How's this for a profile in courage! Patrick Bosold A quote from below: Indeed I have long stood against the folly of planting 100 million acres with transgenic crops each year, without knowing even the simplest consequences of such a massive intervention in the biosphere. > 1. BAN-GEF: DR CHAPELA BEGINS PROTEST TODAY > (06/26/03 ....It has been suggested that the extraordinary delay in > reaching a decision on my tenure case without ostensible reason may be > the result of, even retribution for, my advising our campus, academe, > the government and the public against dangerous liaisons with the > biotechnology industry, as well as my concerns regarding the problems > with biotechnology itself... Ignacio H. Chapela Assistant Professor > (Microbial Ecology) Department of Environmental Science, Policy and > Management [log in to unmask]) > > > Subject: Dr. Chapela begins protest today > > Berkeley, California, 26 June 2003 > > We asked the captain what course of action he proposed to take toward a > beast so large, terrifying, and unpredictable. He hesitated to answer, > and then said judiciously: "I think I shall praise it." > > Robert Hass > > > Dear friends, dear colleagues, > > Beginning at 6 o'clock this morning, as I enter the final days of my > contract as a faculty member at the University of California at > Berkeley, I intend to mark and celebrate them, by doing what I believe a > professor in a public university must do: to further reason and > understanding. For the brief time that remains of my terminal contract > at Berkeley, I shall sit holding office hours, day and night, outside > the doors of California Hall. This is the building housing the Budget > Committee of the Academic Senate, and the office of the Chancellor, the > two arms of our university governance in charge of my file. > > I am saddened by the failure of the administration and the Academic > Senate to resolve in a timely fashion whether to grant me tenure at > Berkeley. I believe that I have contributed to the mission of the > university and my heart and intellect are also vested in its health and > growth. All but one of the colleagues who witness my everyday teaching > and research in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and > Management have repeatedly stated their support for my tenure, and so > have a set of external expert reviewers and the leadership of my > College. To the extent that reason can assess, I do not know of any > other academic information on the case that might suggest that a > negative decision should be reached. Yet as of tonight, well over a > year into the part of the process conducted in secret in California > Hall, no decision has been made, as far as I am aware. I must > therefore conclude that there is another set of criteria that > counterweigh the strength of the case, but that such information cannot > be publically shared. In the face of such lack of transparency and > accountability, I choose to hold office hours in public, in the open, > and in the midst of our beautiful campus. I do so in celebration of my > vocation and my time at Berkeley, and not in the expectation that such > an action will change the course of the decision process, whatever that > might be. > > It has been suggested that the extraordinary delay in reaching a > decision on my tenure case without ostensible reason may be the result > of, even retribution for, my advising our campus, academe, the > government and the public against dangerous liaisons with the > biotechnology industry, as well as my concerns regarding the problems > with biotechnology itself. Without doubt, the uncertainty and reproach > implicit in the silence on campus surrounding my case has had grave > consequences for my professional, public and personal life. But such > are the wages of doing work that has significance for the world, and it > will be up to those sifting through the files of this case to discern > the twists and turns that brought us to this moment, and to pass the > judgment of history on the motives and actions of those involved, within > and beyond our community. It is difficult to blame otherwise principled > individuals for not voicing their best understanding. Fear is justified > when even the president of the country equates with criminal acts any > questioning of the wisdom of deploying transgenic crops. Against the > desire of some to banish critical thinking from the birthplace of the > Free Speech Movement, I choose to sit, openly available for discourse, > in the heart of our campus. > > At least one person has said that I should be banned from the academic > system, implying that my work harms the public role of the university as > a hothouse for the agbiotech industry. Indeed I have long stood against > the folly of planting 100 million acres with transgenic crops each year, > without knowing even the simplest consequences of such a massive > intervention in the biosphere. An increasing number of scientists seem > to be reaching the same position. It seems also true that research in > my laboratory has prompted serious public concerns that the industry > would rather not address. An industry on the crutches of public subsidy > for a quarter of a century, an industry that trembles in the face of the > simplest token of precautionary research, is hardly an industry that > deserves to carry the public trust, much less our best hope for > recovery in a flagging economy. It would seem rational that our > university - and the public - should strive to keep an independent > source of advice on the wisdom of supporting such an industry. > Rationality, however, must take a back seat when the university becomes > grafted to a specific industry. Such has increasingly been the case at > Berkeley and at other universities. > > At a time of rampant obscurantism and irrationality, I am proud of the > privilege vested in me by the public as a professor at Berkeley. In > fulfillment of the duty attached to that privilege, I intend to share > the light of rationality during office hours over the next five days, > together with those who might wish to join me. > > Fiat lux. > > Ignacio H. Chapela Assistant Professor (Microbial Ecology) Department of > Environmental Science, Policy and Management > > > ** Logistical details and contacts: > > I will sit in an "office" without walls. This means that I will most > likely not have direct access to an AC electric wall outlet. > Nevertheless, I will have a battery-operated cell phone (USA-510-207 > 7331). My cell phone will need to be recharged occasionally; if you do > not get an answer, please leave a message and I will call back. > > My email address is [log in to unmask] In case of server > breakdown, please use [log in to unmask] - email responses may be > delayed for some hours. > > I will foreseeably be in my "office" 24 hours a day (except for short > unavoidable breaks) from Thursday to Monday midnight, circumstances > allowing. Three chairs will accommodate myself and two others in this > transparent office. Bring your own portable chair if you need to. I > hope to be able to offer tea and biscuits, but that is not a promise. > These last days have been on the hot side, but with any luck the natural > "breathing cycle" of the Bay Area will bring fog relief for at least > some of the mornings between Thursday and Monday. At meal times, I will > have space for company, although the seating may be less than royal, and > the menus are still being planned. > > Despite President Bush's emphatic demands this week, the House has yet > to pass the BioShield legislation, and there may be further delays in > the Senate. Nevertheless, I am making efforts to comply with the > current spirit on our campus and across the nation by surrounding my > office with protective, gray, duct tape, for added security. Visitors > from Toronto and elsewhere in the world, please note that I will also > have protective face masks and rubber gloves at hand. > > After midnight on Monday, I will be travelling to the Gen-ecology > laboratory in Norway until 22 July. I will be underway for a week, > subsequently available via my alternate email account: > [log in to unmask] > > Please feel free to forward this email as you see fit. I hereby decline > all copyright. > > - --- > [This E-mail scanned for viruses at mail.fiam.net] > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To view the Sierra Club List Terms & Conditions, see: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/terms.asp - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]