Students react to the scandal

In response to the alleged threats, USD students voice their opinions and concerns

Celina Tebor / Managing Editor / The USD Vista

The University of San Diego’s campus was buzzing with conversation last Wednesday. This was the first time the public learned about the alleged threats made by Louis Komjathy, Ph.D., a professor in the Theology and Religious Studies Department (THRS) at the University of San Diego, against other USD professors. The USD Department of Public Safety was notified about the incident on Tuesday, Sept. 3 — more than a week before the news was revealed to the public. 

The university didn’t break the news about the scandal, however: the media did. Soon after various local news outlets released details about the threats made on campus, USD President James T. Harris III, D.Ed, addressed the incident in an emailed statement on Wednesday, Sept. 11. This was the university’s first public statement on the threats.

The USD community had a range of reactions to the scandal, from apathy to concern. Senior Alexa Withrow fits into the latter category. On Sept. 11, she decided to skip class in protest of the university’s lack of transparency about the threats. She originally found out the news after her friend sent her an NBC article breaking the scandal, and was frustrated to have found out about it from a third party, rather than the university.

“I checked my inbox right after (I saw the article) to see if there was any sort of notification on the university’s part,” Withrow said. “About the fact that it happened, that they were doing anything about it to let students know, if there’s any resources to go talk to. Because for me, I did have a personal reaction. And there was nothing.”

A group of about 10 students joined Withrow outside of the Hughes Administration Center on Wednesday afternoon, holding flyers that read, “When will you put students first?” and “Why are we always the last to know?”

Withrow believed the threats against the professor should have been handled as a public safety issue.

“This is the first of many times that the university, in my opinion, has not reacted or not responded when it would have been nice to have the heads up,” Withrow said. “Not only is it nice to have the heads up, but how am I supposed to focus on going to class and getting an education when I’m getting a response feeling unsafe? So today I didn’t go to class, because I think it’s more important that our institutions look at the systems they have in place when our public safety feels threatened.”

Withrow said she didn’t personally feel unsafe by the threats made, but rather because the university failed to inform its student body about the incident quickly.

“I have no reason to believe that as a student, I was targeted in any way or that my safety was compromised in any way on this campus,” Withrow said. “However, where I feel unsafe is when I feel like there’s a lack of transparency between myself as a student and the campus administration and the senior levels of this administration.”

Other students echoed Withrow’s concerns during a Discussion on Campus Safety, hosted by Department of Public Safety Chief James Miyashiro. In the meeting, Miyashiro gave more details about the incident and students had a chance to discuss and ask questions about it.

After Miyashiro explained why Public Safety was unable to release details of the investigation due to employee privacy laws, Senior Alanna Bledman said that the university should have informed the student body, even without all the details.

“We deserve to know these things,” Bledman said. “What is the harm in letting us know? I doubt this would’ve caused any chaos if you sent an email.”

She added that even though faculty were targeted, the incident was still a safety issue for students, especially because they spend more time on campus.

“Professors get to go home,” Bledman said. “I don’t get to go home. I live here.”

Withrow also attended the meeting, and expressed the same sentiment as before while she was protesting on Wednesday. Withrow reiterated her dissatisfaction about how she discovered the news initially.

“Our peers, our family, our partners are worried about it,” Withrow said. “And guess how they found out about it? The same way we did. The news.”

At the end of the meeting, Miyashiro offered a chance for students to shape the way in which Public Safety handles campus safety incidents by joining a student advisory committee. He acknowledged there was more discussion to be had, and Assistant Vice President of Student Wellness Melissa Halter reminded students that USD’s Student Wellness Center is a resource for the community.

While some students at the meeting expressed that this wasn’t the first time the university has had a lack of transparency on an issue, first years stepping onto USD’s campus were greeted by the scandal during the first full week of class.

Nate Brady is a first year at USD, and is enrolled in a Theology and Religious Studies class that Louis Komjathy was supposed to teach before his suspension. A different professor is now teaching the class. On the first day of classes, Sept. 3, the same day Komjathy was removed and suspended from campus, Brady said that class was canceled and students were told Komjathy had to take an emergency leave.

On the second day he had the class, the new professor explained the situation. Brady was surprised by what he was told.

“Teachers are supposed to be leaders,” Brady said. “They’re supposed to teach us. To hear someone that’s supposed to be a teacher was acting like that kind of caught me off guard a little bit.”

Brady said that he’s glad Komjathy isn’t teaching the class because it wouldn’t have been a good environment to learn in, but didn’t think his safety was ever at risk.

“I never met the guy,” Brady said. “He never entered the classroom. I wouldn’t say it makes me feel unsafe, but I guess that’s because they took care of it.”

Brady did acknowledge that the university could have taken swifter action, but is glad to know about the incident regardless.

“It is a big deal that it happened, but I guess that we eventually found out is good,” Brady said. “Maybe it would have been a little bit better if they would have been upfront from the start. You’d like to know what’s going on on your campus, if possible.”

The investigation into the alleged threats remains ongoing and the university has not released any other information, besides President Harris’ email on Sept. 11.