Some Random Thoughts on

Emanations from Morrill Hall and a Faculty Committee

at the University of Minnesota

My fellow U of M alum, Michael McNabb, writes:

Some random thoughts:

(1) The Smoke Screen. 

General Counsel Mark Rotenberg tells The Chronicle of Higher Education:  "The faculty, as a collective body, should take an interest in attacks on their members that serve to deter or chill controversial research." 

And when did this happen, Mr. Rotenberg? 

Give one example that prompted your question to the FCC on February 24, 2011.  If none, then it appears that the real concern of the administration is that questions about research may chill grants of hundreds of millions of dollars for research that are necessary to support the enormous wager that the administration has made that the Biomedical Discovery District will pay off. See the Timeline at the end of Constitutional Law at http://ptable.blogspot.com/2011/04/should-general-counsel-at-university-of.html#links.

(2) Let Me Check My Notes to See What I Said Before. 

Just as in the Troubled Waters debacle, we have contradictory statements from the person in charge.

From the April 8 report of the AF & T Committee:

The question arose in the context of the young man who committed suicide while participating in a clinical trial, Professor Elliott noted, and committee members had been provided with materials related to the case as background . . . .

See the report at http://blog.lib.umn.edu/bgleason/pt/2011/04/another_disturbing_discussion.html. 

From the April 19 e-mail of Professor Barbara Elliott to Professor Carl Elliott and Professor Charles Schulz: 

We do not consider the issues with regard to specific cases.  We intend to continue to discuss the issues . . . but we will not be concerned about, nor focus on, the Markingson case.

Consequently, although I am grateful for your offers to add to our committee's information and background regarding your experiences, I must decline.  They would not add insight to our work on the OGC's specific question.

See For the Record at http://ptable.blogspot.com/2011/04/for-university-of-minnesota-record.html#links.   

 

Michael W. McNabb

Attorney at Law

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