Date: 28 Mar 2005 23:01:35 -0000 Message-ID: <20050328230135.37403.qmail@cr.yp.to> Automatic-Legal-Notices: See http://cr.yp.to/mailcopyright.html. From: "D. J. Bernstein" To: "Williamson, Donna" Subject: Re: FW: statements of economic interest References: <568759DC4C96A04492F66C28BBD180329767D6@lcmail1.ui.uillinois.edu> Thanks for your message. Focusing on the substantive issue for a moment: I assume your office agrees that merely being a principal investigator on a federal grant does not trigger 5 ILCS 420 Sec. 4a-101(f)(2). There are three independent reasons for this conclusion. First, PIs don't control grant funds---I can't even get the university to send me account _statements_ after repeated written requests---and thus don't have the ``direct'' authority/responsibility required by 4a-101(f)(2). Second, purchases and other contracts funded by grants are below $5000 except in specially authorized circumstances, and thus don't meet the $5000 test in 4a-101(f)(2). Third, grant funds are federal funds, not state funds; 4a-101(f)(2) cannot reasonably be construed to apply to federal funds. It would be helpful if your office could generate a prompt statement to the University Ethics Officer stating this conclusion. The University Ethics Officer has time to notify the Office of the Secretary of State that various people shouldn't have been listed this year. The Office of the Secretary of State says that they're still accepting corrections. It's clear that the University Ethics Officer currently believes that your office has a different opinion. Here's what she wrote: PI's are included as required filers based on an interpretation by University Counsel. Here's what she wrote when I asked for the memo: I'm sorry. I do not have such documentation as I am new to the position and was left with the interpretation in only note form from the prior Ethics Officer. If you do succeed in finding out what went wrong, please let me know, and fax any supporting documents to 312-996-1491 attention Bernstein. I've been keeping quite a few other UIC faculty members up to date. ---D. J. Bernstein, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago