Silber Contributions Questioned

BOSTON--Boston University President John R. Silber, on leave to run for governor, received nearly $30,000 in campaign contributions from people associated with a research firm B.U. finances, according to a report published Monday.

A review of campaign finance records for Silber's bid for the Democratic nomination was reported in the Boston Herald. It showed Silber received 31 contributions totaling $29,750 from stockholders and members of the board of directors of Seragen Inc., a biotech concern.

All but two of the donations were for $1,000, the maximum allowed each year under state law. The total includes checks sent to Silber's campaign by family members of the stockholders and directors who live at the same address.

Under Silber, B.U. bought a 68.3 percent controlling interest in the Hopkinton-based cancer research firm in 1987 for about $25 million.

The university has since loaned the firm at least $10 million, the Herald reported.

Michal Regunberg, Silber's campaign press secretary, said Silber "has confidence in Seragen and they have expressed confidence in John Silber through their contributions."

"Certainly the people who are trustees are people who have known John Silber for a long time," Regunberg said. "One would hope they would support his candidacy."

Last week, the Herald reported that 10 members of the university's board of trustees bought 10,325 shares of Seragen stock two months after B.U. acquired the firm.

The board is ultimately responsible for B.U. investments, and the disclosure raised questions of conflict of interest for those trustees.

The trustees' investment amounts to four-tenths of 1 percent of Seragen's stock and was bought for about $155,000, the Herald said. The university last week issued a statement that said there was no conflict of interest due to the size of the trustees' investment.

The Public Charities Division of state Attorney Gen. James Shannon's office has reportedly begun to review B.U.'s Seragen investments.