I just ran across a news release mass-published to the public media for unrestricted use. The headline cries, "Disturbing Trend Must be Stopped to Preserve Academic Integrity at US Colleges, Consumer Advocates Warn." That's a grabber, particularly since it is backed by an organization nobly titled the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR). It claim's ConocoPhillips USD6 million gift to the University of Oklahoma School of Geology and Geophysics "is the latest oil giant seeking to buy respectability by capitalizing on the name of a well-known university." It adds, "For a paltry USD6 million, Conoco gets naming rights to the school and an industry-friendly professor to spout their warped view of the world in an academic environment." That's a far cry from the statement that was acknowledged in the organization's release. Actually, school President David Boren said he would recommend renaming the school the ConocoPhillips School of Geology and Geophysics. The outraged organization didn't mention that USD3.5 million of the money would go to scholarships for students, another USD2 million would bring in top educators for those students, and only USD500,000 would go to the school to upgrade laboratory facilities. It also didn't mention Frank Phillips and E.W. Marland, founders of Phillips and Conoco, respectively, were among the first supporters of Oklahoma University. Over the years, donations from both companies have totaled USD33 million. That sounds more like continuing support for a worthy cause than a newly devised campaign trying to "buy respectability." The organization also blasts two other oil companies, saying "A deal at Stanford University funded by ExxonMobil (USD100 million), and another proposed by BP at the University of California Berkeley (USD500 million) are already facing criticism as examples of 'Big Oil U.'"
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