Category Archives: University of Illinois

Chief Illiniwek: A Brief History and Call to Action

Posted on 05/09/2019 by Stephen Kaufman

On March 13, 2007, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, after approximately 20 years of debate on the Illiniwek tradition, directed “… the immediate conclusion to the use of Native American imagery as the symbol of the University of … Continue reading →

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Attacks on the Campus Left Then and Now: Fighting Student Activists on Illinois’ Campus in the 1930s

Posted on 05/09/2019 by Nick Goodell

In the 1930s, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was home to a thriving anti-war and anti-imperialist community of different radical, socialist, and communist groups. The National Student League (NSL), later called the American Student Union (ASU), the Communist Youth … Continue reading →

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For a World Without Borders

Posted on 03/12/2019 by Tariq Khan

Speech by Tariq Khan at the UIUC Ayuda Rally at Anniversary Plaza, November 29, 2018. UIUC Ayuda was a student group/campaign to raise awareness about and material support for the Central American caravans made up of people seeking asylum. I … Continue reading →

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1968 – Not Really So Long Ago or Far Away

Posted on 11/14/2018 by Janice Jayes

“I want kids to see that it wasn’t just Martin Luther King making things happen in the 1960s, it was local folks here as well. Just as it is today.” Katie Snyder, Education Program Specialist, Museum of the Grand Prairie … Continue reading →

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The Chancellor’s Massmail on Free Speech Who Is It Talking About?

Posted on 06/14/2018 by Bruce Rosenstock

Returning from a meeting of the American Association of Universities (AAU), Chancellor Jones shared a joint statement that was crafted at the meeting in regard to free speech on campus. The statement starts out by saying that people whose views … Continue reading →

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The Alt-Right Extends Its Reach—Edited (Print) Version

Posted on 06/14/2018 by David Prochaska

Max Levchin, a UIUC 1997 graduate in computer science, will deliver the keynote at commencement in May, Chancellor Robert Jones has announced, terming Ukrainian-born Levchin “an inspiring entrepreneur.” After four start-up failures during college and immediately after, Levchin moved … Continue reading →

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The Alt-Right Extends Its Reach—Long Version

Posted on 06/14/2018 by David Prochaska

Posted in Alt-Right, bigotry, Trump, University of Illinois | Comments Off

Interview with Kristina Khan

Posted on 03/27/2018 by David Prochaska

Interviewed by David Prochaska, February 20, 2018. Edited for clarity. Kristina Khan is a local activist, mother of three married to Tariq Khan, and the primary author of “Young Fascists on Campus: Turning Point USA and its Far-Right Connections,” Truthout (February … Continue reading →

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The Alt-Right Comes to Town

Posted on 03/27/2018 by David Prochaska

by David Prochaska TARIQ KHAN INCIDENT Last November 16, on the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s election, Tariq Khan, a 39-year-old Ph.D. student in history, was just finishing speaking at a rally when hecklers, including Joel Valdez, called out, “No … Continue reading →

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‘No Taxpayer Dollars’ for Coaches at the U of I? You May Be Surprised

Posted on 12/07/2017 by Jay Rosenstein

by Jay Rosenstein Center for Advanced Study Professor of Media & Cinema Studies Jay Rosenstein is the award-winning filmmaker of In Whose Honor? (1997), The Amasong Chorus: Singing Out (2004), and The Lord is Not on Trial Here Today (2010) “It’s not … Continue reading →

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Administrative Sleight of Hand: Financial Realities at the University of Illinois

Posted on 09/07/2017 by Augustus Wood

“I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all … Continue reading →

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GEO’s Fight for Tuition Waivers

Posted on 09/07/2017 by Patrick Kimutis

By Patrick Kimutis and Bruce Kovanen The Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO), the union representing graduate workers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), is continuing a years-long fight to win tens of thousands of dollars of withheld compensation owed … Continue reading →

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50th Anniversary of Project 500 Coming Up, Should Be Celebrated

Posted on 05/19/2017 by Terry Townsend

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy called on the nation to take action to eradicate the interrelated and interconnected social problems of African-American citizens in the United States. The country was in a crisis. Many, but not all, post-secondary schools … Continue reading →

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