An individual has been arrested and charged following a knife attack on U of T senior lecturer Sean Uppal last Wednesday. Xiaoyue Zhou, 21, a second-year mathematics and economics student, was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon, and criminal harassment related to the incident.
Mark Kazakevich, a fourth-year computer science and physics student who took MAT223 with Uppal, praised the lecturer for his outstanding teaching skills and genuine care for students.
“He really wants to make his students understand not only how to do the math, but why it is a powerful tool for many other fields of study,” Kazakevich said, adding: “I would often talk to him one on one after class and ask questions about the material, as well as how it relates to other courses I was taking in physics and computer science. He was always ready to stay however long it took to fully explain everything I wanted to know, and our conversations were part of what drove me to take higher level math courses in later years.”
The knife attack — which was allegedly unprovoked — took place in Uppal’s office at the Earth Sciences Centre building. Uppal sustained cuts to his wrists, thighs, and face. His injuries are said to be non-life threatening, but he is recovering in hospital.
Althea Blackburn-Evans, U of T director of media relations, declined to comment on specific elements of the case, saying the university “cannot comment on any campus police reports or investigations.”
Zhou appeared in court on Thursday, where a judge ordered police to keep her in custody pending a mental health evaluation.
Zhou’s two roommates had previously discussed their concerns regarding Zhou’s stress level, noting that she appeared to be under pressure and spent her spare time exclusively reading books and studying. Zhou had not mentioned a problem with any instructor and her roommates became worried when she failed to return home on Wednesday. One of Zhou’s roommates called her and texted her, but received no response.
Media reports indicate that in the days leading up to the attack, Uppal received frequent, disturbing emails from an anonymous source. He then advised university administration and campus police of the emails.
“The details of this unfortunate event are currently under investigation by the Toronto Police Services. The university is cooperating fully with that investigation. The safety and security of all members of the university community is our top priority,” said U of T president Meric Gertler in a statement.
The statement also included contact information for various campus support services, including Counselling and Psychological Services, and Health Services at the Mississauga and Scarborough campuses.
Zhou is scheduled to appear in court again on October 8.
