Cancer research shouldn't come with strings : North Texas Daily

OPINION

If you aren?t disgusted by The Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, you should be. They recently announced a new policy where universities without smoking bans would be denied cancer research funds. UNT received about $200,000 of funding from CPRIT last year for a study on prostate cancer. I think it?s time we gave the money back or at least severed ties with their organization.

Back in January, I received news that my father had prostate cancer. Prostate cancer isn?t the most popular cancer in terms of research funds. Compared to breast cancer, it kills roughly the same number of people while only receiving a third of the research funds. To see that CPRIT would deny UNT research funding because of its lack of smoking ban infuriated me. How do you tell people that you?re denying research funds because an institution respects individual liberties?

UNT needs to do the right thing and at the very least reject any funds from CPRIT. The policy is vague and draconian. It calls for ?a tobacco-free zone around each research building and all connected walkways and parking lots.? I understand that their goal is to eradicate cancer, but that goes too far. What is defined as a ?research building?? Even their PR specialist Ellen Price said, ?We don?t mind a complete ban.?

Yes, North Texas is trying to be a Tier One school, but we shouldn?t sacrifice individual liberty and bend over backwards to suit one institution. This policy is offensive, and to hold cancer funds hostage is absolutely unacceptable.

Where do the stipulations end?

Will CPRIT one day deny research funds because UNT serves red meat, or because we don?t require enough physical education hours or even because we don?t regulate the amount of sugar served in our cafeterias?

We cannot accept these terms as a university. Our 25-feet-from-the-building rule is more than OK, and if that can?t even be enforced then what?s to say that the ?tobacco-free zone? will be enforced either?

Yes, cancer is terrible, but so is the destruction of individual liberties. The students at this school oppose a total ban on smoking, why should we use this as a way of subverting their wishes?

Nicholas LaGrassa is an emergency administration and planning senior. He can be reached at NicholasLaGrassa@my.unt.edu.

Source: http://www.ntdaily.com/?p=63561

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