Are they harmless, or do they create early biases?
“Law school grad and second-year vet student at Colorado State University Michelle Dally decided it was high time someone stepped up and dissected the role of vet industry-sponsored freebies in an ivory tower setting. Like so many veterinary students before her, she questioned the ethics of free pizza, flea products and pet food in vet school. […] when students first arrive, they find their desks piled high with a variety of freebies – pens, notepads, backpacks, notebooks, highlighters, academic calendars, pet treats, pet food bowls, reference books, and more – all emblazoned with pet food, pharmaceutical, and other corporate brand names from across the veterinary industry. And that is only the beginning.
“… studies and surveys have shown that the impulses generated by gift-giving are neither rational nor totally conscious. As suggested by *Brennan et al., “Individuals receiving gifts are often unable to remain objective; they reweigh information and choices in light of the gift. So too, those people who give or accept gifts with no explicit ‘strings attached’ still carry an expectation of some kind of reciprocity.”
Click here to read the full article, and see how UC Davis is doing things differently.
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