The first line of a statement from the Cotter family, Tom Meixner’s step-parents, obtained by the Arizona Daily, read, “We are deeply appreciative of the safety report of the U of A Faculty Senate Committee, and the U of A I’m tired of the government’s response.” Star of the weekend. “The report’s conclusions confirm Tom’s pre- and post-murder experiences on issues that need to be addressed in order for the University of Arizona to move forward.”

Meixner served as the Director of UA’s Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Division. For much of the last year, he and some of his colleagues received disturbing correspondence from Murad Dervish, a former graduate student who was already expelled and barred from campus by February 2022. on campus. Dervish is currently charged with first-degree murder and has pleaded not guilty.

After Meixner’s death, the UA pledged to investigate campus safety protocols. The consulting firm has turned to PAX, LLC for assistance, but it is unclear when the report will be made public. Separately, the UA Faculty Council formed the General Faculty Committee on General Safety for All and conducted its own campus safety analysis.

According to the commission’s interim report, released about two weeks ago — the 30-page report compiles relevant documents, interviews with people who knew of Dervish’s actions, and multiple listening sessions with voter groups on campus. It relied on sessions — campus safety investigations were systematic failures that severely undermined safety, perceptions of safety, and community trust in university administrators and university officials.”

The report details how Meksiner and several of his colleagues had been receiving unwanted and increasingly alarming communications from Dervish that had repeatedly attempted to stop him. I’m here. The report identified breakdowns in communication between various administrative channels, the UA Police Department, and even the Pima County Attorney’s Office.

As an example, the report explains how the UAPD learned of Dervish’s criminal record — San Diego State University police are investigating him for harassing Dervish schoolgirls, and he Years ago he had assaulted his mother — but didn’t tell the members about it. of the Department of Hydrology. It is unclear whether other government agencies involved in the incident have been informed, according to the report.

Additionally, documents referenced in the report show that the UAPD made two separate attempts to bring criminal charges against Dervish. A few weeks after the shooting, the county attorney’s office issued a statement that the evidence provided by the UAPD in both reports did not meet the legal definitions of misdemeanor threats and intimidation, so they did not indict him.

In response to the release of an interim report by the faculty committee, UA called the findings “a study of a subset of faculty who reached sweeping conclusions based largely on misleading characterizations and selective use of facts and citations.” disregarded as a representative of And he advised the public to wait for the PAX report before drawing any final conclusions.

However, the reaction did not last longer than a few days.

A day before the Faculty Council unanimously approved a resolution endorsing the report last Monday, the University of Arizona Associate Students and the Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Students Association also issued a joint statement endorsing the interim report’s findings. Did.

“The interim report makes one fact clear: the murder of Dr. Meixner was not a random act of violence, but rather an institutional failure to adequately protect students, faculty, and staff (of the Department of Hydrology) for nearly a year. It is the result of a failure to murder on October 5,” the news release said. “Efforts by university administrators to outlaw the student, faculty and staff experiences described in this report will not be tolerated.”

At last week’s meeting, the UA Faculty Senate voted unanimously to endorse the report and its findings.

“The fact that the report was unanimously endorsed by the UA Faculty Senate says a lot about the importance of the commission’s work,” reads the Cotter family statement.

“There is inherent value in conducting both internal and external research into how threats are being handled in the U of A. I don’t understand why the U of A would try to outlaw the report. I can only imagine what effect this response has had on faculty, staff, and students.Personally, I would like to hold accountability and ownership by the U of A for the mistakes leading up to Tom’s murder. Our anxiety is growing as to whether

At last week’s Faculty Senate meeting, UA President Robert C. Robbins said that UA administrators would not affect PAX’s scope of work in producing the next report, and would “have two reports at the end of the day.” I hope we can integrate.” We all have the same purpose and that is to provide safety for our faculty, staff and students. “

But he responded to such insinuations by saying, “The idea of ​​not taking this seriously”, “It’s my number one job! There are many other people who are threatening other people, and[I]am very frustrated that I don’t have the tools to do anything about it.”

Robbins added that while working together can “mitigate” these problems, “you can never completely prevent such behavior.”

That’s the plan going forward, but when one faculty senator asked about accountability for Meixner’s death, Robbins offered wrongdoing.

“I am the only person you can take responsibility for this. I take responsibility for it, you can hold me accountable. These threats have been going on for a long time.” I didn’t know that,” he said. “And whether it’s inaction or inaction, I’m responsible for this. So if anyone’s looking for someone to take responsibility, it’s me.”

But that’s not the reaction Meixner’s family wants either.

“Our family does not accept that Robbins is solely responsible given his lack of prior knowledge of the threat,” said Cotter’s family statement. should occur in all specific areas of system incompetence and weakness.”

For them, this means that UAs must metabolize information found in both faculty reports and consulting group reports.

“The University of Arizona needs courageous leadership at this time,” the statement said. “We plead with President Robbins and his UA administration to support the faculty in ensuring the safety and well-being of the Wildcat community. It is the most meaningful way to honor Tom’s legacy.”

In a UA statement to the Cotter family letter Monday afternoon, the university said:

I want the Mexiner family to know that safety on this campus is a top priority for President Robbins. and understand what steps can be taken to improve as a campus community. “