From: glen mccready
To: Dead Beef <0xdeadbeef@substance.abuse.blackdown.org>
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 1995 00:25:32 -0400
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 16 Jul 1995 22:52:34 -0400
From: Keith Bostic <bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU>
To: /dev/null@python.bostic.com
Subject: Dickey reviews the latest on the CMU/Rimm scandal
From: Wendell Craig Baker <wbaker@splat.baker.com>
[Note the date on the post -- WCB]
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news:kieran-1507950102150001@kieran.port.net
From: kieran@interport.net (Aaron Dickey)
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 1995 01:02:15 -0500
Subject: The Latest on the Rimm Scandal
Today's developments in the Rimm Scandal, including Carnegie-Mellon's mad
scramble at spin control:
1) The following letter was leaked, from Don Hale, CMU's Vice President of
University Relations (dh0c@andrew.cmu.edu). The title is an elegant way
of saying Hale is CMU's number one PR spinmeister. The following was in
response to a member of the CMU community asking what CMU's official
response will be:
[name deleted]: I have seen Brock's story, which is not journalism, but an
entertaining, slickly written point of view piece on Marty Rimm and the
controversy. Many thanks for shipping it to me. Be assured that I am
working diligently to ensure that the university maintains its well
earned reputation. I am keeping the academic leadership informed and
trying to get fair and honest reporting from the news media. Best, Don
2) Hale said that CMU is simply providing the "service" of distributing
the study, not necessarily standing behind the conclusions or
methodologies of it. He also said that the big problem was only that the
study didn't include a "standard disclaimer" saying that CMU provided
funding but the results are not necessarily the opinions of CMU.
3) When asked whether CMU still accepts Rimm's study as "the
Carnegie-Mellon" study, one of Hale's subordinates refused to answer the
question, saying only
"Don Hale is working with the provost now on how to handle the study."
4) CMU's PR office is now refusing to release the list of who serves on.
CMU Board of Trustees. This is public information, and is published in
CMU's own catalogs. As such, the only possible reason they've privatized
it is to slow down reporters. The PR office admitted it was
publically-available, and refused to give a reason why they wouldn't
provide it. When asked when this new policy was instituted, no answer was
given. (The full list of CMU's Board of Trustees, from CMU's own 1994-96
course catalog, is located at the bottom of this post.)
5) CMU has apparantly issued a university-wide coverup order. The
simplest question about any aspect of the school's research system now
results in the caller being tranferred from office to office, and all
information is suddenly "unavailable".
6) Major media outlets are starting to inquire about CMU's handling of
this, including the New York Times.
7) The latest issue of The New Republic includes a full-page story about
the Time magazine article and the overall scandal. It calls Rimm
"unrepentant and making things worse."
8) Time magazine assigned a senior staffer to write an article for
Monday's edition on this mess they created. Realizing that he was being
pushed into a morass of journalistic ethical violations, he demanded that
he retain the right to remove his byline from the article should Time's
senior management make changes to his story that he deemed unacceptable.
As is to be expected, current word is that the story will run Monday, sans
byline.
9) Reports are coming in from college students around the country who work
in their colleges' computer centers. Seems they're now spending an
inordinate amount of time fielding phone calls from upset parents, wanting
to know why their money is going toward pornographic computer systems.
10) CMU released the following statement late Friday afternoon:
UNIVERSITY STATEMENT ON RIMM STUDY
The following is the university's statement about the study, "Marketing
Pornography on the Information Superhighway," by Marty Rimm.
Carnegie Mellon University is responsible for the integrity of
research conducted at the university. As a community of scholars, in
which truth and integrity are fundamental, the university generally
examines carefully issues raised concerning the propriety of research
conducted by members of the university community, taking due care to
protect the rights of those members.
Provost Paul Christiano already has informally sought and received
advice from some faculty members about the study conducted by
undergraduate student Marty Rimm and published by the Georgetown Law
Journal. He will soon form a committee of distinguished and
knowledgeable faculty to examine in more detail the issues that have
been raised about the study. The committee will recommend the
appropriate next steps, if any, that should be taken relative to this
study and, if necessary, relative to policies on undergraduate
research.
11) Some at CMU are considering filing internal disciplinary charges
against Rimm and/or Marvin Sirbu. Some at MIT (where Rimm has been
accepted to a prestigious graduate program) are expressing extreme concern
as well.
12) One rumor has Rimm planning a lawsuit against Sirbu for academic
misconduct and improper supervision.
More later....
--Aaron
The Carnegie-Mellon University Board of Trustees
--- --------------- ---------- ----- -- --------
Officers
--------
Thomas A. McConomy, Chair and Alum
CEO, Calgon Carbon Corporation
Vincent A. Sarni, Vice Chair
Former CEO PPG (Pittsburgh Plate Glass)
Life Trustees
-------------
Paul a. Allaire, CEO, Xerox, and Alum
Frank V. Cahouet, CEO Mellon Bank
Robert A. Charpie, Chairman, Ampersand Ventures, Former Chair of the
Cabot Corporation, former chair of CMU Trustees, and alum
Douglas Danforth, chair, Simmons Upholstered Furniture, Inc. Retired CEO
of Westinghouse, former chair of CMU Trustees
Edward Donley former chair of air products and chemicals
Claire W. Gargalli, Vice Chiar The Diversified Search Companies
Stanley R. Gumberg, Chairman of J.J. Gumberg, Co.
Orion Hoch, chair emeritys, Lifton Industries, Chairman of the Executive
Comm, Western Atlas, Inc. and alum
Terrence M. Hunt, Sr. Retired Vice PRes. ALCOA
Stephen J. Jatras, REtired chair of Telex and alum
Tod S. Johnson CEO of NPD Group and alum
William H. Knoell, Retired CEO of Cuclops and alum
Hans Lange, chiar Ultra Pure Technologies, and alum
Lindsay Jordan Morgenthaler, alum
Charles W. Parry, Retired CEO ALCOA
David M. Roderick, Former CEO USX, former chair of trustees
Alvin Rogal, Chairman of Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton Company of Pgh
David s. Shapira, CEO of Giant Eagle (Pgh supermarkets)
Wesley W. von Schack, CEO of DQE
James M. Walton, Vice chair of MMC Group
Konrad Weis, chair Carnegie Institute
L. Stanton Williams, retired CEO of PPG
Term up in 95
-------------
Charles Corry, CEO USX
Erroll Davis, Jr. CEO Wisconsin Power and Light and alum
Henry Gailliot, senior VP, Federated Research Corp. and alum
Wilton A. Hawkins, VP of R&D, Norton Performance Plastics and alum
Helen Lee Henderson, Pres. Chiron Productions and alum
James E. Rohr, Pres of PNC bank
Ronald Skeddle, CEO, SWR and alum
Donald Stitzenberg, exec director of business and marketing development,
Marck, and alum
Expires in 96
-------------
W. Logan Dickerson, Pres. of WP Dickerson and alum
W. Lee Hoskins, CEO, Huntington Nat'l Bank
David Kirr, President of Kirr, Marbach & Co., alum
Andrew Merson, Pres of Command Web Offset Co., and alum
John Rangos, CEO Chambers development co.
Joseph Schuchert, CEO Kelso and Co., alum
Expires in 97
-------------
C. Fred Fetterolf, Q-Core Enterprise
Lucie J. Fjeldstad, Pres. of Fjeldstad, International
T. Jerome Holleran, VP and Chief Operating Officer, Arrow Precision
Products, inc., alum
Justin Johnson, Judge, Superior Court of PA
Raymand J. Lane, Pres, Worldwide Operations, Oracle corp.
Alessandreo Ovi, Senior VP, Instituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale
Charles J. Queenan, Jr. Partner Kirkpatrick and Lockhart
James C. Stalder, Manageing Partner, Price Waterhouse
Ex Officio Trustees
-------------------
Richard A. Elder, President, Andrew Carnegie Society
James Ferlo, Pesident, Pittsburgh City Council
Thomas J. Murphy, Mayor, City of Pittsburgh
Harold W. Paxton, Chairman, Faculty Senate, CMU
Barrie Dinkins Simpson, President, CMU Alumni Association