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FILE – Police autos sit in entrance of College Hill Elementary College throughout from the campus of the College of Colorado after Matthew Harris, accused of creating violent threats towards the school in addition to the College of California, Los Angeles, was taken into custody following a standoff at his Boulder condominium complicated Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. A path of crimson flags about his habits towards ladies adopted Harris, a former lecturer at UCLA, on a tutorial journey that took him to a few of the nation’s most prestigious universities — Duke, Cornell after which UCLA. (AP Picture/David Zalubowski, File)
By STEFANIE DAZIO | The Related Press
LOS ANGELES — A path of crimson flags about his habits towards ladies adopted Matthew Harris on a tutorial journey that took him to a few of the nation’s most prestigious universities — Duke, Cornell after which the College of California, Los Angeles.
Former graduate classmates at Duke and Cornell, the place he studied earlier than turning into a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA in recent times, described him as inappropriate and creepy, with obsessive behaviors like sending extreme emails and textual content messages to some ladies that turned harassment and, in at the least one case, sexual harassment. One other mentioned she modified her morning routine at Duke for weeks after Harris realized her schedule and texted her messages like, “I’m right here, the place are you?”
Final week, a SWAT staff in Colorado arrested Harris after he allegedly emailed an 800-page doc and posted movies threatening violence towards dozens of individuals at UCLA, prompting the college to cancel in-person courses for a day. The so-called manifesto contained quite a few racist threats and used the phrases “bomb,” “kill” and “shoot” greater than 12,000 occasions. Harris is anticipated to look in court docket on Tuesday.
In on-line class critiques, interviews and emails obtained by The Related Press, present and former college students in any respect three universities alleged negligence by the faculties for letting Harris slide beforehand, regardless of his regarding conduct.
“I do not know how this man remains to be educating,” one among his UCLA college students wrote in October 2020 in an nameless class assessment.
Two former Duke college students, who spoke to the AP on situation of anonymity as a result of they worry for his or her security, mentioned that whereas they didn't report Harris to college officers on the time, his habits was well-known throughout the small philosophy program and they didn't really feel they might have been supported by school in the event that they’d come ahead.
Taken collectively within the years since main mass shootings at Columbine Excessive College, Virginia Tech and elsewhere, the scholars’ allegations at three top-tier faculties elevate questions concerning the line between uncomfortable and actionable habits, a college’s obligation to encourage the reporting of it, and an establishment’s obligation to stop it from occurring at one other college.
The scholars’ descriptions of years of alarming habits prompts one other query: What, if something, did the schools do to get Harris assist?
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A graduate scholar at Duke as he accomplished his Ph.D. in 2019, Harris additionally attended Cornell for a 12 months earlier than UCLA employed him as a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer — a distinguished posting — till he was placed on “investigatory go away” final March after allegedly sending pornographic and violent content material to his college students.
“Clearly Duke shouldn't have handed him to us, and Duke and Cornell shouldn't have handed him to UCLA,” mentioned Adriene Takaoka, a Cornell philosophy graduate scholar whose time overlapped with Harris’. “We’re simply fortunate that nobody’s been bodily harm. Definitely individuals have been psychologically broken.”
The previous Duke college students described their preliminary interactions with Harris as largely collegial, however with unusual undertones that grew through the years.
“There would simply be this sense of ‘um, I really feel uncomfortable’ or ‘that was creepy,’” one other mentioned. “By the point I left this system, I wished completely nothing to do with him.”
However Andrew Janiak, a Duke philosophy professor and former chair of the division who served on Harris’ dissertation committee, mentioned he by no means had any indication of such habits, describing him as “very shy, very reticent, by no means aggressive. I by no means noticed him even elevate his voice.”
Janiak obtained the primary stories of harassment in late March, after Harris had left Duke. Emails present Janiak instantly contacted UCLA.
Duke and Cornell declined to remark to AP and didn't reply a listing of detailed questions despatched through electronic mail, similar to whether or not any official stories have been made about Harris whereas he attended their establishments and if there have been none, what that claims about their tradition of reporting.
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The indicators have been there, like bread crumbs scattered throughout the three faculties.
The morning routine incident at Duke. A home occasion at Cornell the place he tried to rope a relative stranger right into a dialogue about his psychological well being. Damaging on-line critiques of his UCLA lectures. Maniacal laughter that disrupted courses. Odd interactions with ladies he’d strategy out of the blue on campus. A marketing campaign of incessant textual content messages and emails that induced a number of college students to chop off contact with him.
“Nobody would take a look at that child and say, ‘oh, he’s superb,’” mentioned Brian Van Brunt, an skilled on campus violence and psychological well being and former president of the Nationwide Affiliation for Behavioral Intervention and Menace Evaluation. “Usually somebody like this didn’t simply seem out of nowhere.”
Lately, most faculties and universities have shaped behavioral intervention and risk evaluation groups in response to highschool shootings, meant to flag regarding habits and get assist earlier than conduct escalates.
Emails and court docket paperwork present UCLA’s behavioral intervention staff was concerned, however presumably not till as late as March 30, 2021, when Harris’ habits actually started to escalate.
That spring, Harris started sending weird and disturbing emails to his former classmates and present UCLA college students. The emails to the UCLA college students allegedly included pornographic and violent content material despatched to ladies in his analysis group, prompting the college to place him on “investigatory go away.”
Invoice Kisliuk, UCLA’s director of media relations, mentioned in an electronic mail that folks on the college “introduced considerations” to its Title IX workplace final 12 months, which “labored with the people to handle the considerations.” He declined to remark additional, citing privateness. The college introduced Monday that it was making a process power “to conduct a complete assessment” of its protocols for assessing potential threats.
The messages to Harris’ former Duke classmates, nevertheless, had hyperlinks to his YouTube channel that included a video titled “Useless White Professors (Duke College remix).” Regardless of proof he was in North Carolina on the time, the college appeared unwilling to bar him from campus, emails present.
In April, his mom reached out to a professor at College of California, Irvine, saying her son in January had threatened in emails to “hunt” and kill the lady. The professor had briefly met Harris in 2013 whereas they have been each at Duke and he reached out when he moved to LA in 2020, sending emails and textual content messages that will flip aggressive and obsessive.
“I wouldn’t have the ability to reside with myself if I did nothing and somebody bought harm,” Harris’ mom wrote.
These messages prompted the UC system to acquire a office violence restraining order towards him, which barred him from all UC campuses. UCLA police additionally sought a Gun Violence Emergency Protecting Order.
In November — months after he’d been involuntarily dedicated to a psychological well being facility and, his mom later advised the FBI, recognized with schizophrenia — Harris tried to purchase a gun however was denied due to these orders.
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Now, his former classmates surprise: How did Harris even get employed at UCLA?
His dissertation — regardless of an alarming dedication posted on-line — would have been accredited unanimously by a four-person committee. Janiak mentioned he wrote Harris a letter of advice however declined to debate it.
“Everybody needs to re-read the previous and take a look at to determine, ‘was he secretly loopy,’” the professor mentioned, however there was nothing “that will make me suppose, ‘boy, this particular person’s in bother.’ “
Janiak mentioned college students reported different complaints to him whereas he was chair of the division, however nobody got here ahead about Harris till final March.
The onus is on the incoming establishment to ask focused questions on an applicant past their educational credentials, in accordance with Saunie Schuster, a lawyer who advises faculties and co-founded the Affiliation of Title IX Directors.
Whereas faculties sometimes can not point out unproven accusations for worry of a lawsuit, Schuster mentioned, they'll do a background test that features telephone interviews with classmates, supervisors and college students. It’s not clear whether or not UCLA officers carried out such a background test or interviews; the college didn't reply AP’s questions concerning whether or not it reached out Duke or Cornell through the hiring course of.
Schuster mentioned a background search would’ve allowed inquiries to be posed to former employers like, “would you rent this particular person to work instantly with you?”
“Has this particular person demonstrated any conduct that you simply’ve noticed that will provide you with considerations?”
For Harris’ former classmates, the reply is evident: Sure.
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Related Press author Colleen Slevin in Denver contributed.