Professor Called Police After Student Presentation

[ALLAN]

Professor Called Police After Student Presentation

Posted by admin on 2/24/09 • Categorized as News

For CCSU student John Wahlberg, a class presentation on campus violence turned into a confrontation with the campus police due to a complaint by the professor.

On October 3, 2008, Wahlberg and two other classmates prepared to give an oral presentation for a Communication 140 class that was required to discuss a “relevant issue in the media”. Wahlberg and his group chose to discuss school violence due to recent events such as the Virginia Tech shootings that occurred in 2007.

Shortly after his professor, Paula Anderson, filed a complaint with the CCSU Police against her student. During the presentation Wahlberg made the point that if students were permitted to conceal carry guns on campus, the violence could have been stopped earlier in many of these cases. He also touched on the controversial idea of free gun zones on college campuses.

That night at work, Wahlberg received a message stating that the campus police “requested his presence”. Upon entering the police station, the officers began to list off firearms that were registered under his name, and questioned him about where he kept them.

They told Wahlberg that they had received a complaint from his professor that his presentation was making students feel “scared and uncomfortable”.

“I was a bit nervous when I walked into the police station,” Wahlberg said, “but I felt a general sense of disbelief once the officer actually began to list the firearms registered in my name. I was never worried however, because as a law-abiding gun owner, I have a thorough understanding of state gun laws as well as unwavering safety practices.”

Professor Anderson refused to comment directly on the situation and deferred further comment.

“It is also my responsibility as a teacher to protect the well being of our students, and the campus community at all times,” she wrote in a statement submitted to The Recorder. “As such, when deemed necessary because of any perceived risks, I seek guidance and consultation from the Chair of my Department, the Dean and any relevant University officials.”

Wahlberg believes that her complaint was filed without good reason.

“I don’t think that Professor Anderson was justified in calling the CCSU police over a clearly nonthreatening matter. Although the topic of discussion may have made a few individuals uncomfortable, there was no need to label me as a threat,” Wahlberg said in response. “The actions of Professor Anderson made me so uncomfortable, that I didn’t attend several classes. The only appropriate action taken by the Professor was to excuse my absences.”

The university police were unavailable for comment.

“If you can’t talk about the Second Amendment, what happened to the First Amendment?” asked Sara Adler, president of the Riflery and Marksmanship club on campus. “After all, a university campus is a place for the free and open exchange of ideas.”


-Shauna Simeone, Asst. Opinion Editor


Lookie here....a little info on said cuntbag.:trink26:

Name: Anderson, Paula
Phone Number: 8322690
Job Title: Lecturer
Department: Communication
Location: R C Vance Acad Ctr 317
Email: andersonpau@ccsu.edu

[That_Is_My_El_Camino]

...the officers began to list off firearms that were registered under his name, and questioned him about where he kept them...That's frightening shit imo.

[Yale]

“If you can’t talk about the Second Amendment, what happened to the First Amendment?” asked Sara Adler, president of the Riflery and Marksmanship club on campus. “After all, a university campus is a place for the free and open exchange of ideas.”

I'm gonna go find this chick's myspace and thank her for saying that.

[grove rat]

damn

[5.0_CJ]

I sent her an e-mail.

[crownline79]

In my class at ccccd we were actually discussing that same topic. Aparently there trying to pass a statute where anybody with a CHL can carry thier firearm on campus. Half the class was for and the other was against. . But both sides seemed pationate about thier beliefs.

[5.0_CJ]

In my class at ccccd we were actually discussing that same topic. Aparently there trying to pass a statute where anybody with a CHL can carry thier firearm on campus. Half the class was for and the other was against. . But both sides seemed pationate about thier beliefs.

I guess we need one more crazed student to bust into a classroom and shoot the fucking place up?

[Yale]

I guess we need one more crazed student to bust into a classroom and shoot the fucking place up?

No, that'll just further entrench both sides. We need someone to disobey the law, and shoot some asshole in the face when he's trying to burst in and shoot people. If a CHL holder saves the day, the arguments against CHL holders carrying to class won't have a leg to stand on.

[90GT50]

LOL @ her info being posted, I hope she doesn't try to sue us like Russ martin. :rolleyes:

[AL P]

Universities are all about free speech and thought as long as they agree with it.

[That_Is_My_El_Camino]

In my class at ccccd we were actually discussing that same topic. Aparently there trying to pass a statute where anybody with a CHL can carry thier firearm on campus. Half the class was for and the other was against. . But both sides seemed pationate about thier beliefs.I'm curious to hear the argument against it.

[5.0_CJ]

No, that'll just further entrench both sides. We need someone to disobey the law, and shoot some asshole in the face when he's trying to burst in and shoot people. If a CHL holder saves the day, the arguments against CHL holders carrying to class won't have a leg to stand on.

alright, I'll save the day as long as you bust into the classroom, wear a vest and don't move too much.

[The Raven]

Professor Anderson refused to comment directly on the situation and deferred further comment.

The university police were unavailable for comment.

If you truly fell that you were justified, why not proclaim so?


It's "passionate" btw.

[90GT50]

If you truly fell that you were justified, why not proclaim so?


It's "passionate" btw.
It's "felt" btw.

[5.0_CJ]

It's "felt" btw.

you nazi.

[90GT50]

you nazi.
No, that's David.

[That_Is_My_El_Camino]

If you truly fell that you were justified, why not proclaim so?

It's "passionate" btw.lulz

Yes, I udnerstand the difference between a typo and a misspelling.

[5.0_CJ]

No, that's David.

oh nm, I missed the part that was ironic. :)

..and I hope that was intentional camino :)

[90GT50]

lulz

Yes, I udnerstand the difference between a typo and a misspelling.Yeah, me too. :D

[The Raven]

oops

[crownline79]

I'm curious to hear the argument against it.

Well, it was mostly the girls stateing the fact that they could be caught in the crossfire. But, others were saying they would feel intimitaded with all the guns around. Some were claiming the strong posibility of a gun going off. Basicly a bunch of "what if"s.

I'm sure i spelt something wrong, I cant function with out a spell checker.

[reo]

When I was at CCCC in Plano, we had that discussion about CHLs on campus. My teacher was for it, along with most of the students. Although I had one girl finger point me and said she wouldn't trust me. I was like, so 6 years in the Army and a deployment overseas carrying live arounds 24/7 means I'm not qualified? once I made that statement, a few more of the nay-sayers said they wouldn't mind if I carried. Hopefully CCCC does allow it, I'll carry once I get off this deployment and get back to school.

-Eric

[5.0_CJ]

When I was at CCCC in Plano, we had that discussion about CHLs on campus. My teacher was for it, along with most of the students. Although I had one girl finger point me and said she wouldn't trust me. I was like, so 6 years in the Army and a deployment overseas carrying live arounds 24/7 means I'm not qualified? once I made that statement, a few more of the nay-sayers said they wouldn't mind if I carried. Hopefully CCCC does allow it, I'll carry once I get off this deployment and get back to school.

-Eric

I've carried at campus each time there was a gun threat, they had metal detectors set up any everything, I just walked around to other entrances... just goes to show how pointless they are - if I can do it, the kid that threatened to bring the gun certainly is going to.

[5.0_CJ]

I hope she writes me back.

[90GT50]

I hope she writes me back.What did you say exactly?

[03trubluGT]

I sent her an e-mail.


Copy and paste your email so I can send it too. I'm to lazy to do it, and after reading your posts, we pretty much think alike.

So, with your permission, I'll just plagairize your letter.


Liberal ass pussy professors make me sick.

[5.0_CJ]

What did you say exactly?

Thanks 03 :) - I kept it short and sweet in hopes she would actually read it.

--------
Your recent actions are the reason why people get mass murdered - a fear of weapons leads to an inability to protect ones self. Being scared of utilizing your 2nd amendment rights only makes you prey for those who misuse it. Remember that. And also, don't forget about the first amendment when you try and censor your students.

Very disappointed in today's biased professors,
C.J.

[03trubluGT]

Universities are all about free speech and thought as long as they agree with it.

Truer words never spoken.

[FATHERFORD]

Didn't I read at one of the recent school shootings that the shooter made the victims neal as he reloaded his gun to kill them.

Only if there was a CHL holder...they could have shot him.

[Cooter]

I emailed her

[That_Is_My_El_Camino]

I emailed herLMFAO at ur sig. Man, u look so tough. Triply tough with 3 pics of urself in front of ur wicked bad Mustang!

[line-em-up]

Didn't I read at one of the recent school shootings that the shooter made the victims neal as he reloaded his gun to kill them.

Only if there was a CHL holder...they could have shot him.

Who is neal?

[vtstang66]

After the VT shootings some group (students for concealed carry or something like that) wanted to host a debate on campus about victims' gun rights. VT shut it down, just flat out refused to allow the debate. Said it was "inappropriate and disrespectful" or some stupid bullshit. The year after it happened, the guy who ran the website that Cho bought a pistol from wanted to come to campus and basically defend himself, and the university got pretty upset about that too. Basically told him he wasn't welcome on campus and acted like it was him who shot those people. Fucking disgusting. How much worse can you dishonor the people who are dead possibly because you told them they couldn't defend themselves, than to not only refuse to learn a lesson from it, but to continue to portray anyone who refuses to stick their head in the sand and blame the guns as a bad person? VT is a good school, but stuff like this makes me glad to be away from there.

http://collegiatetimes.com/stories/11362

[90GT50]

No reply, CJ?

[Paladin]

If you agree with the liberal agenda most of these professors have you get an A, if not, they call the police on you?

I am still trying to figure out what crime they were investigating. I can't think of one.

[Yale]

Man, I should've appreciated Tarleton a little more. The professors are fucking REDNECKS!

[JP135]

LOL @ her info being posted, I hope she doesn't try to sue us like Russ martin. :rolleyes:

Does she own a Batmobile? NO! The defense rests.

[5.0_CJ]

No reply, CJ?

Weird, no reply yet, she probably got a ton of e-mail and just deleted it all.

[GhostTX]

Its gathering steam...
Professor Takes Heat for Calling Cops on Student Who Discussed Guns in Class

Wednesday, March 04, 2009
By Maxim Lott

A professor in Connecticut reported one of her students to the police after he gave a class presentation on why students and teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus. Now, free speech activists say the professor’s actions are what really need to be investigated.

Last October, John Wahlberg and two classmates at Central Connecticut State University gave an oral presentation for a communications class taught by Professor Paula Anderson. The assignment was to discuss a “relevant issue in the media,” and the students presented their view that the death toll in the April 2007 Virginia Tech shooting massacre would have been lower if professors and students had been carrying guns.

That night, police called Wahlberg, a 23-year-old senior, and asked him to come to the station. When he arrived, they they read off a list of firearms that were registered in his name and asked where he kept them. Guns are strictly prohibited on the CCSU campus and residence halls, but Wahlberg says he lives 20 miles off-campus and keeps his gun collection locked up in a safe. No further action was taken by police or administrators.

“I don’t think that Professor Anderson was justified in calling the CCSU police over a clearly non-threatening matter,” Wahlberg told The Recorder, the CCSU student newspaper that first reported the story. “Although the topic of discussion may have made a few individuals uncomfortable, there was no need to label me as a threat.”

Wahlberg declined to comment further to FOXNews.com, saying he did not want more media attention.

According to The Recorder, Anderson cited safety as her reason for calling the police.

“It is also my responsibility as a teacher to protect the well-being of our students, and the campus community at all times,” she told The Recorder. “As such, when deemed necessary because of any perceived risks, I seek guidance and consultation from the Chair of my Department, the Dean and any relevant University officials.”

Anderson did not respond to calls from FOXNews.com. Campus police forwarded requests to university spokesman Mark McLaughlin, who declined to comment, citing Wahlberg’s privacy.

Robert Shibley, vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), said Anderson's actions appeared to be out of line.

“If all he did was discuss reasons for allowing guns on campus, it seems a bit much to call the police and grill him about it,” Shibley said. “If you go after students for just discussing an idea, that goes against everything a university is supposed to stand for.”

Shibley said FIRE has seen many more cases of hair-trigger responses by administrators over anything gun-related since the Virginia Tech shooting.

In 2007, Shibley noted, a student at Hamline University in Minnesota was suspended after writing a letter to an administrator arguing that carrying concealed weapons on campus may help prevent tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech. The student was allowed to return only after undergoing a psychological evaluation, he said.

Shibley also cited an incident at Colorado College last year in which campus administrators denounced a flyer as "threatening and demeaning content" because it mentioned guns. He said the students who produced the flyer were found guilty of violating the school’s violence policy, which was added to their school records.

“It is, of course, important that administrators identify real threats to students,” Shibley said. “But they need to use logic to discern whether a threat is real.”

But Jerold Duquette, an associate professor of political science at CCSU who sits on the Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Freedom, say the Wahlberg case is not so clear-cut.

“This is a situation where both sides can come up with a reasonable explanation,” Duquette said.

“[Wahlberg] certainly has a reason to complain, since he didn’t do anything directly threatening. But I wouldn’t say the administration has a reason to sanction or punish the professor or the police.... I don’t know if I would have done anything differently in the situation.”

Katie Kasprzak, a spokeswoman for the group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, suggested that the professor called the police because she disagreed with Wahlberg’s political views.

"Critics of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus argue that colleges and universities are dedicated to the free flow of ideas,” she said. “Yet when a student gives a class presentation on a relevant issue in the media, it is acceptable to label the student as a threat? The only threat posed was a threat to the professor’s personal beliefs.”

Duquette said there was no evidence to support that.

“I think a lot of people see this as a liberal professor going after a student because he likes guns. I don’t know if that’s the case,” Duquette said, adding that more would need to be known about the incident.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,504524,00.html

[Slowhand]

“This is a situation where both sides can come up with a reasonable explanation,” Duquette said.

Bullshit it is! The professor had no standing upon which to make her decisions, aside from an idealogical one and that's not a good enough reason to call the cops on a student.

Stories like this make putting up with the Jesus-rhetoric worth going to a Southern Baptist school.

[Neiladin]

Who is neal?

I'm Neil.

Edit: I think I would probably flat out refuse to go to the "Campus Police station" unless they told me I was being charged with something. And if they were going to charge me with something there is no way in hell that I would drive a 40 mile round trip just to answer some questions, they could get off their fat lazy asses and come and get me.

[John -- '02 HAWK]

I'm Neil.

I think I would probably flat out refuse to go to the "Campus Police station" unless they told me I was being charged with something.


Just an reminder to those in Tx and at a public university. The campus cops are state officials, and refusing to comply with their demands is just the same as disobeying a DPS officer. The smarter choice would be to comply with going to the campus police station and not talking until you have a lawyer present.

In this case I bet the minute somebody called the NRA and asked for legal assistance, the campus cops would be apologizing for the detainment