University of Wisconsin Law School officials warned students Tuesday to avoid talking to a man banned from the department, marking the second time the law school sent a mass e-mail to warn students of suspicious behavior within its premises this semester.
Richard Rathmann, 60, was banned from law school premises and activities until April 2008 due to "a series of threatening and otherwise hostile comments" to some law school and political science department faculty and staff, according to Ruth Robarts, UW Law School assistant dean for student and academic affairs, in an e-mail to students.
"Rathmann was here shortly after the shootings at Virginia Tech and made comments about how he understood the shooter’s motives — or words of that effect," Robarts said in the e-mail.
In a Sept. 7 e-mail from Robarts, students were also warned of a man named Alfred Fares, who had been asking faculty for "permission to sit in classes and volunteer in projects."
According to Robarts, Fares had been a problem for some staff at the provost’s office, thought there had been no violent behavior from him.
"They are afraid that his conduct will escalate," Robarts wrote in September.
UW law professor Meg Gaines said in the e-mail Fares had previously attended law school classes before, but "twice started a semester … and bailed out."
"Then, this summer he asked if we needed volunteers and I politely told him no," Gaines said.
Robarts did not return a call from The Badger Herald seeking comment, and UW communications declined to comment on the matter Wednesday night.
First year UW law student Nick Watt said the e-mail was appropriate to inform the students.
"I don’t feel particularly threatened, personally. I don’t think law school is being threatened — things are pretty normal around there," Watt said. "I appreciate the e-mails; it’s nice to know what’s going on."
Rathmann is described as a 6-foot-1, 195-pound white male, according to the UW Police Department. Fares is a 5-foot-7 male around 30 years old with light brown hair, Robarts said.
