University of Alaska System officials hate to look a gift caribou in the mouth.

Nonetheless, they are uneasy about the Governor's efforts to pressure an oil company into giving the system a big donation.

BP Amoco is asking Gov. Tony Knowles, a Democrat, to approve its planned $30-billion takeover of Atlantic Richfield Company. Although based elsewhere, the two companies account for more than 70 per cent of Alaska's oil production, and Mr. Knowles has threatened to try to block the deal, saying it would create an illegal monopoly in his state.

Last month, he demanded, as a precondition for his approval, that BP give the university "a substantial education endowment" for technical-training programs and new offerings in environmental engineering. He hinted that $40-million -- the sum that BP recently gave to the University of Cambridge, in Britain -- was a good starting figure.

University of Alaska officials said they would welcome the donation, but expressed worry that lawmakers would simply cut the system's appropriation by that amount. They also fear alienating BP Amoco, which has given the system $800,000 over the past five years.

No word yet from BP Amoco.
 
 

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