Nude visitor prompts UAPD to guard philosophy class


By Holly Wells
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Earlier this semester, a former student decided to attend Keith Lehrer's lecture sans clothes, wearing only his tennis shoes.

Former UA student Matthew Kramer, who had an American flag decal on his chest, claimed his actions were to protect the country.

As a result of Kramer's full disclosure, a UAPD officer now sits outside a room in the CŽsar E. Ch‡vez building every Monday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The seminar was taught in the Social Sciences building until Kramer showed up nude.

"He's crazy; he's obviously demented," Lehrer said.

Cole Mitchell, a philosophy graduate student taking Lehrer's seminar, said the day Kramer walked into the classroom naked everyone was surprised. Mitchell said Kramer remained in the classroom for about 15 minutes before police arrived.

Mitchell said he didn't feel threatened by Kramer.

"At first we didn't know what had happened, but it was obvious that he didn't have any weapons," said Mitchell, "It soon became a source of amusement."

Lehrer said some students dropped the seminar after the incident.

Since then, the class has been moved and an officer has sat outside the door ensuring that Kramer, who is not allowed on campus, does not try to come back.

"It's an unusual case; Kramer has repeatedly not adhered to orders to stay off of campus," said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, spokesman for UAPD.

Mejia said the philosophy department asked for the officer as a precaution since Kramer continued to be disruptive on campus.

Mejia said he did not think Kramer was violent because the incident was disruptive and not threatening.

But Lehrer said he felt there was a small chance that Kramer could become violent.

"It's probably a one in 10 chance of him being violent, but he was certainly becoming less inhibited," he said.

Mejia said Kramer was arrested and booked into Pima County Jail after the incident.

Kramer was released, and Mejia said his whereabouts are unknown.

Lehrer said he is glad an officer now sits outside his classroom.

"My only regret is that there isn't a university procedure that could get someone mentally committed," Lehrer said, "If there was, Kramer could have been taken care of a lot sooner."

Lehrer admitted that such a procedure would be difficult for a university to maintain, but not impossible.

Mejia said it is important to have the officer there to prevent further disruptions.

Veda Kowalski, associate dean of students, said she was unable to comment on Kramer's particular case.

Kowalski said in order for a student to be expelled, the student must display extremely disruptive behavior.

"The Dean of Students Office would have to consider how much the student's behavior is impacting the environment and whether prior incidents have occurred," she said. "We do hold students accountable for disrupting the classroom."

Kowalski said the number of reports of classroom disruption has almost doubled since the nursing shootings of October 2002.

Kowalski said she believes that's because people are more observant about the behavior around them and of how to respond to disruptive or threatening behavior.

After the nursing shootings, the university adopted two new policies to deal with disruptive and threatening behavior.

Kowalski said the new policies have better outlined the process for students and faculty so they know who to report to and how to respond to an incident.

"The community is overall more concerned with the welfare of students," she said.

Kowalski said it's not just students who need to be more aware of their actions.

"Faculty needs to look at how they treat others as well," she said, "It's a disservice to just look at students; we need to look at our own behavior as well."

Mejia said the number of reports to UAPD of students being threatening or disruptive in a classroom has not risen since the nursing incident.