Acting on an anonymous tip, Reslife officials and UT Security officers confiscated weapons from a male UT student after he was summarily suspended from the University this Tuesday.
This means the student’s housing was revoked and he will not be allowed to attend his classes. The student must be also accompanied by a security escort whenever he is on campus until the investigation has ended.
“Reslife responded immediately and TPD escorted the student off campus,” said Eric Cardenas, Director of Public Information. According to reports, the student had a gun and several knives in his room. Cardenas was unsure if charges will be pressed.
Dean of Students Bob Ruday met with fellow senior administrators to prepare the security report. A global email was sent to students and safety alerts were posted around campus.
Gina Firth, Associate Dean of Students, said UT has already summarily suspended two other students this semester.
“The reason we remove students from campus is when we deem they’re a risk; anytime there are weapons involved, no matter what the situations, we consider it a high risk,” she explained.
Austin residents expressed their surprise.
“Its kind of shocking that he could bring that stuff in,” freshman Sherise Epstein said. Andrew Topel and Sean Palay agreed.
Freshman Samantha Perez said she was skeptical of Campus Safety and Security’s failure to properly notify students about the earlier bomb threat. Regarding today’s incident she said, “I don’t feel safe.”
Sam Pino expressed his disgust,
“I think its even more shocking after Virginia Tech. Who would keep guns in their room?”
UT Safety and Security advises students to be aware of surroundings, report suspicious behavior and use the Silent Witness program.
This form can be found at http://www.ut.edu or students can report anonymously at silentwitness@ut.edu.
Students with any information regarding this incident should contact Campus Safety and Security at (813) 251-5133 or fill out a Silent Witness form.
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