UF to investigate allegations of pressure to destroy COVID-19 data

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The University of Florida said on Friday it opened an investigation into allegations that some of its researchers were pressured from outside the school to destroy COVID-19 data.

The allegations surfaced earlier this week in a report from a Senate faculty committee examining issues of academic freedom at the university.

David Norton, Vice President of Research at UF [ University of Florida ]

“(UF) takes breaches of research integrity very seriously and has a rigorous and long-standing process in place to investigate them,” Vice President of Research David Norton said in a message. addressed to professors and staff.

Related: UF President and Professors Agree on Changes to Protect Free Speech

The Faculty’s Senate report was commissioned after three political science professors were initially barred from testifying in a lawsuit against the state over voting rights, sparking an outcry. The report highlighted widespread concerns among faculty – from a professor who was challenged when he used the words “critic” and “race” to describe his specialization, to researchers who, while working with an agency of Anonymous State, faced “external pressure to destroy” COVID-19 data.

In a statement earlier this week, Christina Pushaw, press secretary to Governor Ron DeSantis, said the governor’s office had not exerted any pressure on UF and had questioned some of the allegations.

“The report contains numerous unsubstantiated allegations and innuendos, but no evidence that Governor DeSantis or anyone connected with the governor’s office exercised or attempted to exercise undue influence over UF,” the statement read. “It’s because it didn’t happen. The task force made it clear that they “had not thoroughly investigated these reports”, admitting that it was hearsay that they could not substantiate verifiable facts.

The university said the results of the investigation will be made public.

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