Ho, hum, another campus shooting, this time at my alma mater (MA, PhD).
New wrinkle: the student apparently killed his professor over his grades.
As someone who has taught his share of ridiculously entitled university students, and who has the battle over grades at least once a semester, usually more, this absolutely freaks me out.
I’m not sure of the student’s plan here; does he think perhaps the substitute and/or TA they hire to finish up the prof’s work for the year will somehow come to a different conclusion re: grades?
I too find it scary. As a grad student, I was physically threatened by a pre-med student in the class I was TAing. Apparently he thought it was a good way to improve his grades instead of the actual result, chucked out of school. If he’d had a gun, though, and was slightly more deranged than he was, who knows what would have happened.
Guns kill people.
Incredibly sad. The 39 y.o prof was described as being brilliant and kind. I’m kinda glad the killer turned the gun on himself. It’ll save the taxpayers millions in trial costs & the cost of supporting him in prison for life. I heard earlier on the news that a note was left at the scene. Will be interesting to learn the details.
I was a student there when this happened.
I didn’t know any of the people involved, but I did recognize the three professors by sight, having taken physics the previous semester. My instructors were not injured (physically, anyway). There’s a book about it called “Deadly Scholarship” which is OK as true-crime books go.
I would guess it’s not a plan to reverse the grade, but to get revenge on the professor who has “ruined his life” (although as most of us college grads know, even failing a class is not that detrimental to a successful career, so long as you accept that a successful career is not always the one you planned on when you were a freshman).
I was a TA in college, and I had some rather heated comments from students over some rather clear-cut grading. One of them earned a lot of respect from me for coming back and apologizing for comments made in the heat of the moment - I remember that particular student ended up doing fairly well in the class on his own merits. Most of them are just mad at themselves for not doing the work and projecting. I’m glad none of them decided to project with actual projectiles.
Condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the victims.
Another famous case:
How you doin’?
So, California, how is that whole “gun-free” thing working out for you?
It’s no wonder the guy committed suicide–I guess he couldn’t bear the shame of breaking a school policy.
Heh. I didn’t mean that to come across as quite so pretentious—I just meant “grad school, not undergrad.” That’s what I get for participating in the honorifics threads.
Everyone Keep gun control politics out of this thread
Warnings will be issued
Considering I’m meeting a student today over grades, and as a department chair I deal with grade issues all the time, this story is really disturbing.
May have stemmed from grades. I live in Westwood and I am a UCLA alum. One unsubstantiated rumor from a girl I know who also knew the shooter said the two were having a UCLA relationship. Probably BS but we should wait till the suicide note is released before we make up our minds.
It was the most helicopters flying over my apt since Michael Jackson died.
Oh sure, over the top as hell, but I sometimes wish my son had cared a little more about his grades.
What’s a “UCLA relationship”?
News reports now say that the shooter had accused the Professor of stealing dome of his computer code. The Chief of Police will speak in 30 minutes.
One that involves bad typing. :o
Words fail at the notion that someone who has made it to that level of education figures that physical intimidation, threats of violence(*) or actual deadly force are valid ways to address disputes or grievances, or that a failure is a cause for just bringing down the roof on yourself and others in deadly anger… yet it is bafflingly so common!
(*That extends also to online threat campaigns and doxxings.)
Too much of this around, this bizarre life-negating despair that because things haven’t gone your way there has been some cosmic injustice and everyone’s world must end in pain too.
More on the motivations behind this shooting
And a gofundme page for the young children of the slain professor
Today’s revelations on motive make more sense than “a dispute over grades.” Still just as sad, but a tad less scary.
n/m. insensitive.