蜜柚直播

On Monday, UA President Robert C. Robbins announced that Liesl Folks, the provost, will step down and that Paula Balafas is out immediately as chief of the UA Police Department. The university is launching a national search for their permanent replacements.

The resignations come after months of criticism directed at the UA administration for its handling of threats lodged by a former student against hydrology professor Tom Meixner. The ex-student, Murad Dervish, is charged with first-degree murder in Meixner鈥檚 shooting death on campus in October.

Monday鈥檚 resignation announcements were hard-fought and expected, said Katharine Zeiders, a UA faculty senator and associate professor of family and consumer sciences.

鈥淭his was an organized move. We had many staff, students and faculty behind the scenes advocating and working on this,鈥� Zeiders told the 蜜柚直播 on Wednesday.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been organizing and advocating since 2020, and we鈥檝e been focused on worker protection and fair wages,鈥� said Zeiders, who is also an organizing member of the United Campus Workers of 蜜柚直播.

鈥淏ut then, after Tom鈥檚 death, we felt like enough was enough and we started organizing around accountability of administrators.鈥�

鈥楲ast resort鈥�

After Meixner鈥檚 death, news reports and later two separate investigations, one compiled by faculty and one by outside consulting firm PAX, LLC, publicly revealed that Dervish had sent threatening communications to Meixner and numerous others in the hydrology department for close to a year.

Dervish was expelled and barred from campus in February 2022 but that did not stop his communication with Meixner and others, all of whom made numerous attempts to get help from various units on campus, including through the dean of students, Office of General Counsel and the UA Police Department.

But, according to the PAX report, because the UA was not running 鈥渁n effective Threat Assessment Management Team,鈥� it placed 鈥渁n undue burden on administrative functions,鈥� and led to a 鈥渄ecentralized and fractured approach鈥� to campus safety.

The report also cited UAPD鈥檚 multiple 鈥渕issed opportunities鈥� to 鈥渆ngage, disrupt or arrest鈥� Dervish, who had an extensive violent criminal history, prior to Meixner鈥檚 death.

It said the police department lacked effective communication with Pima County law enforcement in illustrating a more 鈥渃omplete picture of the seriousness of the threat and provided more substantial reasons for arrest鈥� of Dervish.

The Pima County Attorney鈥檚 Office had declined to charge Dervish with misdemeanor threats and intimidation earlier in 2022 based on evidence in a report UAPD submitted about some of his behavior.

Once the PAX report was made available to the public in March, Robbins made multiple statements acknowledging that university leaders made mistakes and vowing to make meaningful change and rebuild trust with students, faculty and staff.

However, the same day in March, the UA Faculty Senate passed a non-binding vote of no confidence in Robbins and his administration鈥檚 ability to investigate and manage campus safety. At that time, senators told the Star they hoped Robbins would interpret the votes as 鈥渁 wake-up-call,鈥� not a call for his resignation.

鈥淥rganizing around the removal of administrators was our last resort,鈥� said Zeiders, who added that she and other faculty members felt unheard by administrators in the aftermath of the Oct. 5 slaying.

But over the past month, Robbins has met with numerous faculty members and students to address campus safety reform, and Zeiders said the administrative changes announced Monday give the impression he is taking these conversations seriously.

鈥楶art of a larger change鈥�?

鈥淲e hope this is part of a larger change,鈥� Zeiders said, emphasizing higher wages, worker treatment and safety. 鈥淲e want to keep leaders accountable. This is our university, which we love. We want to see these systemic changes at our university.鈥�

For Kathy Varin, who is the senior business manager in the hydrology department, the resignation of the police chief brings her some comfort as she prepares to return to work on campus next fall.

鈥淚鈥檓 glad she鈥檚 gone. She should have been gone the next day,鈥� Varin told the Star. 鈥淪omebody was not passing these threats up to the police chief. The police chief should have known about that guy.鈥�

Varin was just around the corner the day of the shooting when she heard gunshots and rushed to Meixner鈥檚 side until police arrived. 鈥淎s soon as I heard gunshots, I knew it was (Dervish),鈥� Varin told the Star. 鈥淚 knew he had been making threats, I just didn鈥檛 know the extent.鈥�

Varin, who鈥檚 worked for the UA for 20 years, said the hydrology department had even considered installing a panic button in the building in case Dervish came. But it was expensive and the department would have to pay for it, so it never materialized. 鈥淲e were sitting ducks. I kept thinking, 鈥榃hat am I going to do if he comes into the office? How am I going to survive?鈥� 鈥�

But when Varin returns to campus next fall, there will be panic buttons in numerous buildings on campus in addition to required background checks for all graduate students.

UA is carrying out these and other changes including installing more locks and keyless entries, launching a mobile crisis team, setting up a new safety website and streamlining oversight of offices that deal with safety issues.

These are steps in the right direction in the eyes of Varin, who has already seen the worst case scenario of ineffective campus safety protocols.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to see more police presence on campus. Maybe there鈥檚 other students thinking of doing this sort of thing. They need a deterrent,鈥� Varin said. 鈥淚f you can keep a Murad Dervish out of your department, believe me, you want to.鈥�

At the same time, some students say they鈥檙e fearful of the kind of climate an increased police presence could create.

Nousha Aldhefery, a junior and student activist, said she doesn鈥檛 want to see any more police officers get hired to serve UAPD now that Balafas is out.

鈥淲e鈥檝e never felt safe around police, especially after the death of Professor Meixner,鈥� she said at a rally in front of Old Main Thursday where dozens of students called for the additional resignation of Dean of Students Kendal Washington White.

In a petition calling for White to resign, activists claim she 鈥渋s unwilling to be part of a process of rebuilding trust with those she is charged to serve, and that to the contrary she contributes to an ongoing culture of fear and retaliation.鈥� White and other UA officials have not responded to the Star鈥檚 requests for comment on the petition.

鈥淚nstead of hiring more police, we鈥檇 like the administration to work with us to see what would make us feel safe,鈥� Aldhefery said.

As for Folks鈥� stepping down as provost or chief academic officer to establish a UA semiconducting manufacturing center, Aldhefery said:

鈥淚t鈥檚 good,鈥� but 鈥渋t鈥檚 not a solution. 鈥� If we settle for this, they鈥檒l make us settle for everything else.鈥�

鈥楻ebuilding trust鈥�

Steve Patterson, who is now heading the Threat Assessment and Management Team and started his job as chief interim safety officer on Monday, would not comment to the Star about Balafas鈥� resignation.

But, he did say that striking a balance between safety and trust is one of his top priorities in launching the new Office of Public Safety.

He said he鈥檒l be working with the newly established Campus Safety Advisory Commission to discuss questions like, 鈥淗ow do we engage with the campus community and make sure people feel comfortable reporting to the university鈥� or UAPD.

He added that campus safety has a broad scope. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just for making our campus safe against violence,鈥� Patterson said. For example, 鈥渋t鈥檚 about making sure we鈥檙e fire-safe and have enough defibrillators in appropriate locations.鈥�

Patterson will also have a new police chief and provost to work with to implement that plan, but at a news conference Friday, Robbins said it could be months before the UA permanently fills either of those roles.

鈥淥rganizational change is sometimes a good thing to rebuild trust,鈥� said Robbins, who acknowledged that 鈥渕any many mistakes were made鈥� during the last school year and that the new provost and police chief will need a 鈥渟afety-first鈥� mindset.

鈥淭here are many opportunities for improvement for making our campus safer,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut there鈥檚 a lot of work to do and no one person can do that.鈥�