of all the “aid” that was intended to help the civilians in Gaza.
I guess it depends on the course. In a course that is something like “BISC 331-C: The wartime physiological effects of war on a populace” then sure. If not, then it is probably inappropriate.
Any university professor will agree that time is pretty crunched when it comes to meeting the objectives of the course. Anything off topic just makes it that much more difficult for the class to fulfill its purpose.
Idiots like you demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza because of the civilian impact the war is having on them yet not one single peep from people like you demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Ukraine??
Almost as if the lives of Ukrainian civilians don’t matter?
Almost as if Jewish lives don’t matter as we NEVER hear from idiots like you demanding Hesbollah stops its incessant attacks against Jewish civilians in the north?
Almost as if Jewish lives don’t matter?
🤔
Gaza _could_ be used in a study of how humans adapt to horrible conditions – the population grew by 20 times in the 76 years of the alleged Israeli “genocide”, and I don’t think any of that growth was from immigration. Gazans seem to be better at survival than rats and cockroaches.
“Destruction…” and the rest.
Most of that was the case before Israel responded with a war, war on Hamas.
For example: Water and power *from Israel* were shut off, leading one to wonder why people who so dislike Jews and want Israel gone would screw up their own ground water so much they depend on water from the filth to drink.
Granted, you’re not gonna get working power plants from people who mortar a pier being installed to bring in food aid … that is before the pier self-destructs, but you can’t count on that always happening. Maybe house-sized micro-solar?
Maybe more aid being used for, you know, aid, and less water pipes n sugar used to make rockets to bombard other people. Maybe more aid coming in more easily if not so many arms “smuggling” tunnels across the Egyptian border. (How much “smuggling” really, across a border where one side wants the stuff, and it’s convenient to the other if they get it.)
She requested papers specifically focused on the biological impacts of “genocide” in Gaza. My paper would have read something like this:
“Genocide has no biological impact on Gaza, because no one is conducing genocidal activities there.”
Not to mention, the University of Minnesota has reportedly walked back plans to hire academic Raz Segal as the new head of the university’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS).
https://www.jta.org/2024/06/11/united-states/u-of-minnesota-backtracks-on-holocaust-center-hire-who-accused-israel-of-genocide
Some sanity in Midwest academia is welcome.
The absurdity of accusing Israel of “genocide” in Gaza is that while Israel definitely has the capability of committing genocide in Gaza, by dropping some atomic bombs on the place, Israel has done nothing of the sort. Instead, Israel has been very careful to minimize “civilian” casualties.
…. “minimize”, at the cost of many more Israeli soldier deaths, never gets mentioned. Using WW II tactics this would have been over long ago.
Buh-bye.
I get a chuckle every time I see DePaul referred to as a “Catholic” University. It’s about as Catholic as Nancy Pelosi. Like so many “Catholic” colleges & universities today, it’s only nominally Catholic. For instance, its ‘religious studies’ requirement can be satisfied with a yoga class….no, I’m not making that up. It describes itself as the ‘largest Catholic University in America’ while having a student body comprised of mostly non-Catholics. Just a couple months ago, it hosted the absurdly named (and heretical) ‘Catholics for Choice’ on it’s campus including its militant Lesbian leader, Jamie Manson.
Google Jamie Manson. She looks EXACTLY like you think she’s going to look.
your post should come with a warning label when viewing her pic
You made me curious. Damn your eyes.
lol
Too late.
Just one of the guys.
.
She appears to work for “National Catholic Reporter.” How’d that happen?
Iran to Hamas:
Look,,, the obama/biden suckers just gave us $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
you can either build homes and businesses
or destroy israel
Honestly this is a course about micro-organisms that cause disease, I would have assumed it was about the brains of Hamas members.
An “optional” assignment that, if not done and in a manner meeting the approval of this woman, meant a reduction in grade.
Interesting that the actual genocide involving Gaza is the constant drum beat from them that they will destroy Israel and the Jews. “River to the Sea” and all that s**t. These protesters have it backwards. The Jews should be complaining about genocide, real genocide. They are doing this to prevent genocide.
Hamas is not a race, its an affliction of humanity, and like any serious disease, like polio, or jock-itch, it needs to be eradicated.
Also… I noted this: “…the faculty member has been released from their appointment…”. Team teaching, maybe, or multi-personality?
DePaul administration sounds surprisingly reasonable. How did THAT happen??
Looks like this particular Anti Semite just couldn’t stop herself from an attempt at indoctrination in spite of teaching a science class. I commend DePaul for their relatively quick action in getting this loser off of their campus.
Just a hint for all university/college faculty: Nobody gives a damn about your political opinions but you and your family (maybe). Shut up and teach!! Certainly parents don’t care, and only the most rabid students will ask you. Hint: don’t take the bait. Shut up and teach!!
“…write about the impact of “genocide in Gaza on human health and biology.””
OK. I’ll play.
The “genocide” long advocated by the authoritah in Gaza, their sponsors, and fellow travelers would have a horrible impact on human health and biology. Gaza had viable water supply, export businesses, and a standard of living before the current administrators took over administration. Now it’s … well, it wasn’t much *before.” Since, the IDF going house to house recovering hostages doesn’t do much for the decor.
We should expect about the same quality of life and ecosystem across former Israel and the west bank, should Hamas & friends succeed in their long-sought elimination — genocide — of Israel, and the Jews. No more making the desert bloom. No more ag stations recovering centuries-old seeds to bring back extinct plants. No more brilliant, sustainable farming and food production technologies. Israeli ag doesn’t leave much of a footprint compared to other, because they don’t have a lot of throw-away space to leave footprints in.
Gaza itself would remain about the same — the people in charge there don’t seem to be able to do much else. So, it would continue to suck for human health, and the other biology there, with no chance of getting a leg up with potable water from genocided Israel.
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