Professor: I Called 911 on Loughner in Class

[cali]

(CBS) TUSCON -- Debbie Scheidemantel got to know Jared Loughner when he was a student in her biology class at Tucson's Pima Community College last summer.

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She explained, "I was collecting papers that were due at the beginning of class. A different student had realized he forgot his paper and asked if he could turn it in late, and I said he could, but it would be half-credit. Then Jared realized that he didn't have his assignment. He raised his hand, and asked if he could turn it in late. And I said, yes, but for half-credit. At that point, he was upset, he said, 'No, I want full credit.' And I said, 'No, it's half-credit, it's part of the policy, it's spelled out in the syllabus.'

"Students understand this," Scheidemantel said. "But he didn't seem to, and he pointed at the flag, and the Constitution up at the front of the room and said that I was taking away his freedom of speech, I was taking away his individual rights, that it was unconstitutional. He was saying that, you know, he's paying me, and therefore I'm taking away his freedom of speech if I don't give him full credit. Well, I did calm him down. And I told him, you know, at that point, we couldn't resolve it real quick, so I said, you know, talk to me at the break. And he seemed to calm down. And class started."

But Loughner's disruptive behavior, Scheidemantel said, didn't end there.

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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/10/earlyshow/main7230271.shtml

[somone]

1. Typical RW stance

Everything is about the Constitution - their version of it.

[DBoon]

2. and "everything is about me"

and "my entitlements"

[City Lights]

13. And rules that others must follow don't apply to me.

I'm special, don'cha know!

[Statistical]

4. More like typical mentally ill stance.

[ClassWarrior]

12. They're not mutually exclusive. In fact, in the case of the RW, they appear to be...

...closely related.

NGU.

[LiberalEsto]

7. Maybe the real lesson to take from all this

is that right wing behavior is uncomfortably close to behavior in some forms of mental illness, and that perhaps a large number of right wingers need to be evaluated by behavioral professionals.

[Statistical]

3. We NEED better mental health system.

There is no easy fix but currently the mental health system is 99.9% voluntary (unless someone already harms another person or themselves). We need a system where counseling and evaluation can be mandated for potentially dangerous people. Of course due process and individual rights need to be preserved.

[Brickbat]

5. Odd that she would call 911 without asking him to leave the classroom first.

[MrsBrady]

11. seems to me she was very worried and

he was out of his mind.

she was probably concerned if she HAD asked him to leave.

looks like the University backed her up.

[Very_Boring_Name]

14. Frankly if I were a professor and a student were screaming/ranting

I wouldn't want to exacerbate the situation by asking him to leave. Someone that unstable could turn violent on a dime.

[d_r]

6. mental health

not to diagnose somebody, but this all sounds pretty prototypical late adolescent undiagnosed schizophrenic.

[peace13]

8. Too sad. His illogical thinking is that of millions of Americans who would not want to be labeled ....

mentally ill. I know people think he is just ill but many folks believe as he does. The media and radical politicians have fed this to fever pitch. How to we go back? I have no idea. Shutting off 24 hour pretend news would be a good start.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. They don't have security at that college?

Why wouldn't she call them? I can't imagine a college campus not having security.

[somone]

15. They do, and their policy says "In an emergency, dial 911":

http://www.pima.edu/directory/
For general information, call the PCC Information Center at [phone]. In an emergency, dial 911. For PCC Police Department assistance or to report suspicious activities, call 206-2700.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Doesn't strike me as an emergency

But then I wasn't there. :shrug:

[BridgeTheGap]

10. It's revealing to follow the comment threads following these articles. This one is no exception.n/t