A presentation by the U.S. Army International Technology Centre-Canada scheduled to take place at the Sanford Fleming Building on May 2 was cancelled at the last minute as two dozen protestors yelled their objections. The presentation was meant to recruit researchers, mostly from the Faculties of Applied Science and Engineering and Medicine, to participate in Pentagon-funded projects. The protestors, a combination of students and faculty, chanted “Great minds, dead bodies,” at the administration, a spoof of the University’s slogan, Great Minds for a Great Future.
When the protestors attempted to meet with U of T Interim President Frank Iacobucci, they were told that he was unavailable. The president’s office later issued a statement saying the administration would not interfere with researchers’ academic freedom and that military research often has unanticipated civilian uses. Auntie S.A.M. (Stop American Militarization), the name of the ad hoc group, demanded in a letter to Iacobucci that U of T fully disclose all of its investments, especially military-related ones, in addition to asking for an immediate end to all military research on campus.
The incident, which was noted by several Toronto newspapers, shows U of T’s odd bedfellows. Some months ago, there were protests at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) when it was learned that the Institute was assisting Toronto-based Atlantis Systems Corp. in developing training software for the U.S. military.
This is not far from the first foray U of T has made into military matters: during both World Wars, many members of the U of T community jostled among each other to help to develop military technology; in the second World War, U of T scientists helped develop the proximity fuse which made it easier to destroy aircraft without a direct hit.
Professor Paul Hamel, a medical scientist who specializes in mammary gland research was at the protest and spoke to The Varsity. “I first heard about this from some students and immediately became concerned,” Hamel said. “The administration argues that military research sometimes has peaceful applications but we need to remember that the military research is ultimately concerned with nothing but developing better ways of killing people.” Hamel, who recently returned from giving a series of talks on the ethical responsibilities of science in South Korea, also criticized the administration’s claim that the civilian spin-offs justify military research.
“The lack of discussion on this, whether or not we should be engaging in military research, worries me. There needs to be a discussion about the ethical implications of engaging in this sort of work,” Hamel said. “This is not an issue of academic freedom, it’s an ethical issue,” he continued. “If the USSR had offered research grants while it was invading Afghanistan, would it have been appropriate to accept them?”
Chris Ramsaroop, a graduate student who helped to organize the protest, also spoke with the Varsity. “This is nothing more than the U.S. military trying to get our researchers to do their dirty work for them.,” Ramsaroop said.
