Members of University Housing and the administration won’t say how they will handle the case of Sung-min Kim, who loaded an air pistol in his third floor Robbins Hall room Friday and prompted an immediate response by the Eugene Police Department.
Kim, a pre-journalism major, said the issue has been blown out of proportion. One of Kim’s friends bought the air pistol at the Gateway Mall, and he said the gun was only in his room for several hours. Kim said several BBs fell out of the pistol’s clip, and he reloaded in plain sight of the students outside his room window, prompting a student to alert the Department of Public Safety about a gun on campus.
“I seriously didn’t think it was going to cause this much trouble,” Kim said. Most students know “that this whole thing was basically bullshit.”
EPD spokeswoman Mandy Hansen said the police department will not press charges against Kim, because he never pointed the gun at anyone.
“He never committed a crime
— it wasn’t like he waved the gun in a menacing manner,” Hansen said.
Freshman Tyler Stuhring, who lives in nearby Spiller Hall, said most students had no idea what happened on Friday.
“It’s a little unsettling that someone had a BB gun here,” Stuhring said. “But I don’t have any fear of getting blasted or shot.”
Director of Residence Life Sandy Schoonover said residence hall policy prohibits students from keeping weapons of any sort in their room.
“The report said that this BB gun looked an awful lot like a 9 mm,” Schoonover said. “There’s not room for BB guns or any sort of guns in our system.”
Because Kim posed no immediate threat to those around him, the University can discipline him only through a formal judicial board hearing. Director of Student Judicial Affairs Chris Loschiavo said he’s only seen four cases brought before the board in his three-year tenure at the University, and this case is not the most serious he’s seen.
Loschiavo added that if the University decided to hold a formal judicial hearing on the case, the student would be given a 10-day advance notice. The board could evict Kim from University Housing, or even expel him from school.
Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Anne Leavitt said the board will weigh arguments from both sides if it rules on the case.
“I want to balance what the institution needs for safety and the opportunity for this individual to learn from his mistake,” she said.
Kim said he realizes the University may take further action against him, and he’s prepared to face whatever charges are leveled against him.
“I’m willing to face the consequence,” Kim said. “It was my fault. I was playing with the gun toy.”
Brett Fritz, a freshman who lives on the same floor, said he hopes the University doesn’t pursue serious action against Kim.
“There’s nothing wrong with what he did,” Fritz said. “He’s a good guy.”