Banishment too harsh, friends say
Friends of a student banned from the University of Saskatchewan campus and charged with theft are outraged by what they say is an overreaction by the institution.
Mehdi Tajallipour says his former classmate’s reputation and graduate research are in jeopardy after the university banned him
“WHAT IF THIS GUY’S NOT GUILTY?”
MEHDI TAJALLIPOUR
from campus, circulated an email with his name and photograph, and the university president ordered him suspended.
“What if this guy’s not guilty? It was too harsh,” Tajallipour said outside Saskatoon provincial court Friday.
Mohamadmahdi Kowsari, 25, is charged with theft under $5,000 after a Wednesday incident on campus. No other charges are pending, and police say he did not make any threats.
Saskatoon police were called Wednesday afternoon when a student told a counsellor he was in possession of chemicals that, when mixed together, could be toxic, spokeswoman Alyson Edwards said. He led police to a lab in the engineering building.
Acting assistant fire chief Rob Reynolds said the hazardous materials team took several chemical readings in the lab and found nothing untoward.
When police later searched Kowsari’s home, officers found sulphuric acid, Edwards said. She did not know if the strong acid was concentrated or diluted.
On Friday, the university sent out an email to media outlets and people on campus with Kowsari’s name and an attached picture. Administrators asked anyone who sees him on campus to call city police or campus protective services.
David Hannah, associate vicepresident of student affairs, said it’s unusual but not unprecedented to circulate a student’s name and photo campus-wide.
“Right now we don’t think he presents any threat,” Hannah said. “Based on this incident that took place, we just thought it was prudent to keep him physically away from the campus, which is why we released his name and photograph.”
Hannah said he knows of at least one other incident in the past 18 months when administrators circulated a name and photo. In that case a man was suspected in a sexual assault. Sharing that information led to the man’s arrest in the river valley, Hannah said.
University president Ilene Busch-Vishniac has also suspended Kowsari indefinitely — a power the president has used three times in the past three years. Typically, when a student is accused of misconduct, a university panel determines the student’s fate.
In “extraordinary” circumstances when safety is an issue, the president can order an immediate suspension. Kowsari has the right to appeal it, Hannah said.
The chemicals Kowsari had in his possession were not related to his coursework or research, and no one at the university authorized him to use them, Hannah said.
“He had the potential there to mix some of these chemicals together in a way that would be dangerous to himself and others. We don’t want to fool around when it comes to the safety of the university community.”
Five men who identified themselves as friends of Kowsari attended his Friday court appearance.
Tajallipour said he and Kowsari are both graduate students in chemical engineering.
Kowsari is an international student who came to Canada a year ago and has no family in the city, Tajallipour said.
He said he was “shocked” by the university’s warning and banishment.
“The university’s kind of rushing everything,” Tajallipour said.
When asked whether Kowsari’s race or nationality had any influence on the university’s swift reaction, Hannah said it did not.
“We would have done exactly the same thing if it was a student who had been born, raised and lived his whole life in Saskatoon,” he said.
Judge Donna Scott ordered Kowsari to undergo a psychiatric assessment to see whether he is fit to stand trial and whether he has any mental disorder that would exempt him from criminal responsibility.
He is still in custody and is scheduled to make his next court appearance Thursday.