Exposing the truth to wipe out animal experimentation
Watchdog says U of I professor broke federal animal testing regulations twice
Media Coverage About SAEN Stop Animal Exploitation Now
ACTION ALERT:
Contact:
Contact the Chancellor of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign to
demand the termination of this professor:
Chancellor Robert Jones
[email protected]
SAMPLE MESSAGE:
Chancellor Jones,
A Professor at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, has violated
federal regulations so severely that their research projects on mice and
fish have been suspended twice. This professor must not be allowed to
continue to experiment on animals, and must be terminated.
Watchdog says U of I professor broke federal animal testing regulations twice
From Evan Hensley, FoxIllinois.com, September 24, 2021
An animal exploitation watchdog organization said that a University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor needs to be fired after he
allegedly violated federal testing regulations twice.
The organization, Stop Animal Exploitation Now, said that experiments led by
the professor could have led to something potentially dangerous to the
public.
"For this same professor, this same principal investigator, to have their
protocol suspended twice in just a few years that indicates as someone who
should not get to use animals," said co-founder of SAEN Michael Budkie.
Budkie believes that the professor should be fired due to the multiple
violations.
The organization filed a Freedom of Information Act Request involving the
investigation into the professor.
The information revealed that the professor is Principal Investigator Justin
S. Rhodes.
According to information gathered from the FOIA request, Rhodes had been
suspended twice for a violation of the federal guidelines in 2021 and 2017.
Letters from the request also show that the university was concerned over an
experiment done that didn't follow required institutional biosafety
protocols.
"For failing to utilize biosafety procedures which is potentially disturbing
because it endangers university staff but also the public in general,"
Budkie said.
FOIA records state that Rhodes was handed down a one-year suspension and
three years of probationary research when it comes to animal research.
FOX Illinois reached out to both the university and Rhodes for comment, only
a university spokesperson responded by saying they were looking for someone
who would know about the situation.
"Well the university is responsible for utilizing the experimentation that
is performed in their laboratories," said Budkie when asked if the
university is at fault for the violations.
The leader of the organization added that they see around 1,000 violation
cases annually, with only around 50 ending with suspensions.
Budkie added it is odd because very few people only receive a suspension on
a second mistake.
"When you are caught with serious non-compliance issues you should at the
very least take them seriously and try to institute to try and bring your
project back into compliance," Budkie said.
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