4 Univ of Idaho Students Murdered, Bryan Kohberger Arrested, Moscow, 2022 #77

[Twistinginthewind]

His genearally aggressive behavior was noted by previous friends and peer students. MOO WSU HR prorecting school, went with least damaging way to remove him.

Yeah, I bet they were happy to be rid of him however they could accomplish that once he was around for awhile and people got to know him.

Really, even if he was "just" plain obnoxious enough to have several altercations with his professor he was TAing for (), and an "improvement plan" was developed that he wasn't able to meet the benchmarks on (and none of the other issues with his treatment of students occurred)...

I'm sure they (WSU collectively) were relieved to be able to say "buh bye !! Thank you but we won't be needing your services any longer. Oh, and on your way out, don't let the door hit you where the good lord split you !!"

JMO

 

[Justice101]

Sources: Bryan Kohberger made sexist remarks toward women

The sources, who wished to remain anonymous, said Kohberger talked down to female students and graded them unfairly.

www.newsnationnow.com

University of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger was known for his rampant sexism among those he worked with and had a reputation for grading female students harsher than men, multiple sources told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo.

The 28-year-old, who is accused of killing four college students, was studying criminology at Washington State University (WSU) where sources said he often made chauvinistic and condescending remarks toward women.

Kohberger allegedly told female colleagues that men were going to take their jobs because women aren’t as smart, according to someone associated with him at WSU.

Yeh, Bryan... you are in jail now.. How did that work out for you and your male superior intelligence???

 

[Twistinginthewind]

DBM

 

[al66pine]

The What Empire?

College has become a business alike everything else. America has become the Ferangi empire…profit, profit, profit.

@Helechawagirl
Puzzled by ref. to ^ new-to-me empire," I thought --- there's one more void in my stunted knowledge of world history.

Turns out I'm totally ignorant about a "fictional extraterrestrial species in the American science fiction franchise Star Trek." LOL

_______________________

Ferengi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Boxer]

Yeh, Bryan... you are in jail now.. How did that work out for you and your male superior intelligence???

MOO He expects to be exhonerated.

 

[10ofRods]

Actually, "c u m laude" is an acknowledgement of academic achievement, that BK received his degree with distinction. It acknowledges that he graduated with distinction, and then there is "magna c u m laudge" with even greater distinction, and finally "summa c u m laude" with the highest distinction. Graduating "c u m laude" is noteworthy. Most students do not graduate with a grade-point -average to graduate with these honors of academic excellence and distinction.

Well, at DeSales, they seem to have a higher percentage of them than at my own university (which was not an online university rated middle of the pack, btw).

But your point still stands - within his own educational milieu, he did well. This may have fueled his idea that he was super smart in psychology, and that having a Master's in Criminal Justice made him an expert in certain matters (such that he quarreled with other students and his professor).

Even if he was getting along in CJ, he certainly didn't know much about managing a section of undergrads and working under a professor. One woman felt she had to leave the grad seminar due to his behavior (No link at the moment, so IMO). I'll try and google some of these stories and compile them later - they are mostly hot takes from his fellow students, so each of us can make of them what we will.

IMO.

 

[10ofRods]

I know the professor initiated confrontation between BK and students has already been discussed a lot, so sorry for bringing it up again. I mainly want to focus on the main complaint made by the small number of students who spoke to the press.

First, I agree with @BeginnerSleuther that his lack of interpersonal communication skills could likely have been a legitimate issue, but it also seems clear students felt he graded too hard. Plain and simple. So they were annoyed and wanted to (and did) argue for better grades, with those doing well in the class siding with BK and the rest opposing him.' And it seems like he was instructed to give good grades, and he did. MOO.

I recently looked at rate my teacher responses for one of my favorite professors and the comments were brutal. Graded too harshly, expected too much of students, too critical regarding papers, etc, etc -- and IMHO it seems like BK's students may have felt the same about him. Mind you, my professor had charisma and was extremely intelligent but also easy to talk to, and while BK seems intelligent, I'm not sure we've heard him described as charismatic or easy to talk to. But those factors didn't seem to matter to students rating my fav professor. It was all about the grades, and that IMHO brings into question how much time and effort (some) students are willing to put into a class in order to earn good grades. And I'm guessing the answer is not much or at least not enough. And I don't think that reflects on the teacher as much as the students. So, no, I'm not willing to believe BK isn't intelligent or can't grade papers, and there's no way I'd ever condone what the professor of that class did. I will concede that BK most likely had other problems regarding being a TA, but lack of intelligence wasn't one of them. All MOO

From the article linked below with BBM:

"He'd be grading you on what he ended up calling a 'higher standard,'" Stinchfield said. "But what it really felt like to us was he was grading us like he would have graded himself as a Ph.D. student... We were all annoyed by him."

In fact, Stinchfield said his professor allowed the students to argue for better grades at one point in the semester to get a "courtroom experience."

"He brought in Bryan, and he was like, 'alright, go at him,'" Stinchfield said. "And he had Bryan stand up. And a few people were on his side because they wanted to keep their high grades... but for the most part, it was like half of a 150-person class just asking these real critical questions."

Bryan Kohberger's former student describes abrupt behavior change after Idaho college murders

The criminology student said Kohberger's grading style took an abrupt turn after the murders took place.

abc11.com

I would just like to point out that the "alright, go at him" was the student's take on what the professor said - and the professor's account of it is slightly different. Prof had already planned this "courtroom experience" and grad students are often involved in staging such matters for the undergrads. It was a pertinent issue (grading). I doubt those were the prof's actual words (could be, but none of the other participants have reported it that way - there are about 3-4 different narratives from students around this incident).

It is BK's reaction afterwards (passively aggressively giving everyone 100% on everything) that strikes me as immature and, well, hostile to the professor.

IMO.

 

[NyxNY]

MOO He expects to be exhonerated.

His official statement of this, given by his attorney at the time, leads me to believe that he honestly thought he had committed the perfect crime, and left no evidence behind. That statement still amazes me.

 

[10ofRods]

His official statement of this, given by his attorney at the time, leads me to believe that he honestly thought he had committed the perfect crime, and left no evidence behind. That statement still amazes me.

Yeah, he hadn't seen the PCA at that point in time (when he was being held in PA). When he was booked into jail in Moscow and began to meet with his excellent Public Defender (he's really lucky to have her), then he began to get access to the documents in his case.

I imagine that he's spending quite a bit of time thinking about his defense, sitting in that jail cell. I also have theorized he might be the type who, deep inside, knows that he himself needs to be locked up/prevented from crime. What's strange is that eventually, if he is convicted and goes to prison, he will meet many other people like himself and have a kind of common social life with the very people he reached out to on reddit (criminals) and in whom he is so deeply interested.

IMO.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Exactly right. When I applied to grad school I had to take something called the Graduate Record Exam or GRE. 2/3s of it was like the SAT (math and verbal), but the other third consisted entirely of logic problems. That was the "sort" of intelligence most universities looked for in grad school candidates.

I did well enough on the test to be admitted. But it never crossed my mind that I was smart enough to get away with murder! (Of course, I've yet to meet the man or woman I WANT to murder, but that's a different issue.)

More and more schools are getting rid of standardized tests (some, in part, likely due to the exploitation of test prep companies). Many law schools don't even require the LSAT anymore. So I don't think we know if BK took the GRE and if he did, we don't know if his score is reflective of his intelligence or test prep.

MOO.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

WSU's website indicates minimum GPA and (analytical portion of) GRE test score requirements for admission to their CJ Ph.D program, so presumably these requirements were in place when BK was admitted last year and he "met" them:

"Degree Description:​

The mission of Criminal Justice Ph.D. program is to advance the development of criminological and criminal justice research and theory, and to train graduate students to conduct and understand theoretically based research involving crime and the criminal justice system. Upon completion of their graduate program, graduate students in criminal justice will be able to read and evaluate data and social science research, analyze and develop criminal justice policy, conduct independent research related to criminology and criminal justice, and communicate original research findings and analyses of secondary research cogently for consideration by multiple audiences.

Admission Requirements:​

• Master’s level degree
• For students entering from a foreign university, evidence of English proficiency (i.e., Test of English as a Foreign Language) and financial resources
• Cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0, although 3.5 or higher is preferred by the admissions committee
• Personal Statement
• 3 Letters of Recommendation. At least one of the letters of recommendation must be from a professor with a Ph.D. degree.
• Transcripts (including all colleges or universities from which you have earned or expect to earn a degree, and all colleges or universities at which you have taken graduate level course work; transcripts for coursework taken at Washington State University are not required).
• Official GRE scores sent to the Graduate School at institution code 4705. Find test centers and dates. Scores must be less than five years old. The department has set a minimum score of 3.5 or higher for the analytical test to be considered for admission.
• Official TOEFL score (for international applicants) — www.toefl.org — or other approved test to assess English proficiency. Minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 85. Minimum acceptable IELTS score is 7."

Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice and Criminology | The Graduate School | Washington State University

 

[Cool Cats]

Yeah, he hadn't seen the PCA at that point in time (when he was being held in PA). When he was booked into jail in Moscow and began to meet with his excellent Public Defender (he's really lucky to have her), then he began to get access to the documents in his case.

I imagine that he's spending quite a bit of time thinking about his defense, sitting in that jail cell. I also have theorized he might be the type who, deep inside, knows that he himself needs to be locked up/prevented from crime. What's strange is that eventually, if he is convicted and goes to prison, he will meet many other people like himself and have a kind of common social life with the very people he reached out to on reddit (criminals) and in whom he is so deeply interested.

IMO.

If he's guilty he can answer his own reddit survey questionnaire

 

[U.N. Known]

I know the professor initiated confrontation between BK and students has already been discussed a lot, so sorry for bringing it up again. I mainly want to focus on the main complaint made by the small number of students who spoke to the press.

First, I agree with @BeginnerSleuther that his lack of interpersonal communication skills could likely have been a legitimate issue, but it also seems clear students felt he graded too hard. Plain and simple. So they were annoyed and wanted to (and did) argue for better grades, with those doing well in the class siding with BK and the rest opposing him.' And it seems like he was instructed to give good grades, and he did. MOO.

I recently looked at rate my teacher responses for one of my favorite professors and the comments were brutal. Graded too harshly, expected too much of students, too critical regarding papers, etc, etc -- and IMHO it seems like BK's students may have felt the same about him. Mind you, my professor had charisma and was extremely intelligent but also easy to talk to, and while BK seems intelligent, I'm not sure we've heard him described as charismatic or easy to talk to. But those factors didn't seem to matter to students rating my fav professor. It was all about the grades, and that IMHO brings into question how much time and effort (some) students are willing to put into a class in order to earn good grades. And I'm guessing the answer is not much or at least not enough. And I don't think that reflects on the teacher as much as the students. So, no, I'm not willing to believe BK isn't intelligent or can't grade papers, and there's no way I'd ever condone what the professor of that class did. I will concede that BK most likely had other problems regarding being a TA, but lack of intelligence wasn't one of them. All MOO

From the article linked below with BBM:

"He'd be grading you on what he ended up calling a 'higher standard,'" Stinchfield said. "But what it really felt like to us was he was grading us like he would have graded himself as a Ph.D. student... We were all annoyed by him."

In fact, Stinchfield said his professor allowed the students to argue for better grades at one point in the semester to get a "courtroom experience."

"He brought in Bryan, and he was like, 'alright, go at him,'" Stinchfield said. "And he had Bryan stand up. And a few people were on his side because they wanted to keep their high grades... but for the most part, it was like half of a 150-person class just asking these real critical questions."

Bryan Kohberger's former student describes abrupt behavior change after Idaho college murders

The criminology student said Kohberger's grading style took an abrupt turn after the murders took place.

abc11.com

I've not commented on that issue, but as a HS teacher and a university adjunct, I appreciate your post. Student teachers (or TA's in BK's case) are more likely to grade harder because they are students themselves and are drawing more on their experience as students than as teachers. They are grading people that don't have as much knowledge while grading at the standard of a more advanced student. It takes time to work that out. And as you said, a lot of students are more concerned about grades than knowledge.

All of that to say, the experiences of a few disgruntled students, who may or may not have deserved the grades they received from a new TA are not, IMO the best character witnesses.

 

[U.N. Known]

Could that have been the thump?

IMO, it doesn't fit that someone tripping was the thump heard on surveillance. DM did not mention the thump and as the step is by her door, she would have heard it. The camera near the opposite wall of the house.

 

[Boxer]

I've not commented on that issue, but as a HS teacher and a university adjunct, I appreciate your post. Student teachers (or TA's in BK's case) are more likely to grade harder because they are students themselves and are drawing more on their experience as students than as teachers. They are grading people that don't have as much knowledge while grading at the standard of a more advanced student. It takes time to work that out. And as you said, a lot of students are more concerned about grades than knowledge.

All of that to say, the experiences of a few disgruntled students, who may or may not have deserved the grades they received from a new TA are not, IMO the best character witnesses.

MOO According to friends and acquaintances in PA, BK had trouble talking down to peers, bullying, and dominating discussions, power would exascerbate the tendency.

 

[Helechawagirl]

The What Empire?

@Helechawagirl
Puzzled by ref. to ^ new-to-me empire," I thought --- there's one more void in my stunted knowledge of world history.

Turns out I'm totally ignorant about a "fictional extraterrestrial species in the American science fiction franchise Star Trek." LOL

_______________________

Ferengi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Lol. I’m glad you found it; I haven’t been on much today.

 

[ArianeEmory]

Lol. I’m glad you found it; I haven’t been on much today.

(I’m not the person you’re replying to, but it’s a reference to the current state of things that I’m definitely going to be stealing.)

Meanwhile, I’ve been going through the older threads in this case because I couldn’t read about it when the social media dialogue on it was insane at the beginning (meaning, stuff like the survivors being framed as suspicious, the food truck video, etc). I’m almost to the end of January. It’s quite a ride, and a really horrifying murder. Since I’m still a bit behind, does anyone know if the house has been demolished yet, or did that plan get put on hold?

 

[TeaTime]

BK isn't interesting in the least. He is just a depraved nut job with a couple of degrees.

I don't care about his motives, any would be nonsensical, because he is just a depraved nut job.

He is not smart. His entire plan fell apart when he first stalked the house in his own car (distinguishable due to absence of front plates), and with his phone, then continued to repeat this stupidity 11 times. He showed up to the crime scene the next morning. Not smart.

Just a depraved nut job who slaughtered 4 young people in their bedrooms. No reason.

He deserves the DP.

Nothing there to redeem.

JMHO

 

[Helechawagirl]

His official statement of this, given by his attorney at the time, leads me to believe that he honestly thought he had committed the perfect crime, and left no evidence behind. That statement still amazes me.

JMO but that was a PA public defender who said that and it appears to me to be a general statement that a defense attny might say for all clients. I don’t think BK said much at all but I could be wrong. He has not entered a plea yet. Guess we’ll find out in June.

 

[Nova]

More and more schools are getting rid of standardized tests (some, in part, likely due to the exploitation of test prep companies). Many law schools don't even require the LSAT anymore. So I don't think we know if BK took the GRE and if he did, we don't know if his score is reflective of his intelligence or test prep.

MOO.

That wasn't my point. My point was that the composition of the GRE reflected the type of intelligence once valued by grad schools. It happened to suit me just fine, but I am well aware there are other forms of intelligence that are as valuable or more valuable in the real world.

Don't even get me started on the declining use of standardized tests. I recall several decades ago when it was argued that references to winter and snow were unfair to students from the southern areas of the USA.

I grew up in Ft. Lauderdale and didn't see snow fall from the sky until I was in my 20s. But I knew what snow was and could answer questions about it on a standardized exam! Jeeze, Louise!