Allegations of political retribution leveled at Oregon State University by Art Robinson

by NW Spotlight

Republican Art Robinson ran as the candidate for U.S. Congress in the 4th Congressional District against Democrat Peter DeFazio last November. DeFazio won re-election, gaining 54.5% of the vote while Art Robinson got 43.6% of the vote.  Robinson is now reporting that since the election and since he has announced that he would run again against DeFazio in 2012, Oregon State University is trying to prevent three of his children from receiving their PhD degrees in nuclear engineering.

Robinson says “OSU is a liberal socialist Democrat stronghold in Oregon that received a reported $27 million in earmark funding from my opponent, Peter DeFazio, and his Democrat colleagues during the last legislative session.”

Art Robinson is also saying that an OSU professor of nuclear engineering, Jack Higginbotham, has been ostracized because he warned Robinson about the university’s plans to expel his son Joshua and daughter Bethany.

Robinson published his allegations this past weekend, and it was reported in the WorldNetDaily today.

OSU posted a response today, replying already that “The university has found no factual basis for the accusations made against those faculty members.” Presumably OSU learned of Art Robinson’s allegations long enough ago to have already looked into the accusations.  OSU’s response also states “the claims made therein are baseless and without merit.”

The story has now been picked up by the Corvallis Gazette Times and The Eugene Register-Guard.