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PLEASE TAKE ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH DR IGNACIO CHAPELA - STAND UP FOR ACADEMIC FREEDOM!

An outspoken critic of the University of California Berkeley's ties to the biotechnology industry, Dr. Ignacio Chapela had his tenure denied after he and fellow Berkeley scientist, David Quist, published an article demonstrating that native corn in Mexico had been contaminated by genetically engineered corn.

Chapela and Quist's Nature article represented a major piece of evidence repudiating biotech industry claims of safety. As a result of a well-coordinated industry campaign, Nature's editor all but retracted the article, repudiating its accuracy in an unprecedented editorial. Yet 3 of the 4 Nature reviewers of the criricism of the original article suggested only minor changes to Quist and Chapela's report.

The industry effort to damage Dr. Chapela's professional reputation has subsequently led to the unfair denial of his tenure.

Dr Chapela's tenure denial came in the face of overwhelming support by his peers at the University of California and around the world. He was denied tenure despite the near-unanimous support of the reviewers of his tenure both from within and beyond Dr Chapela's department

CALL TO ACTION: Show solidarity with Ignacio Chapela on the day of his last class at UC Berkeley

If you're within travelling distance of Berkeley, join Ignacio's last (hopefully not!) class and the subsequent march to the Chancellor's office at California Hall.

[IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO GET TO BERKELEY THIS THURSDAY SEE BELOW FOR HOW TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH DR CHAPELA]

Chapela's last class is on Thursday, Dec. 9th from 8:00 - 9:30 AM. in 141 McCone Hall, UC Berkeley. Followed by 9:30-10 AM march to California Hall. After 10 AM there will be speakers and more...
(Here's the Event Flyer .doc file
http://www.tenurejustice.org/files/Academic%20Freedom.doc )

Ignacio Chapela's contract with UC Berkeley ends December 31, 2004.

Dr Chapela has been courageously outspoken and critical of the biotech industry and its connections to academic research and in particular its connections to UC Berkeley. It's time to stand up for academic freedom and tenure justice in the face of corporate power and the industrial alignment of science.

*IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO JOIN EVERYONE IN BERKELEY, YOU CAN STILL HAVE AN IMPACT:

1. Call, fax, or email the Berkeley chancellor's office. A sample letter/talking points, along with contact information, can be found at the end of this email.

YOU CAN E-MAIL YOUR PROTEST VIA GM WATCH, IT'LL ONLY TAKE A MINUTE:
http://www.gmwatch.org/proemail1.asp?id=7
(copy and paste the whole link into your browser, if necessary)

If enough people contact the chancellor’s office, preferably Thursday morning or afternoon, we will make a huge statement that they will not be able to ignore. If you can't do it on Thursday, please contact their office whenever you can.

2. Forward this email to as many list-servs, groups, and people you know.

3. If you're in the Berkeley area, print out the flyer and post it around your schools, workplaces, and communities.
http://www.tenurejustice.org/files/Academic%20Freedom.doc

4. Write letters to any relevant publications.

5. Wear a ribbon around your arm as a symbol of support. This is an ongoing symbol that we will be wearing through Thursday and beyond. We are going to be using red and green ribbons intertwined and tied around the arm. Though, any ribbon will do. See www.tenurejustice.org for more information.

6. Join the Tenure Justice Campaign list-serve for future actions at www.tenurejustice.org The Tenure Justice website has all of the up to date informatio on this action on Thursday, plus all the backround stuff on Ignacio's case.

7. Make a donation to the Pulse of Science Fund. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with "donation" in the subject line for more information.

Brief Background on Dr. Chapela's Case:
Dr. Chapela had his tenure denied after he spoke out against the 5 year, $25 million contract between Novartis Corporation (one of the world's largest biotechnology companies) and the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley, and after he published an article in Nature in November 2001 that demonstrated the presence of engineered genes in native corn in Mexico (A 1998 law had made it illegal to plant transgenic corn in Mexico.) Although he had overwhelming support from his peers reviewing his case (59 supported tenure, while only 3 recommended against tenure) the budget committee (which included one professor with financial ties to the biotechnology industry and academic ties to Novartis) voted against tenure, and the chancellor upheld their vote.
Fore more information or to subscribe to our list: www.tenurejustice.org
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Sample Letter/Talking Points to be used when you call, email, or fax the Chancellor. Also, please CC the Regents: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ALTERNATIVELY YOU CAN E-MAIL YOUR PROTEST VIA GM WATCH:
http://www.gmwatch.org/proemail1.asp?id=7

If you wish to fax or call the Regents go to http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/contact.html
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Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau
Office of the Chancellor
200 California Hall #1500
Berkeley, CA 94720-1500
(510) 642-7464 Fax: 510-643-5499
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dear Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau,

The tenure process for Professor Ignacio Chapela of the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM) has been extraordinary. After three years and much international attention, Chancellor Berdahl denied tenure despite the near-unanimous support from the reviewers from within and beyond ESPM. Additionally there was an obvious conflict of interest with one of the faculty members on the budget committee reviewing Ignacio Chapela’s case. We are concerned that this appears to be not only a failure of the review process, but also that it may represent the stifling of academic freedom and an assault on the credibility of the University of California.

We Demand:

1. A clear and simple statement from yourself, the new chancellor, regarding your position and plan of action with respect to this case
2. That an impartial body (preferably from outside the UC system) examine

* What conflicts of interest were present in the tenure review process
* How those conflicts of interest shaped the outcome
* The reasons why the budget committee contradicted its own ad hoc committee of experts
* The reasons why the chancellor recommended against tenure despite overwhelming support from Ignacio's department, anonymous external reviewers, and the greater academic community

and
3. To extend Professor Chapela's term of employment while an investigation is underway.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)