The professor, an expert on the opioids crisis, was placed on paid administrative leave and investigated, raising questions about the extent of political interference in higher education. 📝: TexasTribune
through a public records request, Alonzo told Self the investigation had been kicked off by a student "who has ties to Texas A&M system confirmed the series of phone calls and text messages that led to Alonzo's investigation was kicked off by Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, a graduate of UTMB's medical school. The Tribune confirmed her daughter, a first-year medical student at the time, attended Alonzo's lecture.
"The incident in Galveston yesterday is probably an indicator of how sensitive and politically charged this topic is and the need to tread lightly and be aware that anything can be taken out of context," Ory wrote in an email to Jon Mogford, vice president of Texas A"It's a shame because all we want is to make people aware of harm-reduction strategies that can save lives, especially among youth and young adults who are especially vulnerable these days," wrote Ory, who...
"I can't tell you enough how much the students value this presentation," Self wrote in October, according to emails obtained through an open records request. "I get feedback all the time from them telling me how important they view this talk. They'll come up to me even months later to tell me." This means the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers Texas a nonreporter when it comes to opioid data, which makes it more difficult for researchers to receive grants to tackle the issue.
"UTMB does not support or condone these comments. We take these matters very seriously and wish to express our disapproval of the comment and apologize for harm it may have caused for members of our community," the email continued. "We hereby issue a formal censure of these statements and will take steps to ensure that such behavior does not happen in the future.
Patrick then called Sharp and Kevin Eltife, the chair of the University of Texas System's board, Copelin said. The call between Sharp and Patrick was short. Patrick's chief of staff, Darrell Davila, followed with the text to Sharp that linked to Alonzo's faculty page. Eltife declined to comment.&M President M. Katherine Banks' office to investigate.
Copelin said the university's handling of the complaint against Alonzo followed standard procedure and appropriately updated the relevant lawmakers on the investigation's progress. Alonzo's predicament also comes as Texas universities are dealing with increasing government involvement in ostensibly independent public universities, particularly at the hand of Patrick, whom Alonzo was accused of criticizing. This year, Texas lawmakers banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices on college campuses, a priority for Patrick.
A third student who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said Alonzo talked about how policies, like the state's ban on fentanyl test strips, have a direct impact on the ability to prevent opioid overdoses and deaths. A push to legalize the test strips died earlier this year in the Patrick-led SenateAll of the students interviewed said they felt Alonzo's comments were accurate and they were not offended by anything in the presentation.
In a statement last week to faculty who were upset about the fallout over the botched hiring of McElroy to the journalism department, Sharp expressed concern about outside influences in the hiring and promotion of faculty, saying it was "never welcome, nor invited." Self referred a request for comment by the Tribune to UTMB's media relations department, which declined to discuss the situation.
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Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in lectureThe professor, an expert on the opioids crisis, was placed on paid administrative leave and investigated, raising questions about the extent of political interference in higher education, particularly in health-related matters.
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Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in lectureThe professor, an expert on the opioids crisis, was placed on paid administrative leave and investigated, raising questions about the extent of political interference in higher education, particularly in health-related matters.
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Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in lectureThe professor, an expert on the opioids crisis, was placed on paid administrative leave and investigated, raising questions about the extent of political interference in higher education, particularly in health-related matters.
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Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in lectureThe professor, an expert on the opioids crisis, was placed on paid administrative leave and investigated, raising questions about the extent of political interference in higher education, particularly in health-related matters.
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