DePaul University Fires Biology Professor For Israel-Hamas Class Assignment

Anne d’Aquino told students they could write about the impact of “genocide in Gaza on human health and biology" even though it didn't fit the theme of the class.

CHICAGO (AP) — DePaul University said it dismissed a part-time biology instructor after she gave an optional assignment related to the Israel-Hamas war.

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.”