Berkeley faculty just says no

The unknown generosity of tobacco companies

By Andrew R Quinio
From the March 2005 Print Edition

Faculty at the UC Berkeley School of Public of Health have cried foul at an Academic Council resolution that challenges policies barring funding from tobacco companies.

According to the Daily Californian, the resolution would give researchers the final word in deciding who funds their projects. Money from tobacco companies could be an option.

In May 2004, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health adopted a policy prohibiting its faculty from accepting research grants from the tobacco industry. The school has also advised other faculty members at the university against accepting money from those companies. “We do not believe that this is something our school wants to be associated with,” said Stephen Shortell, dean of the School of Public Health.

Being associated with a tobacco company should be the least of UC Berkeley’s worries. Several schools and departments have financial connections with other questionable groups.

According to the Pacific Research Institute, The UC Berkeley Labor Center receives money from prominent labor unions. Last year, the center released a study criticizing Wal-Mart for its lack of labor unions. K. Loyd Billingsley, editorial director of the institute, wrote that the center’s board “is a who’s who of highly paid state labor bosses.” The center once received $17 million a year in state funding, but thanks to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, its allowance was reduced to $3.8 million a year.

When researchers receive money from a tobacco company, some faculty members are up in arms, but if the money comes from taxpayers and is used by unelected labor bosses for anti-business research, it is perfectly fine. No conflict of interest there, right?

UC Berkeley’s financial resources go far beyond big labor. A 2003 issue of the UC Berkeley Jewish Journal first reported on a Cal program that was funded by Saudis with terrorist links. The Center for Middle Easter Studies’ “Sultan Program,” which is aimed to increase the understanding of Islam, is funded by Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud. According to the Jewish Journal, al Saud was allegedly directly involved in the September 11 attacks, and is currently a defendant in a trillion-dollar class action lawsuit filed by the families of 9/11 victims.

The Center for Middle Eastern Studies also received funding for its Al-Falah program from Xenel Industries, a Saudi conglomerate. The CEO of that company is Abdullah Alireza, who serves on the executive board of a bank managed by a brother of Osama bin Laden. The bank, al-Maal-Islami, has been named by the UN as funding terrorist activity.

According to the California Patriot’s 2003 coverage of the story, UC Berkeley administrators ignored the reports explaining the program financiers’ terrorist ties. Where were the faculty members who are so angry about tobacco money? They should have been pounding on the doors of Sproul Hall.

The reason the School of Public Health doesn’t want the tobacco company cash is because of their prior and current reputation. “These companies have lied and misrepresented various research that they have funded in the past,” Shortell said.

In recent years, tobacco companies like Philip Morris have been attempting to improve their image. On the Philip Morris Web site, the company promotes youth-smoking prevention, and offers resources for those who want to kick the habit. The site makes explicit the health risks surrounding smoking, including Surgeon General warnings about dangers and addiction, as well as the statement “There is no safe cigarette.”

Philip Morris, along with its subsidiaries Kraft Foods and Miller Brewing Co., have donated millions of dollars to charities and mentorship programs. The Red Cross revealed that Philip Morris donated $500,000 to tsunami relief efforts. The RJ Reynolds Foundation donated $250,000. According to Korean Infogate, Philip Morris Korea donates money to fight local hunger and poverty. Virginia Commonwealth University reported that it recently received a $25,000 Aid to Education grant from the tobacco company. In addition, Philip Morris donates $600,000 annually to North Carolina State University, according to the school’s Web site.

HispanicMagazine.com reports that Philip Morris donates money to various Hispanic organizations, including the National Council of La Raza. The company also sponsors educational projects that assist Latino students. According to Business First, the company donated $15,000 to the Center for Women and Families for an emergency and transitional facility.

It seems that many organizations have received tobacco companies’ “dirty money” to help the community. Once terrorist groups and big labor companies start running cigarette ads, perhaps UC Berkeley will reconsider the origins of all its funds.

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