November 27, 1995

With regard to your recent editorials on university ethics, the University of Texas Regents Rules and Regulations Ethics Policy contains the following clear statement:

"No employee shall accept other employment or compensation which could reasonably be expected to impair the employee's independence of judgement in the performance of the employee's public duties."

Does refusal to respond to criticism, refusal to participate in debate, refusal to be accountable to faculty, student and press concerns, refusal to abide by established norms of democratic process, refusal to answer questions except through the intermediary of a Freeport spokesman count as impaired independence of judgement? Unquestionably it does.

Forcing President Berdahl to take the hit from faculty, students, press and community while Chancellor Cunningham can't decide who he is working for is an ethical outrage. It's time for Cunningham to make a choice -- and walk from UT or walk from Freeport-McMoRan.

Steven Feld