The textbook company does not routinely make donations to academic departments that use its books. The members of the textbook committee were favorably influenced toward the textbook by the prospect of their department receiving a large donation. In the previous year, a different textbook from the same company was used in the introductory course. The department has a long-standing policy of using only textbooks that receive the committee's highest rating.
A university psychology department received a large donation from a textbook company after agreeing to use one of the company' s books for a large introductory course. The department chair admitted that the department would not have received the donation if it used another company' s textbook, but insisted that the book was chosen solely for academic reasons. As proof, she noted that the department' s textbook committee had given that textbook its highest rating.
Which one of the following, if true, most weakens the case for the department chair's position?