AR-News: Precedent established in primate case

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From:primfocus at waste.org
The Daily Utah Chronicle - News
Issue: 01/20/04


Precedent established in primate case
By Cara Wieser

The decision was unanimous.

The State Records Committee agreed Thursday that freshman Jeremy Beckham
has the right to view protocol documents concerning primate
experimentation at the U.

The decision could set precedent for future requests from the public.

However, the U retained the right to redact, or black out, certain
information it claims proprietary. This will include researchers' names,
addresses and contact information because of safety concerns. According
to Jack Taylor, director of the Animal Resources Center, one
investigator recently had an animal rights activist threaten him at his
home.

However, Beckham worries the U could decide the majority of information
is proprietary. "What I may end up with are pages full of black magic
marker," Beckham said.

Beckham requested the documents out of concern for the welfare of the
primates currently housed at the U. His group, the Utah Primate Freedom
Project, advocates the release of all primates and "an end to all
primate experimentation on the U campus," according to handouts.

Conversely, the U is seeking to protect the confidentiality and the
scientific discoveries of its researchers. Before the committee's
decision, U attorney Phyllis Vetter told Beckham that all records would
be made public after the experiment results are published. Vetter denied
Beckham's requests in a letter dated Sept. 18, 2003, stating that the
records "contain confidential information regarding research in
progress, the results of which have not been published."

However, Beckham was quick to point out that "Siegler has already
published papers relating to his protocols that are currently being
funded," referring to U scientist Richard Siegler. He also referred
committee members to the U's Research Handbook, which states, "The Utah
Public Records Act provides for general access to proposals, awards and
research documents such as interim and final reports and laboratory
notebooks."

Vetter commented on the handbook by saying, "We don't know whose ideas
those are or where they came from."

One committee member, Betsy Ross, said "it seems there is information in
a proposal that would be public." To encourage the U to redefine what
is, or is not, proprietary, Ross said, "It would be fair for the
committee to put a little more pressure on the U."

Other states already have guidelines for redacting and releasing
protocol information. Under the Freedom of Information Act, the
University of California at San Francisco must make all protocol
documents public.

According to UCSF researcher Stephen G. Lisberger, names of scientists
are always considered proprietary. More importantly, he said,
researchers "[have] to assume that everything they write could
potentially fall into the hands of the public."

cwieser at chronicle.utah.edu

the wild, cruel beast is not behind the bars of the cage. he is in front of it - axel munthe

"Never doubt that a small group of dedicated citizens can change the world. 
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."      Margaret Mead
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