The Paper Trail¶
From "obviously protected speech" to emergency removal in nine months. These are the institution's own emails and internal documents, presented in chronological order.
Source Disclosure
These documents were obtained through FERPA education-record inspection and Texas Public Information Act requests. Because TTUHSC restricted Kevin Bass to in-person, view-only access — with no copying permitted — many were transcribed by hand during supervised inspection sessions. They are presented here in digitally reformatted form. The originals remain in TTUHSC's custody. All documents cited below also appear in the Third Amended Complaint, a public federal court filing.
January 30, 2023¶
Kevin Bass publishes "It's Time for the Scientific Community to Admit We Were Wrong About COVID" in Newsweek. The article receives over 7.5 million views.
The institutional response begins the next morning.
February 1, 2023 — 10:22 AM¶
FROM: Kelly Podzemny, Assistant Director of Social Media & Digital Storytelling TO: Brandt Schneider (GSBS Dean) CC: Ashley Hamm, Steven Berk (Dean), Mikel Coale, Susanna Cisneros
Good morning Dr. Schneider, I wanted to give you and Dr. Berk a heads up about an MD/PhD student who is getting some backlash on Twitter about an opinion piece he had published on the Newsweek website. These people believe it is misinformation. He's been outspoken on other topics in the past, and we were told it was free speech. Dr. Berk says he may talk to legal about this again.
The institution had already determined Kevin's prior speech was "free speech." Now they were going to legal "again."
February 1, 2023¶
FROM: Simon Williams, Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs TO: Steven Berk (Dean), Lauren Cobbs (Sr. Associate Dean for Student Affairs)
It is obviously protected speech but also quite concerning in the way he appears to speak for the medical community. We need to discuss an appropriate response.
Williams acknowledged Kevin's speech was constitutionally protected. Then proposed finding an institutional "response" to it anyway. (FERPA Doc 953)
February 1, 2023¶
FROM: Steven Berk, Dean of the School of Medicine TO: Kelly Podzemny CC: Ashley Hamm, Mikel Coale, Susanna Cisneros, Vadivel Ganapathy
We had problems with him on Twitter before as you remember calling various diet doctors phonies but we got into the same free speech issues. We did admonish him. I think we should discuss with legal.
The dean acknowledged prior "problems with him on Twitter" and identified "the same free speech issues." His response: involve the lawyers. (FERPA Doc 1004)
February 2, 2023 — 10:22 AM¶
FROM: Brandt Schneider, GSBS Dean TO: Kelly Podzemny RE: Twitter: Kevin Bass
Kelly, Thanks for the update. We are aware of the incident. I texted with Dr. Williams about it yesterday and will circle back with him again today to determine how best to proceed. I will also follow up with Dr. Berk.
The Graduate School Dean was coordinating with the Medical School. Two deans and a senior associate dean, discussing "how best to proceed" about a student's Newsweek op-ed.
February 2, 2023 — 2:50 PM¶
FROM: Simon Williams
I am not surprised that there was backlash. I think it will be best to hear what legal says we should do.
February 15, 2023¶
FROM: Steven Berk, Dean TO: Simon Williams
Wrt Kevin Bass what does it mean to recommend @ eugenics in 2023 might meet about him at 3pm
The Dean was monitoring Kevin's individual tweets and proposing same-day meetings about them.
April 20, 2023 — "URGENT"¶
FROM: Pamela Johnson, GSBS Administrator TO: Terri Lloyd SUBJECT: URGENT - INFO NEEDED
Can you confirm the dates of his (Kevin Bass) enrollment in the GSBS (MS and MD degrees) and provide the approximate timeframes that he conducted his research in various faculty labs (under Drs. Grisham, Reynolds, Ganapathy or others) during this time. Do you have this information?
Seven months before the tweet that triggered emergency removal, a GSBS administrator was urgently gathering Kevin's complete enrollment history and lab assignments. The dossier that resulted (FERPA Doc 1432) would eventually span years of retroactively assembled materials. (FERPA Doc 1219)
April 26, 2023 — The Complaints Are Forwarded¶
FROM: Felix Morales, Admissions TO: Lauren Cobbs, Simon Williams, Elisabeth Conser, David Trotter, Allison Perrin SUBJECT: Emails About a Student Starting the 3rd Year
Good morning everyone, I wanted to forward some emails that we have been receiving about a student that is returning back to the medical school curriculum from his PhD coursework. His name is Kevin Bass. We have received emails in our admissions inbox expressing concerns about his social media posts. I didn't know what to do with them, but I wanted to share them with you all.
The admissions office was receiving external complaints about Kevin's speech and forwarding them to five senior administrators.
April 26, 2023 — 11:29 AM¶
FROM: David Trotter, Student Conduct Administrator TO: Felix Morales, Lauren Cobbs, Simon Williams, Elisabeth Conser, Allison Perrin RE: Emails About a Student Starting the 3rd Year
Thanks for sending these. If you get any more please forward them on. I will help collect some more information and get back to you to discuss how to respond.
The Student Conduct Administrator asked for more materials and began coordinating "how to respond" — six months before the tweet.
May 22, 2023 — A Student Complaint, Escalated to the Dean¶
FROM: [Student, redacted] TO: Ja'Net Sneed SUBJECT: TTUHSC on MedTwitter
Hey Ja'Net, I just wanted to send an email on behalf of some of my classmates. I am sure the school admin is following the situation on social media. But in case it is not being followed, Kevin Bass and Class of 2025 has been making controversies in the realm of MedTwitter. At first it was not really a big deal but recently he has tweeted about how easy 3rd year med school is and made controversial statements that seem to go against the school's code of conduct. In fact some residents at residency programs have been responding to the tweets and questioning the quality of medical education TTUHSC is providing to students. Unfortunately he has a following of about 84,000 people and some of my tweets have caught the attention of residency programs' faculty members. He has been in news segments, podcasts, and interviews. With Step 1 going P/F and the attention shifting to Step 2 and school prestige some people are becoming concerned that this one person is essentially putting our school under the radar in a bad way.
The same day, Cobbs forwarded this to the Dean and Williams with three words:
FROM: Lauren Cobbs TO: Steven Berk (Dean), Simon Williams DATE: May 22, 2023 — 3:51 PM
Need to discuss...
May 23, 2023 — The File Begins¶
FROM: Steven Berk, Dean TO: Simon Williams, Lauren Cobbs, Islam DATE: May 23, 2023 — 8:58 AM
At our meeting can we discuss Kevin Bass and review our guidelines on professionalism also what clerkship he is on
Three and a half hours later:
FROM: Acevedo TO: Lauren Cobbs DATE: May 23, 2023 — 12:22 PM PRIORITY: IMPORTANCE: HIGH SUBJECT: Honor Code
Here is the signed Honor Code for Kevin Bass
Cobbs forwarded it to the Dean:
FROM: Lauren Cobbs TO: Steven Berk, Pomasson PRIORITY: IMPORTANCE: HIGH SUBJECT: Signed Honor Code for K. Bass
Dr. Berk - PDF version of signed Honor Code for Kevin Bass
The sequence: At 8:58 AM, the Dean asked "what clerkship is he on." By 12:22 PM, Kevin's signed Honor Code had been pulled from records, marked "IMPORTANCE: HIGH," and forwarded to the Dean. They were assembling a disciplinary file.
Four days later, on May 27, 2023, Dean Berk died unexpectedly. Oversight of Kevin's case transferred to the remaining administrators.
May 31, 2023 — Professionalism Concerns Materialize¶
Eight days after Berk asked "what clerkship is he on," professionalism concerns materialized at that exact clerkship. Kevin met with Dr. Megan Brown and Dr. Noelle Zavala.
Over the following weeks, complaints were double-counted (FERPA Docs 1339, 1341), evaluations were routed to administrators (FERPA Doc 0887), and the file grew — all while Kevin's formal evaluations said "meets expectations" (FERPA Doc 0542).
June 2023 — Forbes Celebrates¶
FROM: Rachel Forbes, Assistant Vice Dean for Student Affairs TO: Simon Williams, Shaughn Nunez
Well here is his first 1 in professionalism
Five months before the tweet. (FERPA Doc 1009)
August 2023 — The Coaching Notes¶
Kevin was assigned a professionalism coach — Dr. Cheryl Erwin, the Director of Ethics. The coaching was assigned for clinical behavior during OB/GYN. But Erwin's private notes reveal a different focus. Compare what she wrote in the official file with what she texted Kevin privately during the same period:
DOCUMENT: Erwin Coaching Notes (FERPA Doc 0124)
The social media issues came up. They cannot be ignored. They raise issues of constitutional free speech, due process, and reputational harm... In the present he seems to be taking his First Amendment rights to make an idiot of himself.
KB has imbibed the cultural atmosphere of conspiracy theories. This is reflected in his combative attitude towards me and everyone who is trying to help him, as well as towards the CDC response to COVID as a conspiracy.
Because I had reformulated our relationship as friendship rather than coaching I consider a legal action against my employer a direct disregard of and abandonment of our friendship.
The professionalism coach — assigned for clinical behavior — wrote about First Amendment rights, COVID "conspiracy theories," and characterized Kevin's potential lawsuit as a personal betrayal.
Meanwhile, in her private messages to Kevin:
TEXT MESSAGES FROM DR. ERWIN TO KEVIN BASS:
September 7, 2023: "Thank you Kevin. And thank you for making our meeting. You were lovely. See you next time."
October 17, 2023: "Your call, either way I just want you to feel supported."
October 19, 2023: "Just breathe!! You're gonna be fine. I will continue to coach you through this."
October 29, 2023: "Kevin, I am crying as I read this. For the pain you have been through. For the joy of your survival. For the dreams and goals you still hold. I can walk alongside you and I can be your friend. I can listen to you as you find your authentic self. But I would never want to change who you are and I couldn't even if I wanted to. I am not sure there is continued value in a coaching relationship, but I will not abandon you. You have work to do my friend, and it is the work of healing. Your friend, Dr. Erwin"
In the file: "taking his First Amendment rights to make an idiot of himself."
In private: "I would never want to change who you are."
September 2, 2023¶
FROM: Simon Williams, Sr. Associate Dean TO: Kevin Bass
We have no problems with your tweets. You are free to post whatever you want.
Sixty-two days before the emergency removal.
November 3, 2023 — The Tweet¶
Kevin posted a tweet criticizing pandemic-era public health policy — consistent with the views he had published in Newsweek ten months earlier. The same day, he also submitted a formal appeal of his pediatrics clinical assessment through institutional channels (FERPA Doc 1132) — actively engaging with the processes TTUHSC provided.
The next day, he was removed from campus. A BOLO poster was circulated directing staff to call 911 if he was seen.
November 4, 2023 — Same Day¶
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION: J. Edward Bates (investigator) to a grievance respondent (FERPA Doc 1143)
He has been removed from all TTUHSC and affiliated clinical sites under criminal trespass. This is due to recent posts on social media. There is no threat to you specifically, but I wanted to let you know.
Please do not forward this email.
In one message, the institution's own investigator admitted: (1) the removal was caused by speech, (2) Kevin posed no specific threat, and (3) the information should be concealed.
January 7, 2024 — One Student Lighter¶
FROM: Rachel Forbes, Assistant Vice Dean for Student Affairs TO: Class of 2025 Lubbock COV; Class of 2024 Lubbock COV (~200+ students) CC: Jennifer Wilson SUBJECT: VACATION and other stuff
We are one student lighter than last week, and I hope we can all breathe a sigh of relief... just check his Twitter.
Forbes attempted to recall this email.
Source and Method¶
All documents on this page are cited in the Third Amended Complaint, Case No. 5:25-cv-00244-H-BV (N.D. Tex.). FERPA Doc numbers refer to Kevin Bass's internal identifiers for records reviewed during the January 5--8, 2026 FERPA inspection. Email documents obtained prior to the FERPA inspection were obtained through Kevin's own records or through Texas Public Information Act requests.
Because TTUHSC restricted FERPA inspection to in-person, view-only access with no copying, many documents were transcribed by hand during supervised sessions. They are presented here in digitally reformatted form. The originals remain in TTUHSC's custody.
What the inspection looked like¶
Under FERPA, Kevin was permitted to view his education records — but only in person, in a supervised room, with no copying allowed. He transcribed hundreds of pages of institutional emails by hand over multiple sessions.
Below is one page of handwritten notes from the January 5–8, 2026 FERPA inspection. The entries visible here include FERPA Doc 1004 — Dean Berk's email stating "we had problems with him on Twitter before... same free speech issues... discuss with legal" — the same document transcribed above on this page.
Every transcription on this page was produced this way.
For Kevin's full account of the case: "Why I Am Suing Texas Tech" on Forbidden Science.
Related Pages¶
- Building the Case — How the complaints were manufactured — double-counting, fabricated allegations, grade manipulation
- The Hearing — From emergency removal through the fourteen-hour hearing to dismissal
- The Recordings — 25 hours of audio — what the institution claimed versus what the recordings show
- The Squeeze: Documents — From $24K tuition balance to collection agency — the primary financial documents
- Court Filings — Download the complaint and response to motion to dismiss
- FERPA Evidence Index — All 35 FERPA documents cited in the complaint
- Case Arc Timeline — Full chronology