Supporters of former University of Illinois instructor James Kilgore are calling on the Board of Trustees to consider his employment at their meeting Thursday.
Kilgore's contract was not renewed in the spring, a move Kilgore says is a violation of academic freedom. In the 1970s, Kilgore was a member of the Symbionese Liberation Army, best known for kidnapping socialite Patty Hearst in 1974. He spent years hiding from law enforcement, but eventually served six years in prison for his part in a murder the group carried out during a bank robbery.
But it's been six months since Kilgore appeared before the Board of Trustees and asked for his contract to be considered. Supporters like Professor D. Fairchild Ruggles say the Board has waited too long to take action on Kilgore's contract. She says the Board has set a bad precedent for hiring.
"So it's very disruptive when you have this reaching down from on high, deep into the workings of the University on this small scale, to tell us, 'You can hire this person, you can't hire that one.'"
Kilgore's employment status isn't listed on the Board's agenda's for this week's meeting, but it may be added at the last minute. Kilgore had worked for both the Center for African Studies and the Department of Urban Planning.
