COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Included in Texas A&M's internal review on Thursday was a detailed look at what happened in a separate controversy that resulted in the temporarily suspension of Texas A&M Pharmacy Professor Joy Alonzo.
She was previously suspected of making comments criticizing Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during a guest lecture at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
"I think it's important to point out that people from across the political spectrum should have their voice heard and their influence recognized," Texas A&M Journalism Professor Nathan Crick said. "I think the problem is, is when influence happens behind the scenes."
In the findings, it was revealed that Texas land commissioner Dawn Buckingham's daughter, who sat in on the lecture, called Patrick, who in turn contacted University System Chancellor John Sharp and asked him to investigate the situation.
However, following the university's initial investigation into the matter, it was confirmed that Dr. Alonzo did not make unprofessional or inappropriate comments about the lieutenant governor.
"The scandal here is that professors are now branded, liberal or conservative," Crick said. "When as a teacher and a scholar, you pursue the truth. You try to get both sides and you try to stimulate students from both sides of the perspective whenever you can."
This is the second high-profile case involving the university system and conservative leaders or views affecting professors at Texas A&M, with the first being the circumstances surrounding Kathleen McElroy's failed hiring at the university.
"Everyone who works here loves Texas A&M. The only way for this university to bounce back is to give power to the people that do the work here that work with the students every day who commit their lives to this profession," Crick said. "Anytime you are going to be suppressing those voices and dictating them from above, you're going to undermine the greatness of this university."
Click here to find and read the Internal Review's findings on the Texas A&M University System website.
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