In an email that went out to all UTSA students today, Dr. Romo offcially announced what area’s of campus would be considered gun-free when campus carry goes into effect next fall.
These areas include:
- Shared university residence halls and housing units;
- Laboratories with combustible, flammable or other dangerous materials;
- Counseling and health services centers;
- Facilities providing child care for minor children;
- Roadrunner Cafe and John Peace Library dining areas;
- Athletics venues; Youth events sponsored by UTSA or other schools;
- Facilities with special uses, e.g. JPL Special Collections area, housing used for summer camps and orientation, official proceedings or hearings locations, the Multidisciplinary Studies Building testing center, the UTSA Police Department and Central Receiving. “
Dr. Romo was also very open at his disagreeemnt with the new law saying, A university president is expected to make a lot of tough decisions. In my 15 years as president of UTSA, I’ve certainly made my share. But no decision has weighed more heavily on my mind than Senate Bill 11 – campus carry – and a policy for implementing it at UTSA. I believe that handguns have no place in our classrooms, in our laboratories or on our campuses. Campus carry is a distraction from our mission of providing excellence to our students and our community. Together, we have all worked to create an environment that promotes open discourse and intellectual curiosity. We embrace diverse cultures, thoughts and opinions. We encourage the free expression of ideas. Now, we are being required to implement a law that could compromise that environment. While I do not agree with campus carry in principle, I recognize that I have an obligation to ensure we are prepared to comply with it when the law takes effect on August 1.”
To find out more about campus carry, read our extensive educational piece here.
Sound off in the commnets about how YOU feel with these gun free zones.