My psycho-student and VA Tech reflections Tom Smith

The news out of Virginia Tech comes at a time when I don’t really feel up to following the story.  It is not that I feel particularly fragile at the moment, only that this story is so horrible, and there is so little I can do about it, that I find myself changing the station when the story comes on the air.  Most painful of all are the mini-biographies of the victims, she who saved for a year for tuition, he who loved sports, she who was smart, he who survived the Nazis, but not psycho-boy.  As that poet said of 9/11, too many names for the walls of the heart.

Glenn Reynolds has a number of good links, with lots of thought provoking stuff, and I find my thoughts provoked.  It reminds me of my one encounter with a potentially dangerous student, that fortunately fell far short of anything at VT.  This particular student, and this was some years ago, had suffered a head injury in a motorcycle accident not long before beginning law school.  Whether as a result of this or not, he was not doing well in my class, and he wanted to discuss it.  When I was late to the first-thing-in-the-morning appointment I had with him, he allowed to my secretary that he was glad he had not brought his gun with him, because he was so angry that had he his gun with him, he didn’t know what he would do.

This being Southern California, my secretary told him that he seemedvery stressed, and that he should consider going power-walking withher, which was great for stress relief.  When she relayed the incidentto me a couple of days later, I was fairly annoyed, and instructed herfirmly that in future, should any student make what might be construedas a credible threat to my life, or even anything in that neighborhood,she should let me know right away.  I thought about calling campussecurity, but I quickly discarded that idea.  Perhaps a year beforethat, my computer had been, this is pretty odd, stolen and returned,but in a slightly disassembled state.  A note was left with itapologizing, but explaining that the computer-napper had needed the RAMin it for a special project.  For no good reason, I had a ridiculousamount of RAM in my computer.  I suspect the computer pirate was acomputer consultant I had used who also worked for Naval Intelligence,and was a pretty weird guy.  The computer was also covered in whatappeared to be the kind of grease you find in fast food restaurants. Don’t ask me.  Anyway, I did call campus security about this, and theysent over an officer who, were he to come across, say, a mugger, couldonly have cried “Stop, or I’ll have a heart attack!”  He looked like hehad been kicked off the San Diego Police Force for donut abuse, not aneasy distinction to accomplish.  I hasten to add that our campussecurity has been under new management for maybe 7 or 8 years, and nowcampus officers look like those guys in that awful TV show Beach Patrolor whatever it was called, that featured policemen riding aroundbeaches on mountain bikes.  So that much has gotten better.  But myexperience then was that the officer sent only just barely knew what acomputer was and that there was no point trying to explain RAM, yetalone sending him after someone in Naval Intelligence.  So I justchalked it up as one more strange experience of the kind I seem to havea lot of.  Thus, instead of calling campus security, I just called thelaw school administration, and they affirmed that this student wasindeed worrisome, but very much to be pitied.  I did feel sorry forhim, but I was also worried he might shoot me.  I consulted my lovelywife Jeanne, and she explained that head injuries do in fact oftenresult in impulse-control problems, and that rage and anger issuesmight also result.  I considered by options, which were really few, anddecided to embark on a campaign of kindness.  I was never late again toan appointment with the inchoate prof-killer.  During one of ourmeetings, which seemed very long at the time, a wasp flew into myoffice and buzzed menacingly.  I made to swat it, and the studentordered me “Don’t kill it.  Their lives are short enough as it is.”  Itwasn’t a request.  So, I captured the wasp instead, and it promptlyescaped, landed on my hand, and stung me really rather painfully.  Itreminded me of a time I was stung by a scorpion, but I will re-tellthat story another time.  But it did strike me as somehow karmic, as ifI would escape being shot, but not being stung.  Perhaps I should havewelcomed it.  The student did pass the course and went on to graduate,though I think I remember hearing he did not pass the bar.  I do notmiss seeing him roar up on his motorcycle, which was large. Coincidentally, these events happened the same year an SDSU engineeringstudent went psycho, and killed two (or three?) professors at thisthesis defense.

For whatever all that is worth, probably very little, I will hazarda few opinions about the VT  events.  First, security on Americancampuses probably is too lax.  It sounds as if the simple precaution ofhaving solid doors on the classrooms, with good locks that worked, andcould be used by students inside in an emergency, would have savedperhaps dozens of lives.  I note that on the floor of the building inwhich I work, any student (or professor) with a gun could easily kickhis way into a classroom or office and start shooting.  Many studentswere saved at VT when some doors were barricaded, but others died when theywere not able to keep doors closed effectively.  Second, it does seemthat various university officials, at least ideally, should have beenable to do something once it was recognized, as apparently it was, thatthe shooter was dangerous, at least to himself.  Third, it ought to bepossible to stop people who have been officially recognized asdangerous to themselves or others by the mental health system, asapparently this shooter had been, from buying guns.  I’m a gun owner,partly to defend myself against wackos, a disproportionate number ofwhom live in my part of the county, and I’m for the Second Amendmentand all that, but I don’t see anything wrong with a master list ofpeople who aren’t allowed to buy guns, and having ever been committed shouldbe a way to get on it. (I hasten to add I may not have my facts righthere, and this is based on second hand reports of the shooter’shistory.)  Finally, I’m not sure Mark Steyn is being fair in implyingthat the VT victims did not do enough to resist the crazed shooter.  Ihad not heard of the incident in Montreal he describes where a gunmanordered the men to leave the room, and they left and waited outside theunlocked door while the women who remained were shot.  I think many ofus can say we would not do that, and that “no one can say what theywould do under the circumstances” is one of those despicable bits ofrelativist cant.  That said, if someone just walks into a class roomand opens fire, especially if he does so in a very calculated way, itwould be very difficult to do anything but panic.  However, it doesseem a little training of students and professors might go a long way. Heaven knows, I have to sit through tedious training in which I acquiresuch pearls of wisdom as learning I should not refer to my students inclass as “hot” or “hunky”, and that if I see two students or co-workerssay, making out, I should immediately report them to the Dean orsomebody or other, though frankly I might have dozed off around then. All extremely useful information to be sure, given the predilection ofthose who follow the law to engage in random acts of lust, but howabout some information about what to do if you hear some shooting andscreaming in Civil Procedure next door, and you suspect it is not somecop show with a cool search and seizure conundrum being shown?  I’dlike to know what to say besides “Remain calm and prepare to die” or”You in the second row, before I die I would like to say that you arereally hot,” which would only add to the confusion.  Finally, thoughthis is not an especially important point, there is something uniquelystupid about declaring college campuses “gun free zones”, as I gatherVT was.  USD is a gun free zone, or so I have been reliably informed. This means I cannot even leave my pistol locked up in my truck oncampus, which is just as well perhaps, because it means I cannot go tothe shooting range on Morena Blvd, which is one sleazy, gang-bangerinfested range.  But really, stupid laws like this just definerelatively safe zones for maniacs.  I’m not saying law students shouldbe allowed to bring guns to class, but I think I could have one in myoffice safely enough, though even if the law changed I would not do sounless I got a decent lock on my door.