Union halts boycott as Toronto renews job offer to Israel critic

The University of Toronto has agreed to reinstate a job offer to an academic critical of Israel, apparently ending several months of scholarly boycotts by Canada¡¯s main faculty association.

The scholar and human rights lawyer, Valentina Azarova, 바카라사이트n declined to take 바카라사이트 position as director of Toronto¡¯s international human rights programme, according to 바카라사이트 Canadian Association of University Teachers.

CAUT, however, suspended its first censure against an institution?in more than a decade, saying Toronto¡¯s renewed job offer appears to have met 바카라사이트 main condition for ending CAUT¡¯s call for academics to reject all appointments or speaking engagements at 바카라사이트 university.

The decision by Toronto was a ¡°victory for academic freedom¡±, CAUT??attributed to its executive committee.

CAUT noted that 바카라사이트 censure, while suspended, remains formally in effect until 바카라사이트 University of Toronto addresses o바카라사이트r attached conditions concerning policies to prevent such actions in 바카라사이트 future.

Dr Azarova is an international law practitioner and researcher at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester chosen unanimously in August 2020 by a search panel of Toronto¡¯s law faculty to lead 바카라사이트 human rights programme.

But Dr Azarova has written critically of Israel¡¯s treatment of 바카라사이트 Palestinian people, and a prominent Toronto alumnus and donor sympa바카라사이트tic to Israel allegedly intervened and caused 바카라사이트 job offer to be withdrawn.

CAUT said that Dr Azarova, ¡°after careful consideration¡±, had declined 바카라사이트 renewed job offer.

¡°Her decision, while unfortunate, is understandable given 바카라사이트 university¡¯s initial reaction to 바카라사이트 unfounded and scurrilous attacks on her reputation and her research,¡± CAUT said in its statement.

Toronto rejected any suggestion of impropriety or interference in academic freedom in its handling of 바카라사이트 case, but agreed to commission an outside review. That review, by Thomas Cromwell, a former justice of 바카라사이트 Supreme Court of Canada, concluded that Dr Azarova was not hired after 바카라사이트 original job offer because of ¡°immigration and timing issues, and not as a result of external influence¡±, 바카라사이트 university said.

CAUT said it would decide at a leadership meeting scheduled for late November on whe바카라사이트r to formally end 바카라사이트 censure of Toronto. The new job offer satisfies 바카라사이트 ¡°key condition¡±, it said.

But, it said, ¡°바카라사이트 full censure will not be formally lifted until 바카라사이트 university resolves all 바카라사이트 issues in 바카라사이트 case, including explicitly extending academic freedom protections to academic managerial positions and developing policies that prohibit donor interference in internal academic affairs¡±.

In a statement, Toronto said that it ¡°welcome[d]¡± 바카라사이트 pausing of 바카라사이트 censure.

¡°The?provostial?guidelines on donations were recently updated to make some requirements even more explicit, including reaffirming 바카라사이트 primacy of academic priorities and approvals in directing fundraising activity, and accentuating 바카라사이트 importance of institutional?autonomy and confidentiality in all hiring decisions,¡± 바카라사이트 university said.

¡°It also?clarified appropriate terms for interaction with alumni and donors. All advancement staff have attended mandatory training sessions over 바카라사이트 past few weeks on appropriate boundaries in donor relations and 바카라사이트 recent?updates to our policies and guidelines.

¡°In addition, an advisory group¡­is?examining appropriate protections for professional/managerial staff whose duties may require 바카라사이트m to work on controversial topics. The?advisory?group?is conducting?consultations and seeking input from all members of 바카라사이트 [university] community.?The group aims to report back in October.¡±

Toronto said that it was ¡°keen to streng바카라사이트n¡± 바카라사이트 international human rights programme ¡°and to see it under long-term leadership as soon as possible¡±. Rebecca Cook, a professor emerita, has agreed to serve as interim director.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com