Stephanie Stauffer, complex coordinator of freshmen dorms, sorts mail yesterday at the towers’ front desk. When the law carries out after July 1st, ESU residence halls will allow concealed carry, though Captain Chris Hoover states that the policy will require residences to secure weapons in the dorms.
The four-year concealed carry exemption for Kansas universities will come to an end July 1, and Emporia State University has adjusted policy for residence halls in preparation, though the exact changes are not yet available in the residence hall handbook or university policy handbook located on the ESU website.
The final version of the system-wide policy that would be implemented after the exemption expires was developed by a weapons task force approved by President Allison Garrett.
University Police Captain Chris Hoover served on the task force. According to Hoover, the task force met every Friday beginning in February and ending in May and Kevin Johnson, General Counsel, served as Chair of the weapons task force.
“The policy changes should appear in the university policy manual,” Hoover said. “The manual has not updated its weapon policies since 2008.”
The law requires that individuals who conceal and carry be 21 years of age. Hoover stresses that residence halls do not house very many 21 year old students.
The policy changes will also require weapons to be secured when not carried, according to Hoover.
“We wanted to make sure it specifically referenced weapons on campus, and how to deal with a resident of the campus and how they secure the weapon,” Hoover said. “It’s different for a resident than it would be for an instructor or student who is just attending classes.”
According to the current Kansas Statute, legally carried concealed weapons cannot be prohibited from public buildings without security in place at all entrances to the building, unless an exemption is noted at the entrance to the building, stated during the October Faculty Senate meeting.
Cynthia Kane, faculty senate member, mentioned that it looks like the policy prohibits concealed carry in a campus building if that building has adequate security measures.
David Cordle, provost, explained that, since ESU does not have buildings with single entrances, arranging for adequate security measures is impractical, as stated during the February 2 Faculty Senate meeting.
South Tower residents, Theresa Hougland, freshman science major, and Emma Cruise, freshman nursing major, expressed their concerns with the changes.
“If a roommate told me they had a gun that would make me very uncomfortable,” Cruise said. “I could be sleeping in a room where a gun and is right next to me and that freaks me out.”
Hougland agreed.
“It kind of scares me a little bit because people can be so quick to use it (a gun),” Hougland said.
Both students hope that residence halls will include gun ownership in the roommate preferences.
“If my roommate had a gun, I would probably switch rooms,” Cruise said.
Both students intend to live in a sorority next semester, and are not concerned that their sorority sisters will own guns.
“If it becomes a problem, I think the rules will become more enforced, but as of right now it’s fine,” Cruise said. “I don’t think anything bad is going to come of it, except if something does, action is going to be taken.”
Kevin Johnson did not respond for comment.