0 Page 8-Friday, March 12, 1982-The Michigan Daily Some profs criticize mdfrect costs By JOHN ADAM When is $100,000 less than $100,000? When you're a University researcher who wins that amount in a federal research grant. A researcher will never see 58 per- cent of the grant he or she gets from an agency like the National Science Foun- dation, because that portion goes direc- tly to the University for what is called "indirect cost recovery." FROM A $100,000 grant, a researcher actually receives only $42,000 for such expenses as supplies, travel funds, computer time, pay for graduate student assistants, and part of the researcher's own salary. The remaining $58,000 goes to cover expenses like utilities, general ad- ministration services, libraries, and building and equipment maintenance. But many University researchers resent these indirect cost payments, claiming they are unnecessarily high taxes on their research funds. "I HAVE THE same gut reaction," said University Vice President for Research Charles Overberger, who still conducts his own chemistry research on grant money. But the indirect cost charges "aren't contrived," he said; they cover real University expenses previously incurred. Many faculty members, however, don't buy the administration's line. In a 1981 survey by the Research Policies Committee, faculty members cited in- direct costs as the second greatest discouragement to research, following scarcity of travel funds. One of the 2,086 respondents to the survey actually stated that, "Unless the situation improves, I'll simply leave the University." MANY PROFESSORS argue that if the University is going to collect such a high percentage from the research grants-few other institutions com- pare-the administration should at least send more of the indirect cost money to the researchers' own depar- tments. "The issue of whether indirect costs should go back to the department will always be a burning one," said Aubrey Hicks, the University's chief auditor. The University's Institute for Social Research, described by Director F. Thomas Juster as an "historical ac- cident which everyone agrees has worked out well," receives all of the in- direct cost reimbursements generated by its researchers. This unique arrangement "has played a key role" in the institute's success, according to Juster. HE SAID, however, that the creation of more anomalies like ISR probably would not be effective. Although it uses some centralized services, the institute has its own development proposals and business staff. Juster said he isn't cer* tain it would make much sense to create separate business offices for each University unit. There is a myth about indirect costs, he explained, which leaves many faculty members misinformed. The idea that the University is making, a profit by collecting the reimbursements is off-base, but the administration has not gone out of its way to dispel ,the myth, according to Juster. Vice President Overberger, who was instrumental in returning more indirect cost funds to the individual units several years ago, said the ad- ministration is now think of going fur- ther in that direction. (015 , ORCS CQRIICR >Zc 995-1818 sof GREENSftoA'v (LtASt q~h:/e Cfor- St Pr'sP/)(ANOy~ ................. . ....... .. 3EA T .rs ... 1.83.... . diet peps "D' P.e¢s 4 PEPs; ciCfr 4 .00 Y2 .erex 8o/tES .. . . a ...... . . . . aS . . . . . EA NA A S3 .....~...... L . . ..... tGE Ec 2.39 .. . E. ...... ..... .. . ..--. * OFFR o o Coo w/41 46 IUPPI-CS s- Vlik HEIGC ORHIER E 'U'research expands despite retrenchment (Continued from Page 1) second in terms of industrial support, he said, and nearly that high in federal support. Now, however, the University is third or fourth in industrial support, and its spot for federal funds has slip- ped into double digits. At the root of the problem, according to many faculty members, lies a poor research environment. Although Over- berger describes the atmosphere as "good and healthy" and better than it was five or 10 years ago, several published faculty reports disagree. ONE OF those reports was triggered by a vehement complaint to Over- berger in 1979 by James Duderstadt, .q chairman of the advisory committee on academic affairs and now dean of the School of Engineering. "Our point here was that the research environment on this campus has deteriorated to the point where faculty are easily drawn off campus to perform the same activities that they might have performed on campus under the more favorable conditions that existed in the past," he stated. "We must provide positive incentives to attract this activity back onto cam- pus," Duderstadt said. ACCORDING TO Vice President Frye, the most critical needs are to in- crease support for graduate research assistants, to provide more funds for equipment, and to possibly use more indirect cost reimbursements (See related story, Page 8) as "seed money" to get projects started. Overberger said he agrees with Frye.a "We do want to reward those units that show achievement," he explained, ad- ding that it is not a simple problem. Frye also said that part of the $20 million to be reallocated in his Five- Year Plan will go to increase faculty and staff salaries. ACCORDING TO Frye, some of the new research policies are based on material gathered in a 1981 survey-the Rutledge Report,. named after then- chairman of the Research Policies Committee Lester Rutledge-which was inspired by Duderstadt's com- plaint. Vice President Frye, a major ar- chitect of the University's retrench- ment plans, said the DRDA will be scrutinized, but said he does not want to single it out. Other service units, such as Accoun- ting, Personnel, and Purchasing, will also have to submit a cost reduction evaluation. The Rutledge report said a significant amount of faculty members consider such units disincentives to research. "I don't think there's fat to trim there (in the support services) that can be cut away and leave the service unaltered," Frye said. But, he added, there are areas in the University-he would not specify which ones-in which reduction would cause improvement. Japanese-American recalls -f ° Celebrating Our Fourth Year as THE Mexican Restaurant in Ann Arbor with * Newly Redecorated Interior * New Hours: 11:00 AM-10:00 PM Sunday through Thursday 11:00 AM-3:00 AM Friday through Saturday internment in (Continued from Page 5) Supreme Court in 1944 in the case of 9 Korematsu vs. the United States. "IT (THE internment) was really a c tragic act on the part of the gover- nment," Morikawa said. "The White r House, Congress, and the Supreme w Court conspired together; and forged 8 the injustice. It was clearly uncon-s stitutional." b "However," Morikawa added, "the K real tragedy is that for 40 years, no E public admission of public wrong-doing was made." Not until 1980, when Congress established the Commission on War- i time Relocation and Internment of w Civilians, was any real action taken to investigate the matter. Until then, only c about $38 million had been paid by the f WW IH camp government in property claims, les han 10' percent of the actual amount laimed lost by those interned. THE EXPRESSED purpose of the elocation commission was to decide what compensation, if any, was due the 0,000 surviving former camp residen- s. Among those who have testified efore the commission were Morikawa, arl Bendetwen, the official who direc- ed the relocation, and Miltqz Eisenhower, former president of Johns Hopkins University. The commission finished its hearings n December. 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