From: Daily Cal ReceiveTo: newscoverage@dailycal.org Subject: /receive news coverage Date: Tuesday, November 24, 1998 8:08 AM November 24, 1998 -------------------- * Microbial Biology Hails Deal With Biotech Company * Editor Explains New Yorker's Appeal * Juveniles Commit Fall's 15th Robbery * News In Brief -------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ Microbial Biology Hails Deal With Biotech Company Chancellor supportive of alliance despite protests, pie-throwing incident By Scott Loganbill Contributing Writer UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources announced yesterday that it has entered into an unprecedented alliance with a private biotechnology firm, despite doubts from students concerning the deal's effects on the university's integrity. Representatives of Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute and the college's Plant and Microbial Biology Department signed the deal yesterday in a public event that was interrupted by an unexpected pie-throwing attack. The alliance, which will give the department $25 million over five years to facilitate unrestricted research as well as use of technologies currently owned by Novartis, is expected to create close collaborations between the private firm and UC Berkeley scientists through biotechnology research. In return for the $25 million donation, the deal gives Novartis first rights to negotiations over any inventions that result from the research alliance, said Novartis President Steven Briggs. The anticipated contract has drawn criticism in recent months from people who said information surrounding plans for the deal were not made sufficiently accessible. The otherwise peaceful press conference took an unscheduled turn of events early on when two members of the "Biotic Baking Brigade" attempted to attack the deal's key participants, including Novartis' chief executive Douglas Watkins, by throwing whipped-cream covered pies at them. Chanting "No to biotechnology," the two assailants, identified as Daniel McGowan and Monica Forgoni, were immediately escorted out of the room by police, according to UC police Capt. Bill Cooper. The suspects are awaiting a court date on charges of trespassing and assault, he said. Despite the pie-throwing incident, Watkins and others, including UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl, carried on with the event seemingly unfazed. The new deal will set a precedent in research funding in terms of its freedom from corporate guidance. Research will be determined by faculty while the alliance is to be constantly reviewed by an oversight committee consisting of Novartis and UC Berkeley representatives, Briggs said. "It is my view that by providing unrestricted funding whose target and goals are set solely by the faculty themselves (is a) striking contrast from funding from the government," Briggs said. "This research is the final statement in academic freedom." In an unrelated press conference after the deal was signed, members of the Students for Responsible Research stressed their opposition to the alliance, which they said was negotiated without student and faculty input. The group said it bases its opposition on controversy surrounding genetic engineering and the direction university research will take when under pressure to secure corporate sponsorship, said graduate student and group spokesman Ariel Levine. "Students in general are hesitant if not opposed to it," Levine said "We as students don't want to see our college sold off to the highest bidders. "When it was presented to us, it was presented to us pretty much as a done deal that was going to happen whether we liked it or not," she added. "There wasn't any time for debate or open discussion." The group said it is also concerned over the direction the university will take in its research if it is under pressure to gain corporate sponsorship. "It is difficult and sometimes dangerous to come out against this agreement that's been touted as a very huge step forward for the university," said group representative Jason DelBovine. "I know of many faculty members who are nervous about speaking up about this." Berdahl expressed his support of the landmark deal despite criticism that it was not adequately discussed within staff and faculty. "To say this has not had an extensive discussion is not entirely accurate," he said. "I think that this partnership is a very positive one for the university and I'm very supportive of it." College Dean Gordon Rausser explained that if, upon further discussion, fears expressed by graduate students and faculty turn out to be true, negotiators have inserted exit clauses available to both Novartis and the college. ------------------------------------------------------------ Editor Explains New Yorker's Appeal By Norman Weiss Daily Cal Staff Writer The New Yorker's new editor, David Remnick, verbally dissected the lure and influence of the venerated magazine, and analyzed the changing role journalism faces at a UC Berkeley lecture last night. The Pulitzer-Prize winning author and former Washington Post foreign correspondent also described in front of a nearly-packed audience in Zellerbach Hall his ascendency, at age 39, to the editorship of arguably one of the world's most influential magazines <\#209> a post once described by former editor Robert Gottlieb as being "like having your head put in the end of a pencil sharpener." @Body Copy: "This is terrifying <\#209> to be on the other side of this," Remnick said, as he was being interviewed by fellow journalist Orville Schell, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism. He went on to describe New Yorker readers as a special breed who think the magazine "belongs to them in some way." "I think that the intensity of the relationship between the New Yorker, its writers and our readers is like no other in the world," said Remnick, in his New York accent. @Body Copy: "I'm glad when (readers) get angry at a change," he added. "It shows that they're paying attention in some way." Remnick told of how "terrifying and very strange" it was to lead the New Yorker after the much-publicized announcement by his ever-popular predecessor, Tina Brown, that she was stepping down. Remnick, the first editor to be chosen from within the New Yorker staff, wrote a 3,000-word memo to the magazine's publisher explaining what he would do if selected for the job. In his lecture, Remnick addressed the role of the editor as a celebrity <\#209> a role that was heavily personified in Tina Brown. For instance, Remnick pointed to the lecture he was giving, saying the ego of the editor can be an overwhelming factor," but that his being a celebrity is in the hands of the media. "The magazine is not an esoteric hutch," Remnick said. "It's not a secret. I'm not a secret." Remnick, the magazine's fifth editor who had never served in that capacity before, also described his role as an editor and how he guides writers along in shaping their story. "You want that writer, when finished, to think that he or she has come out of the end of the tunnel to come out with what they want (after the editing process)," said Remnick. He said part of his job means "crisis management," whereby he has to work on a "piece" for hours and hours in a locked-up room by himself in order to get things "perfect." In addition to the New Yorker, Remnick addressed Schell's concerns that as the world becomes more globalized, Americans are becoming increasingly indifferent to foreign news. Remnick said he has noticed that, in many cases, foreign bureaus are closing and network reporters are frequently having "British accents." Remnick also played up his magazine's coverage of the Monica Lewinsky White House scandal, while denouncing what he called the media's intensity in the coverage of the presidential crisis. During the conversation, which was occasionally peppered with Yiddish, Remnick said the frequently-criticized and praised changes Brown made to the New Yorker, such as adding photos, were essential for its growth <\#209> and he plans to change not a thing. "I think the look of the magazine is forever changed (because of Brown) and I'm glad for it," he said. Before becoming editor in July, Remnick served as a staff writer for the magazine for six years. He previously worked at the Washington Post, where he spent four years covering the former Soviet Union as communism was collapsing. Remnick later compiled his experience and work in Russia as the author of "Lenin's Tomb," for which he won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize. He recently released a non-biographical book on former boxer Muhammad Ali, titled "King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero." Remnick was the latest installment in the Herb Caen/San Francisco Chronicle lecture series. Previous interviews have included veteran television news anchor Walter Cronkite and former Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien. Remnick closed the lecture by saying that the New Yorker, being one of the most flocked-after magazines by writers, is a special place where writers have an opportunity to really show off their craft. @Body Copy: "The New Yorker gave me the chance to essentially fail,. and I am grateful for it," he said. ------------------------------------------------------------ Juveniles Commit Fall's 15th Robbery By Katherine Tam Contributing Writer Police are searching for four teenagers in connection with the daytime robbery of two 12-year-old boys near the Haas Pavilion construction site Saturday. Police said the victims were walking along the west side of the Alumni House, approaching the intersection of Dana Street and Bancroft Way, when they were confronted at approximately 1:30 p.m. by four males between the ages of 14 and 17. "Although there were four suspects, only two of them were involved in the robbery," said UC police Capt. Bill Cooper. One of the two robbers allegedly asked the victims for a quarter. The two boys gave the robbers the quarter and proceeded to walk through Dana Court toward Bancroft Way, Cooper said. Afterward, the perpetrators followed the two victims, engaged them in conversation and then asked for more money, he added. "At this point, the suspects had surrounded the victims, which created an intimidating situation," Cooper said. As one of the victims opened his wallet, one assailant allegedly grabbed the money inside. The robbers proceeded to demand money from the second victim, who took out his wallet and gave them money, according to police. The perpetrators then left the two juveniles and headed toward Bancroft Way, Cooper said. The victims then went directly to the UC police station in the basement of Sproul Hall to report the incident, he added. According to Cooper, the two robbers in the group of four are both black males, approximately 6-feet, 1-inch tall and weighing 190 pounds. The two victims were significantly physically smaller, he said. "There were no weapons involved," Cooper said. "It was strictly a size difference and the intimidating threat of force." The robbery follows an increase of crime on campus since the beginning of the semester. According to Cooper, last year, there were a reported 17 robberies. In comparison, there have been 15 robberies already reported this semester, he said. "The number of robberies has risen significantly this semester," Cooper said. "(But) out of the 15 robberies reported this semester, we've had eight arrests, which comparatively is a good number of arrests." Campus police have not been able to come up with an explanation so far for the increase in the number of robberies this semester. "(There) is nothing you can point directly to in order to explain why this is happening," Cooper said. Although this latest incident marks the fifteenth on-campus robbery since the beginning of the semester, Cooper said this theft differs from the other robberies that have occurred lately. "Most of them have been at nighttime," he said. "The victims have generally been older and the people responsible have also been older. The fact that this one occurred during the daytime and involved juveniles makes it different." Cooper added that in previous cases, the suspects have taken credit cards or ATM cards. "Most people do not expect juveniles to have credit cards," he said. To help prevent robberies on campus, university police have made adjustments in their system, including providing extra police presence in the area. "We have extra patrols, both in uniform and plain clothes on campus and all our officers are fully aware of the problem," Cooper said. In addition, he recommended that students walk with another person and in well-lit and highly used areas whenever possible. "If students see something that looks suspicious or uncomfortable such as someone loitering around near buildings or in the trees, they should walk in the other direction," Cooper said. ------------------------------------------------------------ News In Brief Officers Injured in Big Game Identified Police yesterday identified the two UC police officers who were injured in the melee that erupted after Saturday's Big Game. UC police Officer Sherief Ibrahim sustained a thumb injury while trying to hold back the pushing, shoving crowds, according to UC police Capt. Bill Cooper. He added that UC police Lt. Adan Tejada was hit on the head by a partly-full plastic bottle. The injuries did not require medical treatment and the two officers have returned to duty, according to police. In addition, Cooper said that a Stanford security officer was also injured during the scuffle when she was knocked to the ground and people fell on top of her. She received medical treatment for cuts, scrapes and bruises, but did not require hospitalization, said Cooper, who added that it was unclear whether she has returned to duty yet. Despite the injuries, the chaos that followed the Big Game this year was "tamer" compared to previous years, he said. "Last year, Cal and Stanford fans got together and actual fist fights broke out," Cooper said. "This year, the biggest problems involved things being thrown, shoving and serious pushing." Cooper said police are currently reviewing video tape of the event in order to apprehend those who may have broken rules during the scuffle. "It is a problem and we don't want to see people get hurt," he said. --Katherine Tam Radio Station Returns to Airwaves Free Radio Berkeley, a micropower radio station, resumed broadcasting yesterday from the treetops of Willard Park, announcing that it will continue to broadcast indefinitely despite a federal injunction to "cease and desist." Demanding an end to corporate dominance of the airwaves, Free Radio Berkeley began transmitting at 104.1 FM to generate community support and awareness. In June, a federal judge placed an injunction against the radio station after the Federal Communication Commission charged that it was broadcasting illegally. Disc jockeys Sparrow and Birdman started off the broadcast at approximately 2 p.m. with a variety of music that organizers said would promote the non-commercial, community-based radio service. Peter Burns, a supporter of the radio station and former broadcaster, said, "We're really doing this to keep (Free Radio Berkeley) in the public eye." Although they experienced early technical difficulties due to stormy weather, the DJs said they are expecting to continue broadcasting for as long as possible, "or at least for a couple of days," in violation of demands from the FCC to cease broadcasting. Before yesterday's event, the radio station had been broadcasting intermittently on Sunday nights from 8-11 p.m. from various locations. Free Radio Berkeley listeners are expected to gather today at 3 p.m. in People's Park and walk down to the site of the broadcast at Willard Park in a show of support for the micropower station. --Lev Metz Donation Received for Middle Eastern Studies UC Berkeley received a $5 million donation yesterday from a Saudi Arabia-based foundation to establish programs on campus and to enhance the understanding of both the Arabic and Islamic worlds. The gift was presented to UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Berdahl by two representatives from the Saudi bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Foundation, general secretary Prince Faisal bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is the Saudi ambassador to the United States. The donation is expected to be used to establish the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Program in Arabic and Islamic Studies within the UC Berkeley's Center for Middle Eastern Studies. In a statement, Berdahl said he is pleased to have received such a gift from "our Saudi friends." "The endowment funds will allow us to broaden UC Berkeley's already remarkable resources at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies," Berdahl stated. "This a study area of critical global value." Presidential Experts Discuss Impeachment Former White House counsels and well-known presidential experts met yesterday to discuss the presidential impeachment inquiry and its potentially wide-reaching implications. Richard Neustadt, a professor emeritus of government at Harvard University who has served in various presidential administrations, said impeachment should be used sparingly. "(Impeachment) should be a club kept in the closet," said Neustadt, a UC Berkeley alumnus. "The house moved too quickly toward impeachment and is now embarrassed. If the process was to be successful, it had to be bipartisan. That's the first requirement of taking the club out of the closet." Several panelists also addressed the apparent gap between public opinion and congressional action. Moderator Michael Nacht, dean of UC Berkeley's School of Public Policy, said that gap has brought the nature of government into question. Leonard Cutler, who served as a White House counsel to former president Richard Nixon, said he is distressed by what he described as the Orwellian-like duplicity apparent in the White House. "It's my view that Mr. Clinton has mastered 'doublethink,' where he can hold two contradictory ideas at the same time and argue them convincingly and in fact believe them himself, which constitutes a form of hypnosis," Cutler said. Approximately 100 people attended the discussion held at the Haas School of Business. Tony Dykes, a junior political science major, said he was pleased with the thoughful nature of the event. "It's interesting to hear academics talk about things in a little broader context than a show trial about sex," Dykes said. "There are some really interesting consequences for the presidency even if it has started to flirt with public irrelevancy. It's still going to matter when the rest of America goes back to other things." --Zack Leeds -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- To sign up for to this service, or to end this service, use the web page at http://www.dailycal.org/receive To report persistent problems, email online@dailycal.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------