UH faculty suggest steering clear of some topics if students armed

University of Houston and other institutions rightly abide by state higher education strategy. University of Houston and other institutions rightly abide by state higher education strategy. Photo: University of Houston University Photo: University of Houston University Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close UH faculty suggest steering clear of some topics if students armed 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

With students potentially carrying weapons after Aug. 1, University of Houston faculty members may want to avoid sensitive subjects or drop certain topics from their curriculum altogether, a forum of professors suggested recently.

A slide shown at a recent discussion of a new state law, which will allow licensed individuals to carry concealed handguns on campus, says faculty may want to "not 'go there' " to avoid creating a tense situation. This echoes concerns voiced by professors across the state that allowing guns into the classroom will limit academic freedoms and inhibit discussion of sometimes touchy subjects.

Texas public universities are hashing out how to handle the campus carry law, which gives them some leeway to carve out gun-free zones on campus -- though a recent attorney general opinion said those zones can't be classrooms or dorms. The University of Texas at Austin last week said it will ban guns from dorms, but will allow them in classrooms.

Slide from recent campus carry dialogue at UH, in response to faculty concerns about dangers from armed students: pic.twitter.com/610RyhDZlf — Jeff (@JeffintheBowtie) February 22, 2016

UH has yet to decide where to allow guns. A working group is expected to present its recommendations by May 1. The slide was not created by the working group and is not UH's official policy, a spokeswoman said.

The UH faculty senate, which did prepare the slideshow, late last year passed a resolution opposing the new law.

"The diverse academic communities and free academic discourse are especially threatened by the presence of deadly weapons in teaching, research and living spaces," the resolution says.

Jonathan Snow, president of the senate, told the UH Board of Regents last week that concerns among faculty are growing as a working group putting together guidelines for where guns can and cannot be carried approaches its deadline. The regents will have final say over where guns will be allowed on campus.

"The faculty are increasingly unhappy with the law," Snow, who is a member of the working group, said. "I've been screamed at. I've been accused of complicity. It's been kind of rough."

The law allows private universities to ban guns, which the state's largest and best known private schools, including Rice and Baylor, have done. No private school has chosen to allow guns.

Snow told the UH regents that the private schools' decision says something about the law: "Academics know the intrusion of gun culture into campus inevitably harms academic culture."