NEW PLAN TO LIMIT TOBACCO-FUNDED RESEARCH
After nearly a year of discussion, the University of California
Board of Regents plans to return this week to the question of
whether its researchers should conduct work financed by the
tobacco industry. Some regents have offered a compromise plan
that would allow such research support, but subject it to
tougher standards of review than other grants. The compromise
would also allow individual units within the university to adopt
bans on accepting tobacco funds for research. . . .
Glantz also scoffed at the idea that the debate is about
academic freedom. Speech is what academic freedom is about, he
said, and nothing in the various proposals would bar a professor
from doing research of any sort on tobacco or taking any stance
on tobacco matters. They would just have to do their research
without tobacco industry support.
"The definition of academic freedom which seems to be operative
among the administration and the systemwide senate seems to be
getting money," he said. "They are like politicians chasing
campaign contributions."
