{"id":127069,"date":"2023-05-05T00:05:09","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T04:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=127069"},"modified":"2023-05-05T00:32:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T04:32:38","slug":"academic-freedom-advocates-largely-quiet-on-petitions-to-ban-oil-funded-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/academic-freedom-advocates-largely-quiet-on-petitions-to-ban-oil-funded-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Academic freedom advocates largely quiet on petitions to ban oil-funded research"},"content":{"rendered":"

ANALYSIS: Activists want to shut down industry-funded research but academic freedom supporters are mostly quiet<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Many prominent supporters of academic freedom were largely silent about efforts to prohibit oil and gas companies from funding research on campus when contacted by The College Fix<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Of the eight groups or professors contacted by The Fix<\/em>, only two criticized the efforts at places such as Brown University<\/a> as well as a national effort to convince universities to ban research that involved funding from oil and gas companies.<\/p>\n

Kelly Benjamin, the media relations director for the American Association of University Professors, directed The Fix<\/em> to a document<\/a> titled the \u201cRecommended Principles to Guide Academy-Industry Relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the emergence of the modern research university, interactions between private industry and university professors have been critically important,\u201d the 2014 guide stated.<\/p>\n

It also stated that industry \u201cbrings new technology to university campuses, and can help promote public support for university research.\u201d The guide called for conflict of interest policies and disclosure in place of bans. It noted the group had opposed efforts to restrict tobacco industry funding of research as well.<\/p>\n

Another group, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, opposed the efforts to restrict access to corporate funding, a departure from its previous position.<\/p>\n

\u201cFaculty should have full freedom in their teaching and research,\u201d FIRE Director of Campus Rights Advocacy Alex Morey told The Fix<\/em> via email on April 24. \u201cBans on research funding can inhibit research itself and make it less likely academics will engage with those topics. Whether professors want to study DEI or oil and gas, university administrators must not interfere with those choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBroadly, faculty must have sole power over the direction of their research, including seeking funding,\u201d Morey said.<\/p>\n

FIRE told The Fix<\/em> earlier this year that it could not comment on a proposal<\/a> at Stanford University to bar oil and gas research funding. \u201cWe can\u2019t comment on this particular question as it\u2019s slightly outside our mission of defending students and faculty,\u201d media relations representative Katie Kortepeter told The Fix<\/em> at the time.<\/p>\n

Other academic freedom supporters like PEN America and Cornel West, also did not weigh in when asked by The Fix<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are continuing to evaluate this issue but we are unable to comment at this time,\u201d Suzanne Trimel with PEN America told The Fix<\/em>. The group recently defended<\/a> a Wayne State University professor who wrote on Facebook that it would be better to kill right-wing \u201ctransphobes\u201d than to just \u201cshout them down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Academic Freedom Alliance declined to comment. \u201cI forwarded your message and topic to the AFA Academic Committee,\u201d Howard Muncy told The Fix<\/em> on April 30. \u201cAfter some discussion, they have stated that they do not have a position to share on this topic at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two founders of AFA, contacted individually, also did not provide comment on the question.<\/p>\n

Professor Robert George and Professor Cornel West both ignored requests for comment sent in the past weeks. West himself has endorsed a call to ban oil and gas funding to universities.<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> Robert George calls on conservatives to be more courageous<\/a><\/p>\n

West and George released a statement<\/a> in 2017 that criticized \u201ccampus illiberalism\u201d and both helped found the Academic Freedom Alliance. Despite this, West signed onto the national letter in 2022 that demanded<\/a> universities \u201cinstitute a ban on accepting fossil fuel industry funding for climate change, environmental, and energy policy research.\u201d<\/p>\n

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni told The Fix<\/em> in mid-April that its team was recently on a retreat and it was \u201cunable to find someone who could carve out any time to do the appropriate research and to speak to you.\u201d It did not provide any further comment in response to a follow-up request this week.<\/p>\n

The new Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard promised<\/a> to protect \u201cunconventional thinkers, oddballs, and nonconformists” but said it does not “have a stance” on the issue of targeted efforts to defund oil-funded research.<\/p>\n

“The Council doesn’t at present have a stance on prohibitions on research funded by oil and gas companies,” Executive Director Flynn Cratty said. “We are committed to free inquiry which requires that researchers should have broad discretion to conduct research on topics they think are important.”<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> Yale sacred music center launches climate change art initiative<\/a><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Garry Knight\/Flickr<\/p>\n

\n