Actions

After releasing a report, University of Arizona faculty safety committee disbands

Tina Giuliano

Memorial for Professor Meixner in front of the John W. Harshbarger building.

By: Tina Giuliano

Posted

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Last year, University of Arizona Professor Thomas Meixner was murdered on campus by a former student. Since then, faculty members formed a committee to take a closer look at the university's response before, during and after the shooting.

Professor Leila Hudson was working from home when Professor Thomas Meixner was shot on campus.

"My first impression was not as a faculty but as a parent of a University of Arizona student," she said.

She had concerns about the UAlert safety system and the lack of communication during the shooting. She said she learned more from her teaching assistants who were in the classroom at the time.

"How difficult it was to be in a classroom that day and not have sufficient guidance on how to respond," she said.

So she helped a committee take a look into the university's response.

"We needed to utilize the expertise that we have on our faculty about all the matters relating to risk management," she said.

After weeks of interviewing different departments on campus, the committee released a report of their findings. It detailed the events leading up to the shooting.

"They found they [the departments] were also fragments, underfunded and unaccountable," Hudson said. "Those included UA police department and the office of general council. Those threats did not lead to the right kind of communication assessment and evaluation at the highest levels, is the problem that the report pointed out."

Hudson said the university didn't respond well to the report and the committee's access to the people they interviewed was blocked.

"Their access to the organizations within the university was being stonewalled," she said. "It [the response] actually compounded their fears that they would suffer hard or soft retaliation."

The university is using an external group of safety experts called Pax Group, LLC. The university emailed a statement from Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Jon Dudas that said the university appreciates the work the committee put into their report.

"The University will continue to implement actions to advance campus safety and security and looks forward to reviewing and responding to the Pax Group’s findings and recommendations," Dudas said in the statement to KGUN9.

Hudson said the initial report from Pax Group was supposed to be released within 75 days of Meixner's death and they haven't seen anything yet. She said it's up to the administration to make changes.
----

STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE