Dr.
Chung
Owyang,
former
University of Michigan chief of
gastroenterology, resigned from his
position on Jan. 2 due to allegations
of falsified data involving millions
of federal research dollars. The
University
deemed
Owyang’s
experiments as fraudulent and
requested the retraction of five
academic articles on Jan. 24.
One of the retracted papers
appeared
in
the
Journal
of
Neurophysiology in 2003, while
the four other retracted articles
were originally published in the
American Journal of Physiology in
2005, 2008, 2011 and 2012.
University spokesperson Kim
Broekhuizen wrote in an email to
The Michigan Daily that the Office
of the Vice President for Research
monitors
and
enhances
U-M
policies and training requirements
to address issues related to research
misconduct.
“(The University) is committed to
fostering and upholding the highest
ethical standards in the conduct
of
research
and
scholarship,”
Broekhuizen said.
Owyang’s
research
involved
studying the brain and hormonal
reactions to various stimulants
through testing rats. Stop Animal
Exploitation
Now!,
a
national
watchdog group aiming to eradicate
animal experimentation, filed two
complaints with the federal Office
of Research Integrity regarding
Owyang’s research, the first on
Dec. 12, 2022 and the second on
Jan. 20, 2023. The group expressed
concerns that the animals were
being unethically used in an
experimental setting, as the usage
of rats was contributing to falsified
data.
SAEN
co-founder
Michael
Budkie said he has worked with
various news sources in the state,
such as The Detroit Metro Times,
and wrote a letter to University
President Santa Ono to spread
awareness about the allegations
of research fraud. Budkie told The
Daily he thinks the University
needs to take further action against
animal
experimentation
in
its
laboratories, particularly by giving
back the millions of dollars the
federal government granted the
laboratory for its research.
“The University of Michigan
should refund the grant money
connected to this case of research
fraud back to the National Institutes
of Health because the federal
government did not get what it paid
for,” Budkie said.
Researchers use information and
results of previous studies in order
to inform hypotheses and generate
questions
for
further
analysis.
Budkie said one of the main
consequences of data fabrication in
research is that it might lead to more
incidents of fraud in the future.
“One of the other things that’s
bad about falsified experiments like
this, especially when they’re not
discovered for a number of years, is
(that) they spawn other experiments
which are then based on … falsified
data,” Budkie said. “This has a
cascading effect and generates a
spreading wave of fraud.”
In an interview with The Daily,
LSA sophomore Paul Lais described
Owyang’s situation as unfortunate
and counterproductive. Lais works
as a lab assistant for research on
osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint
disease that wears cartilage. As
an undergraduate researcher, Lais
said he believes having integrity
in research is important because
it protects data from misleading
future researchers.
“I feel like the main point of
research is to explore the topic that
you’re researching, regardless of
if you’re right or wrong,” Lais said.
“Falsifying that or fabricating data
… kind of takes away from the whole
point of research of finding the
truth.”
Lais highlighted the importance
of valuing the lives of animals used
for experimentation.
“It’s kind of inhumane … to waste
(the animals),” Lais said. “It’s a
misuse of their sacrifice to science. I
feel like that’s just not okay.”
Budkie
expressed
similar
grievances and said Owyang’s
misconduct should be about more
than just research fraud.
“There is somehow something
worse about research misconduct
when it also comes at the cost of
animal lives,” Budkie said.
According to Broekhuizen, the
University is working to prevent
fraudulent research from happening
again, outlining Ono’s future plans
to cultivate and promote integrity in
university research.
“President
Santa
J.
Ono
also
recently
announced
that
(the University) will create an
independent central ethics, integrity
and compliance office responsible
for examining trends, processes,
areas of concern and overall ethics,
integrity and compliance issues,”
Broekhuizen wrote.
What does it mean to be
a menace? According to the
Black Menaces, a social media
activist group of students from
universities across the country,
being a “menace” entails pushing
students
to
grow
by
asking
uncomfortable
questions
and
growing from the answers. The
University of Michigan Digital
Studies
Institute
hosted
the
original
five
Black
Menaces
Wednesday afternoon at Weiser
Hall for a panel conversation
with Apryl Williams, assistant
professor of communications and
media and the U-M Digital Studies
Institute. The group spoke about
their history and experiences as
a coalition in front of about 50
attendees.
The original team consists of
three current Brigham Young
University
seniors,
Sebastian
Stewart-Johnson, Kylee Shepherd
and Kennethia Dorsey, as well as
two BYU alumni, Nate Byrd and
Rachel Weaver. Through social
media platforms such as TikTok,
Instagram and Twitter, the Black
Menaces have worked to unveil
social and institutional issues at
predominantly white institutions
— colleges and universities with
a greater than 50% white student
population — such as BYU.
The Black Menaces’ TikTok
page, which currently has over
721,000
followers,
primarily
consists of “street interview”-
style videos, where the “Menaces”
ask students from BYU and other
schools to share their thoughts on
“uncomfortable” issues such as
LGBTQ+ rights, racial equality and
abortion access.
What started as a source of
entertainment for a group of
friends on BYU’s campus has
now become a national coalition,
with 12 chapters at different
universities across the country,
such as Duke University and the
University of North Carolina, and a
growing number of collaborations
with social media influencers
to
empower
marginalized
individuals.
According to Dorsey, co-founder
and marketing director for the
Black Menaces, the group began
making TikTok videos in February
2022 and has had a number
of videos go viral with tens of
millions of views, expanding its
scope to address a broad range of
issues on multiple PWI campuses.
“We use our platform on
TikTok, Instagram and Twitter to
call out issues that happened (at)
PWIs,” Dorsey said. “At first, it was
just for the Black community, but
then we started going more broad.”
During
the
hour-and-a-half
long panel, the group discussed
the formation of the coalition,
their own personal experiences at
BYU and the purpose behind their
movement. Weaver, co-founder
and co-communications director
of the Black Menaces, said the
groups
wanted
to
confront
students and faculty about Black
history, emphasizing that the Black
Menaces’ main goal is to educate
the public and inspire productive
discourse.
“The point of our videos is
not to expose people to the point
that they feel ashamed of the way
they think,” Weaver said. “It’s to
encourage conversation.”
The Black Menaces are now
aiming
to
spread
awareness
to universities outside of their
national
coalition.
Stewart-
Johnson,
another
co-founder
and the executive director of the
Black Menaces, said he hopes the
panel will inspire students to seek
positive change on the University
of Michigan’s campus. During
the panel, he called upon higher
education institutions to do more
than simply acknowledge social
issues on campus.
“For any administration, as you
listen to (student experiences),
find valuable ways to actually
do something more than what’s
performative, more than the bare
minimum,” Stewart-Johnson said.
“Do something that actually will
impact the daily lives of these
students.”
Engineering
sophomore
Rachana Bhandiwad attended the
panel and told The Michigan Daily
she decided to attend the event
after seeing the Black Menances
on TikTok. She said she wanted to
hear from the students behind the
account and learn more about the
group’s initiatives.
“As another member of a
minority group (at) a PWI, I really
liked their message of going out
and making people uncomfortable
to the point of them doing their
own research,” Bhandiwad said. “I
think what they’re doing is really
noble and takes a lot of courage.
Coming to this event, I wanted to
see how they did what they did and
how I can implement (their ideas)
on this campus.”
2 — Wednesday, February 15, 2023
News
The Black Menaces talk institutional change at UMich
CAMPUS LIFE
UMich researcher resigns following falsified data accusations
Viral TikTok activist group discuss group’s history and unveiling
social issues at predominantly white institutions
Former U-M chief of gastroenterology resigned on Jan. 2 following allegations of
falsified data involving millions of federal research dollars
RESEARCH
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NATALIE ANDERSON
Daily Staff Reporter
NATALIE ANDERSON
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LUCAS CHEN/Daily
The Black Menaces discuss their platform and share their work Wednesday afternoon.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
University President Santa Ono
recommended
Provost
Laurie
McCauley for a full term as the
University of Michigan’s provost
on Tuesday, almost a year after
the start of McCauley’s term. The
recommendation will be considered
by the Board of Regents at their Feb.
16 meeting.
McCauley’s original appointment
is set to expire in June 2023. If
approved by the board, her term
will extend until June 2027. The
provost works in tandem to lead The
University with the president as the
chief academic and budgetary officer.
Ono expressed his support for
McCauley as provost and his hope
for the future of their partnership in a
tweet Tuesday afternoon.
“(McCauley)
serves
with
distinction and honor, and I cannot
imagine a better partner in leadership
at U-M,” the tweet said.
Before her 1-year appointment
as provost in 2022, MccCauley
served as dean of the Dentistry
School for 10 years. McCauley has
also served as assistant professor of
dentistry, professor of pathology and
periodontics, chair of Periodontics
and Oral Medicine in the School of
Dentistry.
In a University Record article,
McCauley said she is excited to
continue her work as provost.
“I am honored to continue to
lead the academic and budgetary
mission on our campus,” McCauley
said. “I am committed to promoting
academic excellence and providing
an environment where students,
staff and faculty can optimize their
potential. Working together, we will
ensure that our campus remains
a place of innovation, inclusivity,
creativity and growth for years to
come.”
McCauley initially replaced Susan
Collins as provost, who stepped
down from the position after being
named CEO and president of the
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
Many
previous
provosts
have
left the University after receiving
offers to become president at other
institutions.
In
the
same
article,
Ono
highlighted the main reasons for his
recommendation and commended
McCauley’s work so far as provost.
“Provost McCauley has brought
steadfast and inspired leadership
to the role of the institution’s chief
academic and budgetary officer,” Ono
said. “Provost McCauley has become
an integral part of the executive
leadership team of the University
providing
critical
support
and
insight during the recent presidential
transition and helping to shape new
initiatives and priorities.”
Provost Laurie McCauley to receive full term
University President Santa Ono recommended Provost Laurie McCauley
to receive a full term through June 2027
RILEY HODDER &
MILES ANDERSON
Daily News Editor & Daily Staff
Reporter
EMILY ALBERTS/Daily
Dr. Laurie McCauley answers questions from Michigan Daily interviewers Nov. 8.