Thursday, January 13, 2011

More on Pima College's Policy on "Troubled Students"

from the New York Times:

College’s Policy on Troubled Students Is Under Scrutiny
Many people had a glimpse of the deep delusions and festering anger of Jared L. Loughner, but none seemed in a better position to connect the dots than officials at Pima Community College.

After the release of detailed reports the college kept of Mr. Loughner’s bizarre outbursts and violent Internet fantasies, the focus has turned to whether it did all it could to prevent his apparent descent into explosive violence last weekend.
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Laura J. Waterman, the clinical director of the Southern Arizona Mental Health Corporation in Tucson, criticized Pima officials for not initiating an involuntary evaluation.

“Where does it reach a level where you say this person shouldn’t be a part of any community and we have a responsibility to do something about that?” she said. The clinic, which offers walk-in psychiatric crisis care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, is one of the agencies Pima students are referred to when they need mental health services, including students who have been suspended like Mr. Loughner.
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To read it in its entirety, click here.

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This tragic event should be an opportunity for our college admin to address SERIOUS weaknesses in our system here.

Anonymous said...

Read the article: "In Arizona, people can be sent involuntarily for a mental health exam after any concerned party applies for a court-ordered evaluation, which can lead to mandated treatment."

But that's in Arizona, not California.

Here's a little thought experiment: If "officials" could simply request a psychiatric "evaluation"--possibly followed by "mandated treatment--for people they thought were "disturbing" or "threatening," do you think someone like Raghu Mathur would have Roy Bauer locked up?

Be careful what you wish for.

--100 miles down the road

Anonymous said...

You might navigate over to Confessions of a Community College Dean for what I think is a less knee-jerky response.

--100 miles

Anonymous said...

100 Miles, as a matter of fact, when Mathur and Co. came after me in 1998, they trumped up charges and ordered me to seek anger management counseling. BvT

Anonymous said...

A failure of officials = a failure of Pima County Sheriff Dupnik, ya know the leftist who has gone off half-cocked blaming Palin, Limbaugh and conservative talk radio? As Sheriff, he failed to protect those people who were slain and critically injured that Saturday. That’s outrageous and inexcusable.

Roy Bauer said...

Now let’s see if I’ve got this. Leftist = bad. Do you know what a leftist is? Do you care to defend your assumption about leftism? Guess not.
And this old Arizona sheriff is a “leftist,” is he? Don’t thinks so. Are you a Druid? A wombat? I mean, just how loosely are you willing to use terms?
And he’s blaming Limbaugh and Palin, is he?
Gosh, I don’t recall his mentioning them. But he probably had their kind in mind.
This tragedy is the fault of that sheriff? Really?
I’m sorry, 2:07, but you’re an idiot. This is a college blog. Please go elsewhere.
If you wish to opine, offer arguments, reasons, points. Learn how to use words. Good Lord.

Garry said...

This guy has serious issues. it's a pity we couldn't stop him before it was too late!

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...