After the New York Times revealed [3] a secret research contract [4] between Virginia Commonwealth University [5] (VCU) and Philip Morris [6] earlier this month, Style Weekly, a Richmond, Virginia newspaper, investigated VCU President Eugene Trani [7]'s personal financial ties to the tobacco industry and concluded that "Trani is the tobacco industry." Style found that Trani receives an annual retainer of $40,000, including stock options, plus fees totaling $3,500 per year for serving on the board of directors of the Universal Corporation [8], a leading global supplier of tobacco leaf. University spokeswoman Pam Lepley said she didn't "see any connection" between Trani's getting paychecks from both the Universal Corporation and a university that operates a medical school and school of public health. Lepley added that Trani's being on the board of Universal Corporation "doesn't really pertain to the university."