Officials have no count, but note an increase in reports and concerns of threats since shootings

Campus police and the dean of students have noted an increase in calls from faculty, staff and students who are more concerned for their safety after the murders at the College of Nursing on Oct. 28.

Associate dean of students Veda Kowalski said that in her office, the phone has been ringing frequently with reports of threatening behavior.

Though neither Kowalski nor a University of Arizona Police Department commander has a count on how many calls and reports they're received recently, they both noted that there have been more phone calls related to safety on campus since the murders.

"Yes, there has been an increase in reports," Kowalski said. "Any time a traumatic event occurs there will be more reports."

Kowalski divided threats into two categories: imminent physical dangers, for which a respondent would call 911; and more-common, less-dangerous threats like disruptive behavior in class or invasion of personal space that should be referred to the Dean of Students' Office.

"Most of the calls we get are people making inquires, wondering what they should do if this or that situation presents itself," Kowalski said. "What we want people to know is that it is OK to ask for help. If a faculty member or a student feels in danger, they shouldn't be afraid to call 911 or let someone know."

But recent police reports show that potentially threatening incidents are being reported because faculty and staff members are concerned about their safety on campus, said UAPD Cmdr. Brian Seastone.

Language, reading and culture professor Patricia Anders said she doesn't feel safe on campus.

"Teachers are always vulnerable," she said. "We never know how to draw the line."

Faculty members in her department have begun to carry cell phones with them wherever they go, Anders said.

She gave an example of a student with personal problems who she was worried about.

"They tell us to let our department heads know when we have concerns about students," she said. "Well, I went to my department head and he said he doesn't know what to do. It is really hard to know exactly how to act. This person could blow at any time."

Anders said she has at least one student every semester who causes her to become concerned for her own safety or the student's.

Law professor Barbara Atwood said it is important for faculty to make human contact with their students, but that talking isn't enough to stop random acts of violence like those at the College of Nursing.

"I have had experience with students who are having difficulty in the past," she said. "The only thing we can do is refer them to counseling."

Below are summaries of some of the recent threats and similar incidents reported to UAPD.

Wednesday, Oct. 30

UAPD received a report of threatening graffiti written above a urinal in the basement of the student union. The message read, "On my birthday, 10/28, I will kill two teachers and then me," reports stated.

The birthday of Robert S. Flores, the gunman in the murders of three College of Nursing professors, was not on this date.

In another report, a suicide note was found in the Tyndall Garage and was traced back to a student who said that she had been having a hard time dealing with depression and had been stressed-out about grades, reports stated.

The same day, UAPD received a report of an e-mail threatening an attack at the Main Library. The e-mail said, "I am going to shoot and kill at least six students and faculty or anyone else that gets in the way at the UA Library at 7 p.m.," reports stated. Police evacuated and searched the building, closing it overnight. No weapons were found.

In an unrelated report, a professor left her class and called UAPD to report a student refusing to leave her classroom. The student had been performing poorly in class and had antagonized the professor in the past, the professor said.

Thursday, Oct. 31

A professor from the College of Nursing forwarded an e-mail to UAPD in which an unknown person wrote, "You had it coming, it serves you right."

In an unrelated report on the same day, two employees made a report to UAPD describing one of their coworkers as "unstable." The coworker had suffered a number of setbacks at home and had made several comments about his depression, reports stated.

Friday, Nov. 1

An employee of STA Travel in the Student Union Memorial Center told police that a professor called and threatened to kill her because of a payment disagreement. Police contacted the professor, who said that the whole thing was a simple misunderstanding.

Sunday, Nov. 3

Members of the College of Nursing expressed concern over another former student.

The former nursing student, who had failed out of the program, was seen at a service for slain nursing professor Cheryl McGaffic. His presence at the service was upsetting to many people, reports stated. One student approached the man and asked him what he was doing there.

"I have come to make peace with Cheryl and to figure out if this was all worth it," the former student responded.

Monday, Nov. 4

UAPD received a call that a student had threatened to bring a gun to the Social Sciences building.