UNC ban list on Web leads to resentment

One page has 'Virginia Tech' as heading

Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Some of the people listed on the University of Northern Colorado's Web site as being banned from campus say they resent being compared to the Virginia Tech shooter.

Included on the list is a woman who suffers from anorexia and has had a heart attack. She was barred from campus as a threat to herself, not to others.

"I was extremely upset - beyond upset - when I found out," about being on the list, said Brittany Bethel. She was suspended from school last fall after she went into cardiac arrest in the campus rec center, one month into her junior year.

The names of 24 people barred from campus were posted Friday. Fourteen appear with their pictures, including Bethel.

Those on the list committed infractions ranging from violations of the campus honor code to felonies, the Web site explains. They are barred from campus for specific periods.

"They aren't necessarily dangerous, but they are unwelcome anywhere on campus," the Web site says.

However, access to the list is through two Web pages that explain what UNC is doing to avoid a Virginia Tech type of incident. One of the pages bears the heading "Virginia Tech."

Students are directed to call police if any of the 24 are spotted on campus.

UNC spokesman Nate Hass declined to discuss individual cases.

"During discussions, we understood that some people aren't going to think this is fair, but we're doing what we believe is in the best interests of the campus community," Haas said.

Bethel, 21, of Loveland, said she wants her name removed from the Web, but campus officials aren't returning her calls.

Bethel said she's never done anything to threaten anyone. She doesn't have a police record, nor does she own a gun or any other weapon.

"I don't even like to have sharp knives in my house," she said.

Her picture appears right above Mitchell Cozad's. He's the football player who is charged with attempted murder in a knife attack on another team member last fall.

"A lot of people are, like, 'I think this is ridiculous,' " Bethel said of the e-mails she's received from friends.

Also on the list is Corinne Sanchez, 44, of Greeley.

She was let go as a custodian at the rec center this month before she had completed her probationary period. Sanchez says she missed work because of health problems, including a heart attack.

Sanchez said she called a supervisor after she was fired and left a message on his answering machine. The message included no threats but warned of consequences from the great beyond.

"I said, 'When karma comes around, it's going to kick you in the butt,' " Sanchez said of the message.

Unfortunately, she left the message a day after the Virginia Tech shooting. A UNC police officer delivered a notice barring her from campus.

Sanchez said she cried when she learned her picture was on the Web site.

Sanchez said she doesn't own weapons of any kind and has no criminal record.

"I've got God in my life. Vengeance isn't mine. It's his," she said.

Haas said UNC isn't backing down on posting the names and pictures. The data will come down when the period for which they are barred comes to an end, Haas said.

morsonb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303 954-5209