Study On Same-Sex Marriage Opinions Retracted After False Data Allegations

Via Politico:

One of the authors of a recent study which claimed that short conversations with gay people could change minds on same-sex marriage has retracted it. The retraction this week of the popular article published in a December issue of the Science academic journal follows revelations that his co-author allegedly faked data for the study, “When contact changes minds: An experiment on transmission of support of gay marriage.” According to academic watchdog Retraction Watch, Columbia University political science professor Donald Green published a retraction of the paper on Tuesday after confronting co-author Michael LaCour, a graduate assistant at UCLA.

The study received widespread media coverage from The New York Times, Vox, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and others, when it was released in December. “I am deeply embarrassed by this turn of events and apologize to the editors, reviewers, and readers of Science,” Green told the blog. In an email to POLITICO, Green said that he spoke with LaCour by phone on Tuesday, and that he “maintained that he did not fabricate the data but told me that he could not locate the Qualtrics source files for the surveys on the Qualtrics interface or on any of his drives.”Qualtrics is the survey firm that purportedly conducted the original study. “I asked him to write a retraction, and he indicated he would do so, but when it did not appear last night, I sent off my own retraction,” Green wrote.

Haters are pouring into the comments at the above link. (Tipped by JMG reader Richard)

Columbia Employee: I Stole As Revenge Because My Male Boss Was Hitting On Me

A former Columbia University employee says that he embezzled $180,000 from the school as revenge because administrators did nothing about his complaint that his male supervisor was sexually harassing him. He spent the money on a lavish wedding in the Poconos and luxury spa treatments.

John Bzdil III claims in court papers that the university ignored his complaints about "continuing sexual abuse" by then-financial director Cesar Rodriguez. Bzdil, 34, says the situation led to depression, heavy drinking and post-traumatic stress disorder. "As a result, I tried to 'punish' the university," he wrote in a letter filed yesterday in Manhattan federal court. Bzdil faces a recommended 21 to 27 months behind bars for scamming $180,000 in phony expenses as manager of Columbia's Pediatric Neurosciences Department. Rodriguez, 62, denied molesting Bzdil and accused him of concocting the claim to avoid prison. "When you are desperate, you'll do whatever you have to," Rodriguez said.

NY Daily News has more:

In a letter to Manhattan Federal Judge Sidney Stein, the ex-Eagle Scout and high school football star begs not to be sent away to prison. Columbia was turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the fact that I was being sexually abused by [the boss]," he wrote. "Subconsciously, I was trying to make them pay attention to my situation and protect me from [him]. I felt deep shame for what he was doing to me and my inability to make him stop." Charges against Bzdil's estranged wife, Heather Brooke Rinehart, were dropped by prosecutors after Bzdil claimed she had nothing to do with the purchase of Bliss items like Mammoth Minty Scrub and Lovehandler.

The couple is divorcing.

Columbia University: No ROTC On Campus As Long As DADT Is In Effect

Last month both McCain and Obama stated opposition to the decades-long Columbia University ban on on-campus ROTC activities. This weekend Columbia president Lee Bollinger emailed students to affirm that the ban would remain in place as long as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" remains military policy.

"Under the current 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy of the Defense Department, openly gay and lesbian students could or would be excluded from participating in ROTC activities. That is inconsistent with the fundamental values of the university," he wrote in an e-mail message to students.

Campus debate over the possible reinstatement of ROTC on campus was reignited earlier this month when senators Obama and McCain voiced their opposition to Columbia's ban during a televised appearance on campus. "The notion that young people here at Columbia aren't offered a choice or an option in participating in military service is a mistake," Mr. Obama said. Mr. Obama has said he would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" if elected president, while Mr. McCain has voiced support for the policy.

Several student leaders have been advocating for a student-wide referendum on the military program. Their plan is to host two community forums in October featuring pro-ROTC and anti-ROTC students, to be followed by a student-wide survey a week later.

In a 2003 survey, 65% of Columbia students said they supported ROTC's return. But in 2005, the university senate voted in favor of upholding the ban. Mr. Bollinger voted with the majority.

Columbia students are allowed to enroll in ROTC but must travel to Fordham University or Manhattan College in the Bronx to participate. Five Columbia students are presently enrolled in the Fordham program.

There will be a student survey on the ban in October, but it will not be binding on school policy. Columbia banned the ROTC in 1969 in opposition to the Vietnam War.