[Marxism] Julio Pino in the news

[Louis Proyect]

(The Julio Assad Pino discussed in this article is a Marxmail alumnus.)

Record-Courier (Kent, Ohio)
History chairman ousted Removed from KSU post over professor's trip
David O'Brien
November 30, 2007

By Dave O'Brien

Record-Courier staff writer

John Jameson said Thursday his ouster as chair of the Kent State 
University history department earlier this month and the means by which 
it was done disrupts the learning process and "rips asunder a pretty 
good history department."

KSU and Jerry Feezel, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, 
assert Jameson was removed from his post for violating written 
university policy by improperly granting academic study leave to a 
controversial KSU history professor.

Jameson, who remains a full professor of history, was notified Nov. 7 
that he was being removed as department chair in an e-mail sent by 
Feezel. Feezel said Jameson failed to go through him in requesting 
mid-semester leave for associate history professor Julio Assad Pino.

Jameson said Pino came to him earlier in the fall semester seeking six 
weeks of leave to study Arabic in the United Arab Emirates because his 
research is on black Muslim slaves brought to Brazil.

"A lot of their sources are in Arabic, so again he's immersing himself 
in that culture," Jameson said. "It's a legitimate research project, and 
could be an exciting project."

Department chair for the last 10 years and self-described as having the 
support of a majority of history professors, Jameson said Pino had 
figured out how to cover his classes for the six-week leave. Pino 
already was overseas before Feezel, who said he and the provost's office 
had no idea Pino was away, e-mailed him and told him to return to KSU or 
else risk losing his paycheck.

Feezel said he was away at a conference when he learned Pino had left 
campus and said he e-mailed both Jameson and Pino because he believed 
the matter should be dealt with immediately. Notice would have been 
given by e-mail for records purposes anyway, he said.

"I was not able to reach Dr. Jameson by phone. I tried. But (vice 
president for academic affairs and provost Robert Frank) and I felt we 
needed to act quickly. The fact is we needed to advise Dr. Pino, by 
policy, he was in jeopardy being gone without approved leave, so it was 
important to reach him immediately, too," Feezel said Thursday.

Jameson has been given a new assignment in administrative research and 
development. He said this will allow him to get back to research he put 
on hold 10 years ago. Mary Ann Heiss, an associate professor of history, 
has taken over as interim chair of the history department, university 
spokesman Ron Kirksey said.

Pino has come under fire for writings in which he expressed sympathy for 
Palestinian suicide bombers. Jameson said he has gone over these 
writings and "certainly" defends Pino's right to his beliefs even if he 
does not agree with them.

Still, "if I had to do it over again, I'd do some things differently," 
Jameson said.