A 2006 research contract between VCU and tobacco giant Philip Morris USA has garnered a massive amount of national media attention, but not necessarily attention from students.
The New York Times was first to weigh in on VCU’s decision, when they published an article May 22 titled “At one university, tobacco money is a secret.” President Eugene P. Trani acknowledged this article again in an e-mail Wednesday night.
Within 12 hours, the Richmond TimesDispatch published an article, which – in large part – defended the contract. In the weeks following, more than 45 articles addressing the issue were published by a wide array of publications across the country.
Some of these articles were unfavorable to VCU, such as The Scientist’s article titled “Virginia U in secretive tobacco deal,” a Roanoke Times editorial titled “VCU’s deal with the devil,” and Genome Technology Online’s article “On sale now: ethics” (for a complete list of articles, see the news section of commonwealthtimes.com).
The critical coverage stems from aspects of the contract forbidding VCU researchers from publishing certain results, and forbidding VCU faculty members and administrators from speaking to the media about the contract, without Philip Morris’ permission.
Despite the focuses of this type of coverage, some students said the agreement does not concern them.
“As far as not disclosing everything that’s going on, that’s their business as a business,” said Marge Weimer, a mass communications major. “For now, I’m satisfied (with the confidentiality).”
“We are hurting for funding-this is a growing university,” Weimer said.
Creative-advertising major Jeff Smith said the contract did not strike him as “odd.”
“They can do business with whoever they want,” he said.
Regarding the confidentiality agreements, Smith said he thought the research “should be published.”
“It seems like it should be public information,” he said. “I’m not sure why they would really want to keep this under wraps unless they’re up to no good.”
Smith went on to say it was “a little weird” the research might not be published, but it would not “weigh” on his mind “unless I was, in some way, directly connected to this situation, which I’m not,” Smith said.
Weimer said she thought college-age students in general would not be concerned with the research relationship.
“If it’s not something that’s directly … in their face, they’re probably not going to pay attention to it,” Weimer said.
Adjunct professor Mary Ann Owens said the possible apathy is generational, and she was not surprised by the reactions of students. Owens briefly discussed the issue in some of her mass communications classes and said most of her students were completely unaware of the agreement.
“This generation channels its passions differently to social cause,” Owens said.
“If it doesn’t affect them, they don’t care.”
Other publications regarding the VCU-Philip Morris research agreement
Wall Street Journal: We’re Not All Friedmanites Now (Aug 27)
Health Care Renewal: After Controversy Over Tobacco Money Funding Medical School, University President Steps Down (Aug 15)
Style Weekly: Patch Job (VCU proposal for a tobacco-funded pregnancy center) (Aug 13)
Health Care Renewal (VCU adjunct faculty): Courting Tobacco Money (Aug 6)
Style Weekly: Calling Philip Morris? VCU Courted Tobacco Money (Aug 6)
Style Weekly: Smoke and Mirrors (July 30)
Bacon’s Rebellion: Scandal Reaches Critical Mass at VCU (July 24)
Boston Globe: VCU panel questioned about Philip Morris deals (July Bacon’s Rebellion: Vindicated! VCU Comes Clean (July 17)
Health Care Renewal: Town Meeting About Tobacco-Funded Research in Academic Medicine (July 17)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: VCU Is Harmed By Ties to Philip Morris (letter to the editor from 2 VCU faculty, July 16)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Task force leader: VCU erred in deal with Philip Morris (July 16)
Health Care Renewal (VCU adjunct facutly member): VCU, Philip Morris, and the “Recent Unpleasantness” (July 15)
Roanoke Times: VCU-Philip Morris Agreement compared with Virginia Tech-Philip Morris Agreement (July 14)
Richmond.com: In Pursuit of the Golden Leaf (July 8)
Bacon’s Rebellion: VCU and Tobacco: A Long and Profitable History (July 8)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: VCU, Trani are a lot like school mascot (July 1)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: VCU chief orders review of policies (June)
Inside Higher Ed: VCU Allows Improperly Awarded Degree (June 30, also discusses the Philip Morris agreement, including quotes from VCU faculty on the matter)
Style Weekly: Trani’s Tobacco Ties Hurt MCV’s Reputation (June 25)
Richmond.com: VCU Faculty Question Research Contracts (June 21)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: VCU will review research pacts (June 5)
Style Weekly: Faculty Fumes, Condemns VCU’s Philip Morris Deal (June 4)
Style Weekly Commentary: Tobacco U. (June 4)
Health Care Renewal (VCU adjunct faculty): Linking the Anechoic Effect and Suppression of Research to Conflicts of Interest and Mission-Hostile Management: the VCU Case (June 4)
Trani Letter to the Editor (NYT): Tobacco Research: Virginia Commonwealth Responds (June 1)
CDC Public Health Law News: Virginia: At one university, tobacco money is a secret (May 28 )
Health Care Renewal (by VCU adjunct faculty member): A Worse Variant of a New Species of Conflict of Interest (May 28)
The Courier-Journal (Ky) Op-Ed: Two examples of shutting out a public that needs to know (May 28)
NYT Editorial: Virginia Commonwealth’s Secret Deal (May 27)
Las Vegas Sun Editorial: Joe Camel meets academia (May 27)
Democratic Central (Va.): VCU jumps into bed with Philip Morris (May 27)
501(c)(3) Files: Missing the Mission | A University Sells Out to Big Tobacco (May 27)
Really Magazine: Sic semper (May 27)
No Sucker Left Behind: Ethics Go Up in Smoke at VCU (May 26)
Roanoke Times Editorial: VCU’s deal with the devil (May 25)
The Trickledown: The Ethics of Non-Disclosure Agreements vis-a-vis the Public Interest (May 24)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: VCU, Philip Morris partners in Research (researched, written, and posted online within 12 hours of publication of the NYT article)
The Chronicle of Higher Education: Secrecy Shields Industry-Financed Tobacco Research at Virginia Commonwealth U. (May 22)
The Scientist: Virginia U in secretive tobacco deal (May 22)
UPI: Tobacco research money secret at VCU (May 22)
The Situationist (Harvard Law School): The Situation of University Research (May 22)
Genome Technology Online: On Sale Now: Ethics (May 22)
Tobacco Avenue (“The Onion” of Richmond): VCU’s Trani linked to Philip Morris and blah, blah, blah whatever
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