Hansen's Insanity
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the independentflorida Campus cars vandalized. 5 REZTINNITZER .BBEEBB. Not01i,e.ly a.ocaIed wI lhe UnvorAy ofNo,,d, Pub.h.d by Cumpe Commum on', Inc olG .v4* F0,d. ESUALPPAAPPLAUSE VOLUME 63, NUMBER 162 THURSDAY. JUNE 21,1990 3 doctors testify to Hansen's insanity By JUDY A. PLUNKtEr Alligator Staff Writer Jens Peter Hansen was insane Sept. I - the day UF pathology professor Arthur Kimura was murdered - three local doctors testified Wednesday in the former UP graduate student's trial. The doctors all said Hansen, 42, was suffering from a paranoid delusional disorder, a mental disease that affected his perception of reality. Clinical psychologist Warren Rice, appointed by thecourt to examine Han sen, told jurors Hansen felt persecuted by Kinura. "He felt his entire history in gradu- ate school was almost like a bad dream" Rice said. Kimura, 41, was chairman of Hansen's supervisory committee, the group of professors that told Hansen Aug. 9 he would not be able to receive his doctorate because he had not com- pleted his research the way they had asked him to. As evidence of Hansen's disorder, Rice said Hansen was not upset after the meeting, and in fact thought it went well. Pathology professor Edward Wake- land, a member of Hansen's commit- tee, testified Tuesday that Hansen was ROsY PAGE-ALUIMOR denied his degree because he ignored Former UF graduate ntuditJens Peter Hasin, left, confers with his attorney Stephen Befrstein during his his committee's advice. tial Wednesday morning. Hansen Is charged with first-degree murder In connection with the death of UF Hansen was working to isolate a presse Arthur Kimura. gene that make. a protein associated With cancer, Wakeland Said. He said Hamsen had two Buys to do that, and one would take much longer than the Death makes professors uneasy other. acting doctoral students may be breeding more tension. The committee advised Hansen to By DAN N Alligator Staff Water Priorto the shooting, UPsgraduate schoolhad nowritten take the long way to achieve accumcy, regulation outlining how often graduate students should and although Wakdland said Hanmen While the facts behind the September shooting of a meet with their comaittes, said Andrea Harrell, coordina- never verbally refined to do an. he graduate research professor unfold this week at the Alachua tor of administrative services in the graduate school. Since chose to use the short-term method. County Courthouse, some professors say they're not su- then, a rule calling for annual meetings has been formally "Jets Hansen gave me the Inwre. primed the tragedy occurred at all. instituted. sho that he nes better than se did Police ay Danish doctoral student Jensu Peter Hansen it was an unwritten rule," Harrell said. "We just put it what to do with thisproject and he was murdered UF cancer researcher Arthur Kiura, the man down on paper." following his owdnotions of what to In charge of evaluding Hansen's doctoral research, on the dog* Wakeand said. morningof Sept. 1. But professor, say that if graduate students are to be George Berardi a psychituist in successful and the committee is to stay informed, they must Ahost 10 months later, several professors say the shoot- meet more than once a year. Formal or informal meetings theShuds liopi Fsychiatric ClinIC tag was a tragedy waiting to happen and the prospect of said Hansen had planned to make at lead once every two weeks are necessary, they ay - working on Superisory committees is frightening. something UF doesn't require. Manures death look like a suicide It Hemwis is the chairman of the Decision and Infor% "He saw itasatetouvvul In that mai.n Sciences Department In the College of Business teris Is always a possibility for these relationships to Dr. mura bad al the pow.e, and the Administration and has been working on doctoral commit- become tense," economics professor David Denslow said. a*posmr be had was to him Out tees for 30 years. Following KImurat's death, however, "h tension is there. The thing to do Is pretty clear. lAt of teway andoe he r " the Horme decided never to head another doctoral commit- them know early that they're not going to be considered ota a m mebes OcmI -o* te, for a doctorate. his West for what It rely wass" Dar. m couldn't meet the students' demands on me, be said, In most college., graduate students must prepare a thesis card Sa adding t he e swd becoming the victim of a disgruntled or dissertation based on their research to obtain a master's Bernard dmrbd.asen's PN to or doctoral degree respectively. After completing their kill Enmu, based en what the de.- Herowits mid he's never been verbally threatened, but work, student. must defend their monarch in front of their deskt M wis Intadrews, esitsdhm i #_m him subtle warnings and made him supervisory committees. The committee, usually hand He seil Magla. reamsd a t'der wan picked by the student, may or may not awari a degree. It sohe SMk Me he was ingn a Wh j t =i, mateI been thnatenedr I would sq Is the committee chairman that the student mut meet with .aasNa a.pmM b" nb m,.tp a'9esekme,'H le ckthreatened?IuK regularly, profesor ay. Nias a lS ab ESt Ft o But because frequent meetings are not required, in We -m ea toblWs 0 dietsa- oft" be result of over~stresed grad- Doailow said professors often don't met with their Sta - fsf ESOM OW 4 ms st4mts Wowv conducted heavesarch see Deterate. pW. 2 U78 tht h ap s, progeors say. And Urs system of evalu- FV Ii 2, ALUGATO ITURSDAYJUNE 21, I990 other reason he's not interested in the job DOCTORATE .How about all ofthe above, Horowitz said, explain- from page 1 ing that pay, time and safety all contributed to his recent disinterest in doctoral committees. He too dents for months and don't tell them their research is don't meet often enough with inadequate believes Committees their students. "You tell yourselfthe student is going to get better.' I S1.00 OF Denslow said But a professor can be wrong about a "A doctoral student's relationship with a faculty i Daily Lunch SpeCial student's chances of getting a graduate degree, he member can become avery close one' Horowitz said. I 2 Expire. /2U tf said, and their research can improve without the "I think it's clear that in some departments there are professor's help. some differences between how well and how early the But many times, students do not improve and committee provides feedback on whether (students) Salad and Hot Bar become irate when their professors tell them they will get a doctoral degree from the University of Florida." "ALL YOU CAN EATI not receive their degree Electrical engineering Professor Leon Couch L -4 Expires S/2iQOJ "Students get upset when things don't go the way agrees that the success of graduate students depends B*r . MeW nw . they should,' said Herbert Bevis, professor and asso- on their relationships with their professors. ciate engineering dean "Sometimes I wonder that "I knowofcaseswhereprofessors havebeen threat- P k $3.9. they might losecontrol. And they might do something ened here." Couch said. "'n sure this happens. they might regret." But that's to be expected in a university environ- Kathleen Buckley graduated from UF in May with ment, said Paul Isaac, associate graduate school dean a master's degree in medical physics. She said she at Ohio State University. controlled the stress of more than two years of re- Ned. Coke "In any educational setting there's going to be a search by slaying in contact with her committee certain amount of tension," Isaac mid, adding that chairwoman. - --- 1:30 - 3:30 weekly or bi-weekly meetings with faculty advisers 11111 lucky," she said."We managed 1 considered myself are unfeasible to meet once a week She told me no matter how much I Campus Oaks Mall Plaza "- I struggled to just keep going." Neither Ohio State University nor the University of 136 NW 13th St (Next to Toys-R-US) Microbiology graduate research Professor Robert Michigan has a regulation on mandatory meetings 373-*,tt 331-10 11 Schmidt said he's kept both himself and his students between graduate students and their committee chair- L 3 8 - "-1|1,-- 331-- satisfied by staying in touch, and on any day he may men. Both are rated a two of the top graduate schools have up to a dozen students in his office. in the nation, according to the The Gourman Report's "I've never had any problems here," he said. "I work 1989 rating of graduate programs. very closely with my students on a day-by-day basis. The bizarre set of circumstances surrounding there's alwaystension with students. Ifyou do itright, Kimura's death and his relationship with Hansen you shouldn't have these anxieties built up." should be much clearer following this week's trial. Both Schmidt and Denslow said working on doc- For now, graduate students continue to spend their toral committees is one of the most rewarding aspects nights working on their research, while Hansen of their jobs - even though professors are not paid spends his nights in the Alachua Countyjail-without extra for the responsibility Horowitz said that's an- his freedom and without his doctoral degree. WHAT'S HAPPENING Scuba dos: Gator Scuba Clubwill offered June 28. 'Managing with C-14. College of Medicine. Call meet tonight at 6 in the Florida Pool Alzheimer's Disease A Conceptual Dorothy Rose Gagnier, 374-6114.