A Boulder student who was barred from attending classes at the University of Colorado because of statements he made after the Virginia Tech massacre has been allowed to return to school.
A Boulder County judge ruled Friday that Max Karson, a 22-year-old junior, can return to classes and lifted a no-contact order that was a condition of his bail. The judge made the ruling after reviewing a letter sent by the CU, which says Karson can return to campus and that his suspension has been put off.
Karson continues to face a misdemeanor charge of interfering with staff, faculty or students of an educational institution. He has pleaded not guilty.
“We are extremely pleased that the university recognized that Max never intended to make anyone afraid or uncomfortable and, for that reason, it has decided to hold his summary suspension in abeyance,” said Karson’s lawyer, Daniel Wil liams. “It is critical that when professors ask students questions during class discussions, the students are permitted to express their views and are not hauled off to jail just because those views are unpopular.”
Karson was arrested after he made comments during a class discussion the day after the April 16 Virginia Tech rampage, in which a gunman killed 32 people before committing suicide.
During the discussion, Karson said he could understand why the gunman would shoot fellow students. Some CU students who participated in the discussion felt uncomfortable because of the remarks, Williams said.
On June 15, CU officials decided to allow Karson to attend campus again but wrote that he violated the student conduct code, court records say.
CU officials declined to comment, citing student privacy.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
