While my daughter and I were playing video games back in the child development lab in the LSU psychology building, a student had a psychotic break elsewhere in the same building. Upset about an academic matter, he raged through the hallways, then told the receptionist and waiting students that he was coming back with a gun to shoot them all. "You! and you! and you!" he pointed to each student, "And especially you!" he pointed at the receptionist.
LSU police were not called until way too late. When the responding officer arrived, the student was long gone. The officer then accused the receptionist of "agitating" the student. Okay, Deputy Fife. Does this mean I am no longer permitted to mark off points while grading, in case one of my students is unstable? We have to deliver bad news to students all the time. It's good to know you guys will always have our backs.
The police could not find the young man last night. My understanding is that he is to be removed from one of his classes today, if he shows up for them. Hopefully I am not one of his instructors.
Update: Apparently the young man "apologized" (but not to the terrorized receptionist or students) and "showed remorse." The police have still not talked to him, because they don't believe the receptionist and dozen or so witnesses (including a faculty member). It looks like he will not only continue to attend LSU, but also continue in the class that was the source of his frustration. My respect for the Second Amendment grows by the day.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
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13 comments:
That's disturbing. I am 99% convinced that I teach at the same LSU, and I have heard nothing of this.
Did anyone know who the student was (surely the instructor who gave (what he considered) reason to threaten people knew who he was)? If so, call the police (the *real* police, not the keystone campus cops), press charges, and have the motherfucker expelled from the university.
Wow. Stay safe. I hope LSU provides some serious training to Officer Fife.
Boy, aren't you glad that the police are so on the ball? I mean, wouldn't it be NICE if, oh I dunno, there was this, you know, inaleniable right to use technology to protect one's self and one's child?
Oh, wait...
A few years back I had a student, former Marine, going through a serious mental/emotional breakdown. Reportedly drugs were involved, and there was an assault on a fellow student; what I saw in the classroom was nervousness, failure to keep up (after starting out strong), declining quality of work, then absenteeism, etc.
You give the student the grade they earn, but when the student's going through serious instability and has a recent military background.... makes you nervous.
What does 'recent military background' have to do with making you nervous, ahistoricality?
I thought we lived in the same square state, but then you had elections on Tuesday, and I'm too lazy to research what states had elections. Oh, except for Mississippi. Oh well, still too lazy.
Keep your head down. If this poor response makes it to the press, after the terrible saddness of the last year, I feel sorry for administration. I hope you offer them a cigarette for afters.
Holy guacamole. I'm shocked that after what happened at VT this past Spring, they're not going nuclear on this guy.
Anonymous #1 - email me. angry underscore professor at yahoo.
I agree. Forget the campus police, who are primarily charged keeping crime stats quiet. I'd suggest to the receptionist that she call the real cops.
My university's police called the local cops and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation last week when we had a bomb threat--they arrested the guy (a stduent!) IN THE PARKING LOT Tuesday morning. He was sitting in his truck with ammo, pipe bombs, and liquor. Thank God they got on the case and didn't just leave it be.
Sadly, LSU cops will have nobody to blame but themselves if/when someone turns up dead.
The officer obviously did not know what to do. I bet he was male, admitting helplessness is not cool - so blame the victim. Pathetic.
What does 'recent military background' have to do with making you nervous, ahistoricality?
I've had lots of former military, future military, even current military in my classes with no problems whatsoever: fine students and people, for the most part. But when you combine their entirely appropriate combat training with drugs and mental/emotional instability, and it raises the threat level.
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