It seems to me that this episode has the markings of a witch hunt. Purdue University breaks its own published Investigative Committee rules in order to come up with an allegation about promoting an experiment as independent.  Note that none of the allegations about falsifying data were proven.  This is an example of dealing with a scientific issue through the political method rather than the scientific method.  The political method should not be allowed to resolve a scientific issue.  Experiments are the reality check of science and the method for settling disputes.

Ron Marshall