“Fenton made initial phone calls about engaging the BETA team,” in “the first ten days” of June, which “never came together” due to Holmes’s leaving the program. After Holmes left, the BETA team “had no control over him.”
Furthermore, Fenton didn’t explain what precisely concerned her, so there could be nothing to report to law enforcement. “It takes more than just statements,” explained one source. Holmes would have to have told Fenton “something specific,” before it could be reported.
Due to a gag order surrounding the case, news sources have not been able to learn when Fenton lost contact with Holmes or if he received further medical treatment afterwards.
“We did everything we think we could have done,” said Don Elliman, the university’s chancellor.
Barry Spodak, a threat assessment expert, certainly overstates his case when he claims dropping out of school is enough of a signal to justify imposing on the privacy and rights of a student. He said, “You know, I think that’s the signal that you should intensify your efforts, not walk away. Under those circumstances, most well-trained threat assessment teams would have gone into action.”
Nevertheless, seeing a psychiatrist while going through the emotional turmoil of deciding to leave a program is almost never a “call for action,” and it is only too easy to cite the unusual case where a student went ballistic when in fact students leave their university programs regularly at all universities, and such decisions are usually attended by some psychological frustration.
I am really not trying to be rude, as this happens with so many news articles nowadays. I would suggest columnists proofread their work for errors. Using spell check and grammar check are simply not enough. By the way, it is “Holmes'” not “Holmes’s.” When a word ends in an “s” or a “z” and is used as a possessive, there is no “s” after the apostrophe.CK
Thank you. 🙂
P.S. I do not have a in English. Simply an avid reader since I learned to read.
This article incorrectly states the number of fatalities from the incident. He allegedly killed 12 people, not 24; he has been charged twice for each death. I’m disturbed by this inaccuracy, and it calls into question for me the other assertions made here. Fact checking and attribution of quotes is a must.
Very disappointed.
By going into action I meant begin an inquiry into why:
A student with an excellent college academic record failed a crucial exam and suddenly dropped out of a prestigious program.
A treating psychiatrist told colleagues that the student could be a danger to others.
The psychiatrist referred him to a threat assessment team whose policy she authored.
Threat assessment teams are not prosecutors, police or disciplinary committees. Their job is to discover the meaning of worrisome behavior, see if a student might be on a path toward violence and devise a plan for intervention that will help the student and minimize any threat to the campus community.
Thank you for the corrections, Karen and Ms. Badger; and thank you for the clarification of your quote, Mr. Spodak