UCLA canceled in-person classes Tuesday after a former lecturer and postdoctoral fellow sent a video referencing a mass shooting and an 800-page manifesto with “specific threats” to members of the university’s philosophy department Monday.
Several emails from department leaders, obtained by The Times, inform students and faculty that Matthew Harris made threats toward the philosophy department and people in it. In some of the emails, sent over the course of Monday evening, department heads recommend moving to virtual learning, and multiple instructors did so, alerting students that in-person classes would be canceled.
A campus alert sent shortly after midnight stated that authorities didn’t have “specific information” Harris was in California.
“Nonetheless, out of an abundance of caution, all classes will be held remotely tomorrow, Feb 1,” according to the alert. “We will keep you updated on developments.”
Sherrilyn Roush, UCLA’s philosophy department chair, had told faculty members to avoid holding in-person classes “until Harris’ location is determined,” the Daily Bruin reported.
According to one email sent by a philosophy instructor to students, Harris’ messages included “a video entitled ‘UCLA Philosophy Mass Shooting’ and an 800-page manifesto with specific threats towards some members of our department.”
UCLA students staged a sit-in Monday to demand continued online learning options as the University of California was riven by conflicts over remote vs. in-person instruction as classes resumed on campus amid the continuing pandemic.
“In light of this, we will continue to have discussion through Zoom until the authorities say that it is safe,” the email said. “I will keep you updated on this situation. But I would avoid being anywhere near Dodd Hall or the philosophy department until further notice.”
Reports of Harris’ video and manifesto quickly circulated on social media platforms such as Twitter and Reddit, where students and others expressed fear for their safety and criticized officials for not informing the campus as a whole.
In many posts, students said they were terrified and frustrated by what they described as a lack of clear communication by officials.
Steve Ritea, UCLA’s chief media and executive communications officer, said university police are aware of “a concerning email and posting sent to some members of the UCLA community today and actively engaged with out-of-state law enforcement and federal agencies.”
Ritea did not provide further information Monday night.
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According to an email sent to members of the psychology department and obtained by The Times, UCLA police told a member of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology that “at this time we’re not concerned about anything happening.”
Harris’ YouTube channel contained more than 300 videos, the majority of which were uploaded Monday. By midnight, the channel displayed a message saying that the account had been terminated.
A video titled “UCLA PHILOSOPHY (MASS SHOOTING)” was posted Sunday and contained disturbing imagery, including footage of the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival and clips from the 2003 movie “Zero Day,” which is loosely based on the Columbine High School mass shooting.
The Times obtained a partial copy of Harris’ email to the UCLA philosophy department.
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Harris makes references to race and uses several profanities. He included links to his manifesto and videos, including the video that appeared to threaten a mass shooting.
“da war is comin,” he wrote. “forward dis [expletive] to our tha goldhead caucasoid princess.”
In reviews left on bruinwalk.com, a site where students can post anonymous reviews of professors and other staff members, two students described Harris’ disturbing and erratic behavior as a lecturer.
Harris “is extremely unprofessional and has sent his personal p*rnographic content to a student,” according to one review.
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In a separate post, another student described Harris’ class as their least favorite at UCLA “ever” and said many students had complained to the department about his behavior.
The student said Harris changed someone’s grade 43 times after the end of the academic quarter and had changed their grade three times.
A philosophy department newsletter from spring 2019 stated Harris would join the university as a postdoctoral fellow in philosophy after completing his dissertation at Duke University.
“He works on philosophy of race, personal identity, and related issues in philosophy of mind,” the newsletter stated.
The Bruins’ record $62.5-million deficit for the 2021 fiscal year reflects the many ways in which COVID-19 has affected schools from coast to coast.
Harris was placed on leave last year while campus officials investigated reports that he sent a video with pornographic content to a student, according to the Daily Bruin. His term as a postdoctoral fellow was set to end in June.
Earlier Monday, students staged a sit-in and demanded continued online learning options as the university reopens classrooms after beginning the winter quarter virtually because of a coronavirus surge driven by the Omicron variant.
The sit-in was not related to Harris’ alleged threats.
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