POSTED BY THE AAUP Gun violence is not a problem limited to high schools. Colleges and universities have been sites of mass shootings since the 1960s. The mere presence of guns on campus or in the classroom limits academic freedom, potentially affecting the choice of course materials, how far faculty members should press students to…
BY HANK REICHMAN No doubt like every other reader of this blog I’ve been awestruck and inspired by the response of the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, to the horrific mass shooting that struck down 17 of their classmates. They have spoken out boldly, demonstrated visibly and loudly, and organized…
BY HANK REICHMAN On July 1, Georgia’s new “campus carry” law went into effect. The law, similar to legislation recently enacted in other states,most notably Texas, allows weapons permit holders to carry firearms on campus except at a sporting venue or in a student dormitory. On July 25, a Kennesaw State University student was robbed…
BY MATTHEW BOEDY Guest blogger Dr. Matthew Boedy is in his second year as Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Composition in the English Department at the University of North Georgia in Gainesville, Ga. He is a member of the AAUP. When I stood in front of my students on the first day of the semester…
BY MARTIN KICH In 1966, the University of Texas at Austin was the site of America’s first mass shooting on a college campus. Now, 50 years later, students can carry guns on campus. It has created a tense environment, where students and professors alike are not sure who might have a weapon. “Universities are meant to…
BY HANK REICHMAN In 2015, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed SB 11, also known as the “campus carry” law, at a shooting range. The law permits the concealed carry of guns in dorms, classrooms, and buildings at state universities and community colleges, while leaving individual schools some latitude to keep parts of their properties firearm-free, extending…
BY HANK REICHMAN I am old enough to remember August 1, 1966 — fifty years ago today — when a mentally disturbed ex-marine, Charles Whitman, climbed to the top of the tower at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) with an arsenal of high-powered weapons and began shooting. For 96 terrifying minutes, Whitman fired…
The following is taken from an article by Benjamin Wermund written for the Houston Chronicle: “Jennifer Lynn Glass, Lisa Moore and Mia Carter want a federal judge to block a new Texas law that would allow people to carry concealed handguns throughout college campuses beginning August 1. They are suing Texas Attorney General Ken…
These are the opening paragraphs of an article that has been published by The Trace. The article, written by Olivia Li, is titled “Thomas Jefferson and James Madison Didn’t Want Guns on Their College Campuses”: “Governor Nathan Deal rejected a bill on Tuesday that would have allowed eligible students in Georgia to carry concealed weapons…