Committee reaffirms school research policy

The University's ad hoc committee on classified research released its final report yesterday, reaffirming the school's current policy. At this time, the University is not conducting any such investigations on campus.

Classified research consists of government-sponsored studies that are deemed essential to national security interests.

Although classified projects have the potential to generate a large amount of research funds, the USA Patriot Act's regulations regarding such discrimination conflict with existing University policy.

"The committee was particularly concerned about language in the USA Patriot Act that mandates special restrictions on access to select agents based on such criteria as a person's country of origin, nature of his or her discharge from military service and his or her commitment to a mental hospital. Such special treatment is discriminatory and contrary to University policies," the report said.

Furthermore, committee members expressed concerns about publication freedom.

"Free and open exchange of information is essential to the accomplishment of these missions. Classified research by its nature restricts the free flow of information and is incompatible with the goals of a modern research university," the report read.

"We don't want to change the basic rules, but we have to be alert to the possibilities of change in the environment, particularly federal regulations and financing," said Geoffrey Hazard, a Penn Law School professor who worked on the committee. "For the present, the University's policy [of not allowing classified research] makes sense, and we think it would be wrong to change it."

But the report also raised a number of questions that remain unanswered.

It noted the existence of the sole laboratory that works with substances regulated by the Patriot Act, but made no recommendations for dealing with the potential discrimination issues that could arise were a foreign national to apply for a position there, Hazard said. All researchers now working in the lab are American citizens.

The committee did not include any faculty members who would be adversely affected by the federal regulations or consult with an advocacy group, "but we well understood their problems," he added.

Furthermore, the committee neither recommended nor rejected proposals to establish an off-campus research facility affiliated with the University that would be devoted to classified research. Although some professors cited in the report expressed concerns that Penn was losing grants to Penn State and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- both of whom have such off-site classified research institutes -- others did not express a strong desire for such a facility. However, future investigations into the subject may be possible.

"The committee's analysis clearly reflects our core values -- that academic freedom and freedom of expression are paramount for Penn, and must never be sacrificed for the sake of doing classified research on our campus," University President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi wrote in a statement.

Similar opinions were shared by University professors.

"I agree completely with their recommendations," said School of Medicine Professor Martin Pring, who is on the Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility and was not invited to be on the committee examining classified research.

Since Pring is a British national who has not yet received American citizenship, it "is conceivable, but not very likely" that the Patriot Act regulations would affect him. However, since he studies cell membrane transport systems and cellular cytoskeletons, he doubted that his research would raise national security issues.

But he also agreed with the methods used to investigate the issue of discrimination.

"As long as they have reasonable information, that's fine. You can't include every interest group in every committee. However, it's certainly an aspect to be considered."

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