At its regular meeting on Aug. 4, the Board of Regents approved the campus carry policy, a policy which still continues to bring mixed reactions from those on campus.
“Our safety is a priority,” Lauren Wheeler, social work junior, said. “Not only am I a student but I’m a mother so I will protect myself for my child, and we should be able to protect ourselves in this corrupt society.”
Others do not feel the same as Wheeler.
Garrett Hankins, biology freshman, said if he saw someone with a gun in class he would be “freaked out.”
Others fall somewhere in-between.
Camron Lynn, biology junior, said, “With the proper training and licensing, a concealed carrier will not worry me. I feel safe around guns, and more of them doesn’t bother me. But I do think education is important and involvement with the campus community is a plus.”
To provide that education, according to Chief of Police Patrick Coggins, his department will offer training.
“It’s not going to be mandatory training,” Coggins said. “The thought right now is that it will consist of a video that will be available for anyone who wants to see it.”
In addition to the training, Coggins said he worked with academic deans and others over the summer to inform people of the 141 locations where concealed weapons are never allowed, posting large signs in each location.
Wheeler said, “Those will be the places that students with a motive to hurt others will start shooting, because they know that they’re not supposed to have a gun in there.”
In addition, according to the policy, people can also be told that at a specific time at a specific location, weapons are not allowed.
Chaired by Laura Fidelie, associate professor in criminal justice, a campus task force of students, faculty, staff and community representatives drafted the policy this past spring. According to Barry Macha, general counsel, the committee members looked at policies drafted at other Texas universities and adapted them into a policy specific to Midwestern State.
Over the summer, another group of faculty representatives met four times and made recommendations on how to implement the policy as a result of the Campus Carry legislation passed by the Texas Legislature in 2015, which took effect on Aug. 1, allowing concealed handguns on colleges campuses.
Even with the policy in place, Board members expressed concern about how to communicate the details to the campus community.
“This is a very dynamic situation,” Shawn Hessing, Board of Regents chair, said. “College students aren’t going to read the policy. We need to be able to communicate the changes as they evolve.”
In particular, Board members asked questions about how students living in the residence halls would work within the new rules. License holders residing on campus must either carry the weapon on their person at all times or have it stored in their assigned room within secure gun storage. In the residence halls, students who are assigned to a room with someone who has a weapon and who are concerned for their well being, may request transfer to another room.
Manny Hoffman, Student Government Association secretary, said at the meeting that SGA will be briefing students about campus carry during the group’s first meeting on Sept. 6.
“Student government is one of the groups that can get the word out on campus,” Samuel Sanchez, Board member, said. “However it is, I know it’s going to be difficult.”
Where concealed carrying is prohibited all the time:
- Sporting or interscholastic events
- Places of religious worship
- Designated polling places on election day
- Any laboratory, room, or storage area with extremely dangerous chemicals, biological or explosive agents
- In areas with equipment that is incompatible with metallic objects
- The MSU testing center
- Any location where medical, health, or clinical services are provided
- Any location where services are provided to minors, including summer camps, University Interscholastic League events, SAT and ACT testing
- Where intercollegiate, club, intramural, and sporting and athletic activities and events occur on the campus premises.
MWSU Board meeting
The Midwestern State University Board of Regents met Aug. 4, 2016.
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Keith Lamb, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, speaks at the Board of Regents meeting on Aug, 4. 
Marilyn Fowle, vice president of business affairs and finance, gives a presentation at the Aug. 4 Board of Regents meeting. 
Shawn Hessing, Board of Regents chair, leads discussion at the Aug. 4 Board of Regents meeting. 
Tiffany Burks, board of regents member, listens to discussion at the Board of Regents meeting on Aug. 4. 
Samuel Sanchez, newly elected board of regents chair, listens to discussion during the Board of Regents meeting on Aug. 4. Sanchez will continue on the board until 2018. He is an attorney with Cordell & Cordell, and lives in Fort Worth. Photo by Dewey Cooper 
Kristi Schulte, housing director, gives details about the Faculty-in-Residence apartment in Legacy Hall to the Board of Regents during a walk-through on Aug. 4. 
Steve Garrison, political science chair, gives a presentation of his research activities, and interests during the Board of Regents meeting on Aug. 4. 
Manny Hoffman, SGA secretary, speaks at the Board of Regents meeting on Aug. 4. 
Brent Wallace, North Central Texas College president, discusses expansion with NCTC in Flower Mound during the board of regents meeting Aug. 4. University president Suzanne Shipley said that the benefits outweigh the costs when it comes to expanding. 
MWSU Board meeting
The Midwestern State University Board of Regents met Aug. 4, 2016.
