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I am a teaching assistant and master's student in the math dept. at a large state university. I was holding a discussion section this morning when some young man walks in with his shirt off acting verbally belligerent. He comes up to the front of the room and just kind of stands there, not saying anything just kind of smiling in this creepy way and showing absolutely no signs of embarrassment or anything. After asking the class if anyone knew him (no one did), I told him he could either leave right now or I would get someone to remove him. I'm a small guy and he wasn't huge but he was certainly bigger than me.

He didn't leave so I stepped out of the room to get someone, although in retrospect I had no idea at the time who I would have gotten, but then as soon as I stepped out I realized that that probably wasn't a good idea since he could take my stuff or who knows what. So I walked back in and sure enough he's got my water bottle in his hand, so I grab it from him and say something to the effect of,

​!@#$ it, does anyone big want to help me get this guy out of class?

And two guys stand up, and one of them is clearly super pissed at this guy disrupting class and goes straight over to the guy and BAM hits him in the face super hard and he goes down and then hits him again and then kicks him in the face all in the span of like 5 or 6 seconds, like a proper #$!%ing beat down, and there are girls screaming and I'm a bit in shock as I was expecting him to just kind of strong arm him out of the class, and one girl comes up and is like

stop hitting him stop hitting him!

I don't exactly remember what happened next, but the guy must have left and then the assistant dean appeared almost immediately. I talked to her privately and explained quickly what happened, but I didn't say that the student hit the guy, I just said he got him out of class. She said I would need to file a report. I then held class as usual, and everything was fine.

I tried to talk to the student privately after class, but the assistant dean came back in. I asked the assistant dean if she could step outside while I talked to the student in private, since I didn't want to incriminate him. But she got super offended and told me that "I shoo you, you don't shoo me, get this straight I'm your superior." So I apologized, but I think maybe the look on my face wasn't sufficiently contrite, I was really taken aback. So she writes down my name.

No one -- not my professor/student-teacher liaison, not my ombudsman -- seems to know what I should expect from all this. I also really don't want the student to get into trouble, since I did ask for help removing the guy. I scheduled a meeting with the dean, and now I'm super worried that I'm going to be fired or kicked out of my masters program. What should I expect from all this?

Update: I found out that the guy who was disrupting class got arrested later that day and he was not a student. I also talked to several students who said that this is not the first time he has done this, and that several weeks ago in another class he walked in and lit a cigarette, and the professor took the cigarette out of his mouth, stomped on it, and then physically threw him out of class.

cag51
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5 Answers5

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You should have called the campus security/police when the incident was happening.

Had you done that, you'd worry about nothing right now. How did you know that guy did not have a gun? Why did you ask the student to help you to get the guy out? It was the security/police officer's job. You put all the students' and your life in danger !

Now, what happened already happened, too late to change that. To answer your question, you should talk to your professor, the department chair and the assistant dean. File the report. Just tell them the truth. You can use this question as the draft of the report. Take out some improper words. Admit that you did not know the appropriate action to take when it happened and you learned a painful lesson. Ask them to provide security trainings so that you'll know what to do if this kind of thing ever happens again. They'll understand. I don't think you'll be kicked out. A reprehend action is probably unavoidable.

To answer the question directly: It really depends on your department and school. If they had established security procedure and provided training to all faculty, staff and students as how to deal with this kind of thing, then they should also have the procedure as how to deal with anyone who did not follow the procedure. If they never had the security procedure, It's time to have one now. You can put that in your report.

TankorSmash
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Nobody
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    I really didn't know the appropriate action to take as I didn't know the # of campus security, and didn't even realize there was a phone in the room to call them on (assuming it had the # for them). – Set Aug 29 '13 at 03:05
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    @banned This is something you can put in your report - you did not know what number to call. As available phone, in these days, many people have cell phones. – Nobody Aug 29 '13 at 03:09
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    ok yah that makes sense. – Set Aug 29 '13 at 03:10
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    You are fine. There WILL be an investigation but if everybody were taking the most sensible actions during a "crime event", we would have no criminals left in no time. The worst they may do, IMHO, is to introduce an obligatory security course for faculty and students and you'll spend a few evenings listening to what exactly you should do in such cases (which won't hurt much). I would, probably, dial 911 right away (yeah, those guys are good not only for issuing traffic tickets), but if that wouldn't scare the guy, everybody would have to improvise in some way. – fedja Aug 29 '13 at 03:17
  • @fedja yah dialing 911 did cross my mind but I guess in the moment, and even now I suppose, I couldn't/can't quite tell how serious the situation was, as I don't think the disrupter ever officially broke any laws. – Set Aug 29 '13 at 03:18
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    Feeling threatened is enough to call 911. Some guy looks at you funny while you are walking down the street is enough. – Neo Aug 29 '13 at 03:19
  • That is not YOUR problem. It is his task to explain the police squad what he was doing there and why they should tell him that he was a good boy and let him go. That's your only real mistake: you are too kind ;). – fedja Aug 29 '13 at 03:20
  • @fedja lol that's a nice sentiment, I really do appreciate your responses, they've calmed me down considerably – Set Aug 29 '13 at 03:23
  • Also, don't forget that students aren't children and that your TA duties do not include the work as a bodyguard. As a matter of fact, they showed it. Knocking down the offender in uncertainty is actually a good way if you are sure that you can pull it through. That saves lives, not wastes them, even if some crooks may classify it as "overstepping the limits of necessary self-defence". – fedja Aug 29 '13 at 03:56
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    @banned I added "Ask them to provide security trainings so that you'll know what to do if this kind of thing ever happens again." since this is something they should have done. – Nobody Aug 29 '13 at 04:08
  • The last thing they taught me once is that your first task is to raise the alarm. So, if nothing better, just cry "Fire!" (not "help"!) at the top of your lungs. That will attract a lot of attention and, unless you are dealing with a suicidal maniac, will stop him at least temporarily. – fedja Aug 29 '13 at 04:09
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    "You should have called the campus security/police when the incident was happening" applies to every student in the room just as well, doesn't it? There is no reason to expect a TA (who, technically, is a student as well) to be the smartest and strongest person in the room despite he is "in charge". – fedja Aug 29 '13 at 04:31
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    @fedja The TA is the lead of the classroom by default. I think someone did call the authority - how did the assistant dean show up in the classroom? – Nobody Aug 29 '13 at 04:48
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    @fedja, "this will attract a lot of attention". It could also cause panic that could lead to deaths. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shouting_fire_in_a_crowded_theater#Literal_examples – JRN Aug 29 '13 at 05:11
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    @fedja "Knocking down the offender in uncertainty is actually a good way" This is extremely dangerous and I council you against promoting excessive violence. Someone standing in front of you should not prompt your violent reaction - better to let the authorities step in (otherwise you are inviting assault charges). – earthling Aug 29 '13 at 05:44
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    @Joel As I said: "if nothing better". Sometimes you don't have time to get your phone out, though in this particular case it was possible. As to violence, I still firmly believe that if the situation starts spiraling out of control (and a teacher in distress is a sign of this), the external help can take minutes to arrive and you have strength and ability, you should attack first and take care of consequences later. If it is the offender who will take the first move, it may be far worse. Once you attracted the outside attention to the situation, you are on your own until the help comes. – fedja Aug 29 '13 at 12:26
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    I just wanted to add that campus security is imho not very common in a lot of European universities. – RoflcoptrException Aug 29 '13 at 15:15
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    “You put all the students' and your life in danger!” is an unnecessary exaggeration. – Jon Purdy Aug 30 '13 at 06:37
  • @fedja "There WILL be an investigation but if everybody were taking the most sensible actions during a "crime event"" the action of the student to remove the guy was in no way a sensible action, and I would imagine may itself constitute an assault, which was effectively authorised by the TA. – Dikran Marsupial Jul 15 '16 at 17:58
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    Calling the police should have been sufficient to scare the naked guy. No need to call security if you don't know the number. – HopefullyHelpful Jul 15 '16 at 18:02
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    You should have called the campus security/police when the incident was happening. This is partially true, partially ridiculous. It is true that the OP should've notified security (who are properly trained to handle these situations). However, from the OP's description, this happened too fast for them to have done anything. How long would it have taken for a campus police officer to have gotten there?

     – jwir3 Apr 16 '19 at 18:58
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    @jwir3 In the past, I had encountered numerous incidents that were similar to the one in the question. Some were before the cell phone era, Most of them ended when some one said the police is coming. Of course, there are terrorists who are not afraid of police/security. Most people are. How soon the police can arrive at the classroom depends on how efficient they are. We cant control it. I stand by my advice. Even If you want to do something else, you still call the police as the very first thing. – Nobody Apr 17 '19 at 01:23
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    @scaaahu > Even if you want to do something else, you still call the police as the very first thing. I absolutely agree with this. I was simply stating that I'm not sure that only calling the police will resolve the situation. – jwir3 Apr 17 '19 at 16:07
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Short: Contact a local union representative, and ask them for information and advice.

The advice given by others (speak the truth, contact your department head and ask for his help, etc.) is good, and if cool heads prevail, you shouldn't be in too much trouble, though the experience must have left you in bad shape. Also, on that note, do not hesitate to contact the school's counsellor/shrink if you need someone to talk to in confidence. Sometimes, some of the things we cannot say in official channels (“I somehow feel responsible for the guy getting beaten, after all, I set students onto him”, that sort of stuff) need to be spoken.

However, even if things are probably going to be fine, you also need to prepare yourself in case things go wrong. So, just in case serious or threatening administrative procedures are started, get informed on what your rights are, and get advice on what to say exactly. (Yes, you will speak the truth, but there are many ways to phrase it.) That's your union's job, and they can even help you further if things turn for the worse.

If you don't have a union, you could also get good advice from a lawyer… you may have access to a legal clinic or public-funded law consultations near you

F'x
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    Most graduate students in the US (where the OP seems to be from) are not part of unions. –  Aug 29 '13 at 15:18
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    @ChrisWhite not sure about where the OP is from… In many cases, you don't have to be in a union beforehand for them to actually represent you, as long as they are present at your workplace. WP says that there are “as of 2007 there are 28 graduate student employee local unions in the United States”, which is more than zero :) – F'x Aug 29 '13 at 15:22
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    +1 for talking to a counsellor. Many people think of counselling as just for people with chronic mental health issues, but that’s not accurate at all. If you sprain your ankle, you’d go to the doctor to help get it fixed; similarly, when you’ve had a seriously stressful and shocking experience like this, a few sessions with a counsellor can make a world of difference dealing with it. And many schools have counselling services that are free for graduate students. – PLL Aug 29 '13 at 16:03
  • This is excellent advice. I think one thing to keep in mind is that you did "what any reasonable person would do" in the same circumstances. – jwir3 Apr 16 '19 at 18:59
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You clearly found yourself in a very uncomfortable and unpredictable situation (I'm assuming the school never prepared you for this kind of situation). The fact that you are young and relatively inexperienced should help you.

You should definitely see the head of your department and ask for his/her help. The bottom line is that you were unsure of what to do, you felt threatened, you did something which seemed reasonable at the time (asked for help). Yes, the other student seems to have gone a bit too far but for his situation there are mitigating circumstances (his teacher felt he was in trouble and asked him to help).

Basically, there are mitigating circumstances all around. Even you shooing (really?) someone whom you should not have happened only because everyone was off balance.

Yes, it is not good but for everyone involved, any reasonable third party can clearly see that there are mitigating circumstances all around.

So, go to the department chair and ask him/her what to do. Don't hide anything.

earthling
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    Following the answer from @scaaahu I would add to my answer that you MUST keep your dialog completely professional. Drop any profanity as it will not help your case in any way. – earthling Aug 29 '13 at 03:09
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    excellent advice here, also something else to consider - the 2 students who took him down could be seen as backing you up, defending you and the class. –  Aug 29 '13 at 07:26
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While not as serious as an infraction as what you are going through, I was just recently in a bit of trouble with my school (public consumption). I was able to get past it by doing the following things:

  1. Spoke Nothing but the truth
  2. Had people from my department advocate that beyond this infraction, I was an asset to the department and the school.

What you also need to do is:

  • Explain that you were clearly in an unsafe environment, and that beyond the stranger's threat, you put your students in danger by asking for help. While you aren't much older than the students, I assume, You are responsible for them as a Teaching Assistant.
  • Explain to them that, if you are fortunate enough to keep your job and stay in the program what you would do in similar situation, which is, call the police. Get on your phone and call Public Safety or the Police, that is their job.
  • This may have legal ramifications, depending on the particulars.
  • Find as many people as possible with stature to advocate for you. Does your advisor love you as a student? Time to find out.

Thats all I can really think of. I really wish you good luck, as you know this is super messy.

Neo
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Everyone else is giving good answers about your specific question. I want to add one thing: you need to think about how to handle such situations going forward. Set up time with campus security to learn what their policies are. You might try taking a good self defense class - not sport martial arts, and not military-go-kill-someone martial arts, but something designed for citizens who truly want to protect themselves. If you do so, you'd be well advised to learn about the different types of violence, so you can recognize whether someone is likely to hurt you vs someone who just wants your money. Rory Miller is a great starting place.

atk
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    I'm going to look up the number for our campus' security police, and put it into my cell phone. Hopefully, I'll never have to use it, but, if this discussion has taught me anything, it's that having campus police on my telephone is a good idea. After all, those guys should do more than write parking tickets. – J.R. Aug 29 '13 at 21:32