Ryan Scalise Columnist

One year has passed since the tragic day that Robert S. Flores Jr., a student in the nursing college, calculated and coldly murdered three associate professors of the college - Robin Rogers, Barbara Monroe and Cheryl McGaffic - then took his own life.

Today we celebrate the lives of Robin, Barbara and Cheryl, and the legacy those three nurses left behind. Let us keep them and their family and loved ones in our thoughts. Dean Isenberg of the nursing college put it best: "This is a time to celebrate the healing process." This is a hard day for me and for many at this school ... and a hard situation to address.

The event seemed so surreal - there is a misconception that brutal violence of this magnitude does not happen in smaller cities and towns. That misconception creates distance - it never occurs to us that the perpetrators of violence could be our neighbors or classmates.

I remember the mood around campus when this event occurred and the days shortly after - some people were shocked, some were apathetic. Some professors talked about it in class and some did not. That was bothersome, because an act as serious as this, occurring as close to us all as it did, should not have been shrugged off or trivialized.

Some of the nursing college students shared their perspectives: When asked if there were things that could have been done to prevent this tragedy, Stephanie Close, a third-semester student in the college, said, "Perhaps before reporting Flores to police, they should have referred him to campus counseling."

However, another student, Lindsay Piane, chastised me for inquiring about this event. She said, "Not another one of you guys. Can't you just leave it alone?" It seems that some people have the selfish attitude, "If it didn't happen to my family or friends, or if it doesn't affect me personally, who cares?" This view is morally grotesque and extremely self-centered.

In hindsight, it seems like one natural reaction after an event like this is to point the finger and try to place blame on someone or something. Whose fault is it in this case? Unquestionably, it was Flores'.

That said, UAPD could have done more to prevent the tragedy - it did not heed the warning call made by Melissa Goldsmith, clinical assistant professor in the nursing college. Though the fault ultimately rests with Flores, UAPD should have looked into this further and with more energy.

Goldsmith of the nursing college filed a police report about Flores on April 24, 2001. Officer Barrera of UAPD wrote in the official report, "Melissa Goldsmith reported that a student, Robert (S.) Flores (Jr.), is having trouble with a paper which is one month late. On April 19, 2001, Goldsmith talked to Flores about the paper, and he stated that he had a lot of problems other than school. He was depressed and thought about 'ending it all.' Flores then stated that he 'might put something under the (nursing) college.'" Officer Barrera went on to say that he attempted to call Flores, but left a message on which he planned to follow up.

UAPD, and law enforcement agencies in general, is in the position to make a judgment call as to whether something or someone is a crime or a threat. It evaluates and makes these decisions based on what is reported. According to Sgt. Eugene Mejia, UAPD spokesperson, "that report on Flores did not warrant any further investigation than what they did - make a phone call."

Sgt. Mejia went further to say that, ultimately, if they deemed it necessary, the police could have taken Flores into custody and put him into a counseling program. Even if he did not want to go, they could have forced him if they got consent from a psychological evaluation. However, Mejia insists that the psychologist would not have conferred that authority based on the filed report. Sgt. Mejia said that UAPD is taking steps to investigate reports such as Goldsmith's more carefully.

These types of calls are tough for police to make; in many cases, they make decisions and judgments on ambiguous situations. However, you can never be too careful.

Ryan Scalise is a political science senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu