I also wrote the SF chronicle; American Association of University Professors; The Chronicle of Higher Education, etc.
Marsha V. Hammond, PhD: Licensed Psychologist, NC & GA
e mail: hammondmv@netzero.com
December 17, 2004
Dear Chancellor Bergeneau:
I was extremely troubled to find that UC Berkeley had recently denied tenure to Dr. Chapela even though the chairman of his department recommended tenure. Not only is this a blow against academic freedom; it is a direct threat to what we eat----what we put on our tables.
What could be a more basic threat than this? And UC Berkeley has been complicit with this? This is an outrage, sir.
This is part of the story which is moving throughout the world:
"A native of Mexico, Chapela has remained deeply involved with his homeland, conducting research and helping indigenous people work toward economic self-sufficiency.
Quist and Chapela discovered strands of genetically modified DNA in the genome of native strands of corn cultivated in the heart of the region where maize was first domesticated.....
.....
But the Chapela/Quist discovery was especially troubling to the agribusiness giants whose patented strains of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are being spread throughout the world and generating huge profits....."
http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=12-10-04&storyID=20257Please let us hear that this decision has been reversed.
Sincerely,
Marsha V. Hammond, PhD: Psychologist