Plan escape for ‘challenging’ meetings, Oslo says after stabbing

The University of Oslo (UiO) has advised that “potentially demanding” conversations between students and staff take place in rooms where a “quick escape” is possible, shortly after a student was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for stabbing two of the university’s employees in August 2023.

Ingunn Björnsdottir, an associate professor in the university’s pharmacy department, was admitted to hospital with around 20 knife wounds after the attack in her office by the unnamed student, while a colleague suffered more minor injuries. The academics had organised the meeting after the pharmacy student failed an exam.

Convicted of the attempted murder of Dr Björnsdottir as well as the grievous bodily harm of her colleague, the now 24-year-old was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison, Khrono reported.

The university’s unit for health, safety and emergency preparedness conducted an evaluation in the wake of the attack, publishing a final report this week. “The University of Oslo must be a safe workplace and a safe place for our students,” UiO director Arne Benjaminsen said. “That two of our employees are injured by a student is both frightening and serious, and we have to ask ourselves whether we were well enough prepared.

“People are our most important resource, and we must be an open and inclusive community for students and staff,” Mr Benjaminsen continued. “It is not up to our university to have strict access control, closed doors and a distrust of those we meet.”

The university report stresses that the overwhelming majority of conversations between students and staff occur without incident, stating that “there is no basis for” safety measures such as the presence of two employees for all conversations with students or the mandatory use of rooms with two doors. Such policies could “damage relations” between students and staff and would be “extremely resource-intensive”.

Nevertheless, the report advises that the university map out “suitable rooms” for staff to conduct “potentially demanding conversations” with students, suggesting the rooms could have a second door or could otherwise be set up to enable “quick escape if necessary”. The university should also establish a “checklist” for use “ahead of conversations that have the potential to become demanding or challenging”.

The report also recommends improved communication between central and local emergency management, clearer notification protocols, simplified planning and better training and information for staff. “We did a lot of things right,” the report states, “but there are several areas we can improve on.”

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com