Weekly Briefing: A University Accepts Responsibility for a Professor's Killing

The institution faces a $9-million claim from the faculty member's family. ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now read The Chronicle on [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. The University of Arizona accepts responsibility for a professor’s killing. The University of Arizona admitted failure and accepted responsibility this week for the 2022 killing of a professor on its campus. Thomas Meixner, a professor of hydrology and atmospheric sciences, was shot and killed while walking to class in October. Murad Dervish, a former graduate student, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He had been making threats against Meixner and other faculty members for more than a year. A university-commissioned investigation found that administrators and campus law-enforcement officials missed many opportunities to intervene and arrest Dervish before Meixner’s killing. The inquiry found that the university fell short in managing threats, responding to concerns from professors and others, and communicating across departments. During a news conference on Monday, Robert C. Robbins, the university’s president, said, “I’m angry at myself that I did not do more to prevent this tragedy.” Despite the university’s effort to take responsibility, Arizona’s Faculty Senate on Monday voted no confidence in Robbins and other administrators, citing their failure to ensure the safety of Meixner and others on campus. At the news conference, Robbins also said he would take steps to improve campus-safety protocols, like revamping the threat-assessment team and conducting more training. Lawyers representing Meixner’s family filed a $9-million claim accusing the university of inaction that “sacrificed Professor Tom Meixner’s life.” Lawyers filed the claim against the Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the institution. The damage claim serves as notice that the family could file a formal lawsuit; the institution has 60 days to respond. The university commissioned the PAX Group, a security firm, to investigate the events leading up to Meixner’s death, and its aftermath. The firm spoke with 139 students, faculty members, staff members, and others, and reviewed more than 1,200 documents for a 205-page report on its inquiry. More from the report. The security firm’s report noted that the university’s ineffective management process and poor communication among campus departments and agencies contributed to the university’s inaction. Though the tragedy resulted from a collection of missed opportunities and mistakes, Robbins pointed to some key takeaways from the report. One is that the university may have prioritized student privacy over the safety of the whole campus. Colleges are subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or Ferpa, a federal law that restricts families’ access to certain student records. Critics have said that a fear of legal consequences may have led people with knowledge of Dervish’s threats to hesitate to share them with others. Ferpa, however, has exceptions for health and safety. Robbins said that in Dervish’s case, his threats of violence superseded his privacy rights, and that the institution should have intervened. The security firm’s report offered 33 recommendations for improvement, including ensuring that Ferpa training gives members of the campus community an accurate picture of the law and its exceptions. [Read more from our Kate Hidalgo Bellows and Sarah Brown](. ADVERTISEMENT NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. Lagniappe. - Learn. Before you [pay a medical bill]( in the U.S., read this. (Vox) - Read. In Ireland, 2,000 artists are guaranteed $350 weekly from the government for three years. The pilot program is designed to test [a basic income]( for cultural workers. (The New York Times) - Watch. The documentary [All the Beauty and the Bloodshed]( tells the story of the photographer Nan Goldin. She’s the woman behind the activist group PAIN, which targeted the Sackler family for distributing Oxycontin. The doc is streaming on HBOMax. ([YouTube has the trailer]( —Fernanda SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Chronicle Top Reads FACULTY IN THE CROSS HAIRS [Florida’s Public-University Board Approves Firing Poorly Performing Tenured Professors]( By Emma Pettit [STORY IMAGE]( The governing board endorsed on Wednesday a process for post-tenure review that creates a uniform method for dismissals across the 12-campus State University System. SPONSOR CONTENT | University of Wisconsin-Madison [Great Minds Converge Here]( University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering is expanding and ready to make a bigger impact HR POLICIES [What Higher Ed’s Paid Parental-Leave Policies Look Like]( By Megan Zahneis [STORY IMAGE]( A graduate student who struggled to balance childbirth, parenting, and academic work figured she wasn’t the only one facing such difficulties, so she collected data on what appeared to be a systemic issue. Here’s what she found. THE REVIEW | OPINION [Academic Service Is Intellectual Labor]( By Andrea Kaston Tange [STORY IMAGE]( Equity and fairness depend on giving all work its due. ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [The Future of Advising - Buy Now]( [The Future of Advising]( Good advising is widely seen as central to student success, but it is one of the most misunderstood and under-supported divisions on campus. [Order your copy]( to learn how university leaders can improve advising systems to help close equity gaps, and ensure students effectively navigate their path to a degree. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037