The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, December 11, 1991 - Page 3
'U' denies selling
research to Japan
County drops
charges against
U' so phomore
by Barry Cohen
Daily Staff Reporter
University officials have denied
reports that the University is one of
the top 100 universities selling re-
search and development (R&D) to
the Japanese.
"Buying the American Mind," a
report released last Friday by the
Center for Public Integrity in
Washington, D.C., claimed the Uni-
versity is selling at reduced rates
k&D financed by American
taxpayers.
"Research is not bought and used
by the Japanese, American compa-
nies, or the federal government,"
said Walter Harrison, executive di-
rector of University Relations.
According to the report, Japanese
porporations have contributed $4.7
. million to the University since
1986. This includes $3 million in
1990 from Mitsui Life Insurance to
the Business School, $500,000 in
1990 from Sumitomo Bank and $1.2
million in 1989 from Nippon Life,
both to the Law School, and
$250,000 in 1990 from the Shimizu
Corporation to the Engineering
School.
Stephanie Epstein, author of the
report, said American taxpayers
have paid more to produce the R&D
than Japanese firms have paid to gain
access to it.
"There is an inordinate amount
of money going into American uni-
versities, and there may well be an
inordinate amount of money going
out of American universities,"
Epstein added.
She said that the report calls for
the creation of a national commis-
sion to investigate foreign invest-
ment and the reinstatement of laws
for the disclosure of foreign in-
vestment. The law requiring regular
'disclosure to the Department of Ed-
ucation expired in 1989.
University officials deny that
Japanese companies are taking ad-
vantage of R&D financed by the
American taxpayer.
Joe Owsley, director of the Uni-
versity's News and Information
Services, said the $4.7 million figure
cited by the study was inaccurate.
He made a distinction between gen-
eral grants to be used as the Univer-
sity desires and money to address
specific needs outlined by the
:contributor
Owsley said total research fund-
ing for specific purposes at the Uni-
versity is approximately $300 mil-
lion. Current projects from all for-
eign sponsors total $3.7 million.
Nearly two million has been con-
tributed by Japanese companies.
"I don't think that the amount
of money given to these projects
will have any specific impact on the
competitiveness of Japan or the
U.S.," Owsley said.
He said any individual or com-
pany can gain access to the results of
R&D in this country.
"It's not technological secrets,
but what you do with them," he
said. Japanese companies have suc-
ceeded in taking American techno-
logical advances and building upon
them, he added.
Dr. Alan Steiss, director of the
Division of Research and Develop-
ment (DRDA), said that the report
is overstated, for it falsely assumes
that if Japanese companies provide
the money for R&D, then America
will not receive larger benefits.
He cited the example of a
Japanese auto company contributing
money for the University to study a
particular safety feature. If im-
provements to Japanese cars moti-
vate American car companies to re-
spond with similar safety features,
then everyone benefits, Steiss said.
"The objective is still to advance
the field of knowledge to benefit
society," he added.
Concerning the specific contri-
bution of $3 million from Mitsui
Life Insurance to the Business
School, the money is being used to
establish a research center of Asian
financial markets. E. Han Kim, a fi-
nance professor who obtained the
funding for the center through con-
tacts at Mitsui, said Asia will be
the world's next "booming" finan-
cial center, and that until now the
study of its financial market has
been ignored in Europe and the U.S.
As the center grows, the Univer-
sity will become a prestigious cen-
ter of Asian research, he said. In the
future, the Mitsui grant will award
research grants to Ph.D. students
and faculty, he added.
Kim said Mitsui will gain intan-
gible results from its donation to
the University, for the company
wants to enhance its standing among
other Japanese companies during
this current time of a tremendous
worker shortage, he added.
Japanese economist Dr. Gary
Saxonhouse said Japanese companies
contribute to the University in part
to redress the subsidies granted
Japanese nationals.
"One can argue that Japanese na-
tionals get trained at the University
of Michigan and really only pay
out-of-state tuition," he said.
Saxonhouse believes there
should be a distinction between tu-
ition rates for students from the
U.S. and those from other countries.
"The problem is not that we get
money, but that we get too little
money. It's unfair to load a global
economy on the backs of local tax-
payers," he said.
Dr. Erdogan Gulari, associate
dean of the College of Engineering,
said no professor in the School of
Engineering is endowed by any
Japanese company. He added that
$250,000 is too small a sum to fund
a professor.
The University's official policy
concerning endowments is outlined
in the "Regents' Policy on Research
Grants, Contracts and Agreements,
passed in 1987. It states that the
DRDA will list all research
funding."
ANTHONY M. cROLL/Daily
Poetry in motion
Residential College poets collated their work yesterday. The finished
anthology, Void Images 1991" will be available at the East Quad library.
Buchanan launches
bid for presi~dency
by Joshua Meckler
Daily Staff Reporter
Washtenaw county prosecutors,
in a case charging a University stu-
dent with attempted murder,
dropped their charges yesterday in
light of new evidence that impli-
cated a Michigan State University
student in the crime.
LSA sophomore Virgil Burton
was arraigned in October following
a Sept. 15 incident at Eastern Michi-
gan University (EMU). In that in-
cident, a first-year EMU student
was shot in the stomach outside his
residence hall after attending a
dance held in EMU's Bowen Field
House that involved several violent
outbreaks.
Burton was charged with assault
with intent to commit murder and
felony firearm possession.
Six others, including three EMU
football players, were arrested the
night of the incident.
Burton said yesterday he had been
advised by his lawyer not to com-
ment on the case. However, he did
say that he expected the charges
would be dropped. "It didn't come
as a surprise to me," he said. "I just
want it to be all over."
Kathy Tinney, the assistant vice-
president in the executive division
at EMU, said yesterday's action was
expected. "It's kind of coming out
as we thought."
The MSU student was originally
the prime suspect in the case, Tinney
said.
However, she said that early in
the case other circumstantial evi-
dence also strongly pointed to
Burton.
"At the time he was charged,
there was no direct eyewitness tes-
timony, but the circumstantial evi-
dence was enough to issue a warrant.
"Eyewitnesses came forward and
we were able to take statements.
They presented us with information
we didn't have prior to (Burton's)
arrest," Tinney said.
Tinney said she felt the case
against the current suspect is solid.
"We think based on the eyewitness
accounts we now have, this is a good
case."
Tinney added that she thought
the process had been carried out corg
'Eyewitnesses came
forward and we were
able to take
statements.'
- Kathy Tinney
EMU spokesperson
rectly, even though the charges
against Burton were evidently false.
"I think when the case goes to trial,
we'll find the case was handled api
propriately from the beginning."1
Lieutenant Tony Kleibecker, an
MSU public safety officer, said
EMU police issued a warrant for
the new suspect yesterday. The
MSU student, whose name cannto
be released until after his arraign,
ment today, was arrested by MSU
officers yesterday at 1:30 p.m., he
said.
Kleibecker said EMU officers
picked up the student in Lansing at 4
p.m. yesterday with no problems.
The suspect is currently being
held in the Washtenaw County Jail,
Tinney said.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -
Conservative columnist Patrick
Buchanan launched his underdog
Republican presidential campaign
yesterday with a vow to "take our
country back" from a misguided
President Bush.
Buchanan blamed Bush for rais-
ing taxes against his word, causing
the recession with taxes and budget
deficits and failing to defend Amer-
ican interests against "the predatory
traders of Europe and Asia."
He said of Bush, "He is a global-
ist and we are nationalists. ... He
would put America's wealth and
power at the service of some vague
new world order; we will put
America first."
Buchanan's announcement came
exactly 10 weeks before New
Hampshire's primary, the earliest in
the nation. New Hampshire is suf-
fering through its worst recession
since the Depression, and
Republicans predict Buchanan can
get anywhere from 10 percent to 40
percent of the vote in the state that
revived Bush's flagging 1988
campaign.
The only other GOP challenger
to Bush is former Ku Klux
Klansman David Duke, who has de-
cided to bypass New Hampshire's
Feb. 18 primary.
Secretary of State Richard
Austin says he will follow state
law in deciding if David Duke
should be listed as a potential can-
didate for Michigan's March 17
presidential primary. The law re-
quires Austin to issue by 4 p. m.
Friday a list of those "generally ad-
vocated" by the national news me-
dia as potential Democratic and
Republican presidential nominees.
The Michigan Republican party
has asked that Duke not be included
on the ballot.
k
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THE LIST
What's happening in Ann Arbor today
Submissions for The List will not be carried over to winter term. All
groups must resubmit their List forms for their meetings to appear in
next semester's List.
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Meetings
U-M Baha'i Club, weekly mtg. Stock-
well, Rosa Parks Lounge, 8-9:30.
Public Interest Research Group in
Michigan, weekly mtg. 4109 Union,
9:30.
Recycle U-M, weekly mtg. Dana Bldg,
Student Lounge, 7 p.m.
Students Concerned About Animal
Rights, weekly mtg. Dominick's, 9 p.m.
MSA Environmental Commission,
weekly mtg. Dominick's, 5 p.m.
Orthodox Christian Fellowship, mtg.
Union, Pond Rms A&B, 7 p.m.
Speakers
"Polymer Analysis by Tandem Mass
Spectrometry," Dr. Robert Lattimer.
1650 Chem, 4 p.m.
Prof. Alanna Schepartz. 1640 Chem,
4 p.m.
Furthermore
Safewalk, night-time safety walking
service. Sun-Thur, 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
and Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Stop by 102 UGLi or call 936-1000.
Extended hours are 1 a.m. -3 a.m. at
the Angell Hall Computing Center or
a.m. and Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m.-11:30
p.m. Stop by 2333 Bursley or call 763-
WALK.
Today is Northwalk's last day of ser-
vice.
U-M Ninjitsu Club, Wednesday prac-
tice. IM Bldg, wrestling rm, 7:30-9.
ECB Peer Writing Tutors. An-
gell/Mason Computing Center, 7-11.
Ultimate Frisbee Club. Men and
women of all skill levels welcome.
Oosterbaan Fieldhouse, 9-10:30. Call
668-2886 for info.
U-M Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do Club,
Wednesday workout. CCRB Martial
Arts Rm, 8-9.
U-M Taekwondo Club, Wednesday
workout. CCRB Martial Arts Rm,
6:30-8 p.m.
"Thinking About Majoring in En-
glish?" Talk to English Advisor Derek
Green every Wednesday. Haven 7th
floor lounge, 4-5.
"Life at the yoU," Residence Hall
Repertory Theater, 123 East Quad, 16
p.m.
Russian Song Fest. 185 Frieze, 7-9.
The Yawp Literary Magazine,
manuscripts and artwork accepted.
1210 Anil
Become a
Daily Photographer!
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