Weekly Briefing: The U. of Florida Is Still in the Headlines. Here's Why.

On Friday, the U. of Florida reversed course: It will let professors testify against the state. ADVERTISEMENT [Academe Today Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. Everything you need to know about the U. of Florida’s academic-freedom mess. It has been a stormy week at the University of Florida, one that ended in the university’s reversing its controversial decision. If you haven’t been following, allow me to catch you up. On Friday, October 29, a court filing revealed that the University of Florida had denied three political-science professors’ requests to testify in a court case about voting restrictions in the state. Testimonies like this [are common for academics](. They may be paid for that work or not, and many scholars say it’s a way to apply research to real-world situations. In 2019, the university started a new system for reporting outside activities and financial interests. At the time, the concerns were about [research collaborations with China](. The new system to report this work was called [UFOLIO]( UF Online Interest Organizer. Fast forward to October 2021, [when the because we mention them above, we need the article here./hlthree political-science professors were denied their request to be expert witnesses](. David E. Richardson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, reviewed the UFOLIO submission and wrote, “Outside activities that may pose a conflict of interest to the executive branch of the State of Florida create a conflict for the University of Florida.” “UF will deny its employees’ requests to engage in outside activities when it determines the activities are adverse to its interests,” wrote Gary Wimsett, assistant vice president for conflicts of interest. “As UF is a state actor, litigation against the state is adverse to UF’s interests.” This denial sparked [outrage]( from [scholars]( and other observers across the country for what they called a violation of academic freedom and free speech. On Friday, W. Kent Fuchs, president of the University of Florida, said the university[would reverse its decision]( and allow the professors to serve as expert witnesses in the case against the state. [In a letter]( Fuchs wrote that he had asked the university’s conflict-of-interest office to reverse its decision. He also said that a task force would review the college’s policy. But this wasn’t the first time a professor was denied a request to give expert testimony. Jeffrey L. Goldhagen, a professor and pediatrician at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine, in Jacksonville, said [he]( been]( request to testify in ligation against state leaders who wanted to ban mask mandates in schools. He was also told he could not share his expertise on the pandemic’s effects on children in two other lawsuits. Goldhagen would not have been compensated for testimony, he told our Lindsay Ellis. A college professor at Florida International University, however, [had no problem testifying in]( case](. Dario Moreno, an associate professor of politics and international relations, was hired by the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee as an expert witness to defend the new voting law in League of Women Voters of Florida v. Lee. Florida International’s conflict-of-interest policy is similar, but not identical to, to the University of Florida’s. Florida International does not allow professors to take outside work that could, among other things, create a conflict “between the private interests of the employee and the public interests of the University, the Board of Governors, and/or the State of Florida.” Moreno, who could not be reached for comment, has also been paid by the Florida Legislature to defend Republican-drawn redistricting maps in court. The university reversed its decision and said it would review its policy. But observers and critics haven’t taken their eyes off of Florida. My colleagues have covered this story like a blanket. Here are all of our news headlines about Florida: - [After Scathing Criticism, U. of Florida Will Let Professors Testify Against the State]( - [I’m Speechless’: What Prompted the U. of Florida to Tell Professors Not to Testify?]( - [3 U. of Florida Experts Couldn’t Testify on a Voting-Rights Law. This Professor Had No Trouble.]( - [U. of Florida Doctor Says Administrators Blocked Him From Participating in Lawsuits About Masking]( - [U. of Florida’s Accreditor Will Investigate Denial of Professors’ Voting-Rights Testimony]( We’ve also run opinion pieces on the saga. Catch up: - [Stand Up for What You Believe, President Fuchs]( - [Florida Is a Five-Alarm Fire for Academic Freedom]( - [Totalitarianism Takes Aim at Higher Education]( SPONSOR CONTENT | simba chain [Learn how a collaboration is furthering the adoption of blockchain education.]( ADVERTISEMENT Lagniappe - Learn. If you have trouble falling asleep, don’t count sheep. [Try this instead.]( (Vogue) - Read. You may have noticed that many of my recommendations come from The New Yorker’s “Briefly Noted” section. These new titles are usually a shorter wait on my public library’s hold list. The latest? [Barcelona Dreaming](. (The New Yorker) - Listen. I may have found a near-perfect album to write to, [People on Sunday](. (Spotify) - Watch. There are [many reviews]( about the director Wes Anderson’s latest film, The French Dispatch, now in theaters. Here’s mine: It’s fun. (rogerebert.com) —Fernanda SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Chronicle Top Reads A DECADE OF OUTRAGE [The Long Shadow of Jerry Sandusky]( By Nell Gluckman [STORY IMAGE]( Starting 10 years ago, allegations of serial sexual abuse at colleges burst into the public eye. What have we learned? 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