College professors at one Texas university changed aspects of how they teach and how they interact with students outside of class in response to campus carry legislation, according to a new study from a Michigan State University researcher.

Nathaniel Cradit, who recently earned his doctorate in higher, adult and lifelong education at Michigan State University, interviewed about a dozen professors over three weeks at a campus dubbed “Metropolitan University” at the end of 2016 for his dissertation, which he presented earlier this month.

Cradit describes the university as a tier-one Carnegie research institution with more than 25,000 students. The university, he said, is among the country’s most diverse. It’s situated in a sprawling, left-leaning city that is one of America’s most populous and attracts many immigrants. (He declined to comment on whether “Metropolitan University” is the University of Houston, citing the study’s confidentiality.)

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At “Metropolitan University” one professor reported skirting meeting with a “combative” student out of fear of personal safety. Another moved office hours to a public space to avoid private conversations with a student who may be carrying. A third said she needed to be “a little more cautious” when she discussed Sigmund Freud and femininity in the classroom. Story continues below





“A certain level of caution has kicked in that I don't remember having previously,” she said.

Others described, at least outwardly, a slow acceptance. They cited a perception of general safety, as there were no gun violence incidents on campus that semester.

Still, even faculty who said they did not consciously change aspects of their work said they perceived something to have changed on campus. They were reminded of the law constantly by signs denoting gun-free zones.

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“It takes away from the feeling of safety. … A sign that says ‘no guns’ implies that lots of people might want to carry them here and they have to be told not to do that," one person said.

Cradit in his conclusion wrote campus carry “clearly” influenced changes to teaching and interactions with students, even among faculty who did not acknowledge outward shifts. He postulated that these changes could be “likely detrimental to student success, to say nothing of faculty well-being, recruitment and other institutional operations.”

The research, though limited in scope, adds nuance to the conversation on the legislation’s implementation in Texas.

A Houston Chronicle review found that there were three gun discharge incidents reported on Texas college campuses last fall. One was a suicide, and the other two resulted in no injuries and limited property damage.

Students said they largely had moved on to other issues and did not feel intimidated in the classroom. But Jonathan Snow, then the University of Houston’s faculty senate president, said each of roughly six candidates he interviewed for faculty or administrative positions in the fall asked him about the law.

Cradit said he believes his work can be expanded quantitatively. His interviews identified ways professors changed their teaching after campus carry began in August. Broader surveys can now use his findings to assess if teaching changed across a wider group of professors.

“It gives us that foundation to be able to ask those questions in the future,” he said. “There is now a nugget of evidence that people can move forward with. They’ll take this and future research can expand upon (it).”

Scroll through the gallery above to see some common questions and answers about campus carry laws