a comment from a CMU faculty

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

From: dst+ () dst boltz cs cmu edu (Dave Touretzky)
Date: 11 Jul 1995 09:08:53 GMT
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, School of Computer Science


Aaron Dickey writes:


> Sorry, Geoff, but CMU's PR department is the one going around calling it
> "the Carnegie-Mellon study"


I walked over to Public Relations today, identified myself as a CS faculty
member, and asked for a copy of every press release CMU had ever issued on
the Rimm study.  The nice lady handed me a copy of the study itself, along
with the three companion pieces that appeared in the same issue of the GLJ.
(They've got a whole box of these preprints and are giving them away to
anyone on campus who asks.)  I said "No, I want to see the PRESS RELEASES."
She told me there were none.


She's right.  I spoke with the head of the PR for CMU, Don Hale.  CMU has
not yet issued any public statement regarding the Rimm study.


What they *did* do was mention in a little one-page internal newsletter,
called The 8 1/2 by 11 News, that "the Carnegie Mellon study" was featured
in that week's Time and on Nightline, and in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
This newsletter is put out by the PR department to keep the CMU community
informed about newsworthy goings on here.  It is circulated freely on
campus, but it does not constitute a press release.


Now, before you all jump down CMU's throat for referring to this as "the
Carnegie Mellon study" instead of "the Martin Rimm study" in its little
internal newsletter, save your breath.  I've already done that.


I'd just like to point out that "the Carnegie Mellon study" is the phrase
used in the study itself (e.g., p. 1853), and in the three commentary pieces
that appear in the same issue of the Georgetown Law Journal.  So, although
I'm personally not happy about CMU identifying itself with the study, even
in a little internal newsletter, I can easily see how this could have come
about without anyone's thinking too hard about the matter.


I don't know when CMU will issue a public statement about the Rimm study.
Apparently, our administration hasn't yet determined what the official
university position should be.


> as are plenty of people within the CS department.


Aaron, I don't know where you're getting this.  No one on the CS faculty has
said a word publicly except me (letter to the NY Times archived on the
Vanderbilt web site.)  Geoff Langdale is a grad student in CS, but I don't
think his Rimm parody could be seen as lending prestige to the study.


Let me make one thing clear to you folks:  no one in the Computer Science
Department, or in any other part of the School of Computer Science, had
anything to do with this study.  Zero.  Zip.  Marty's department was ECE
(Electrical and Computer Engineering), which is part of the engineering
school.  Different dean; different building; different culture.


-- Dave Touretzky,  dst+ () cs cmu edu,  Senior Research Scientist, CMU CS