Oona Goodin-Smith

Oakland University

A slide cautioning faculty at the University of Houston not to provoke students after the state's campus concealed carry law is implemented on Aug. 16 has made its way to Twitter.

Posted Monday by Jeffrey Villines, a PhD student and English instructor at the university, it reads: "Be careful discussing sensitive topics; Drop certain topics from your curriculum; Not 'go there' if you sense anger; Limit student access off hours."

The slide was part of a presentation made by the University of Houston Faculty Senate to address concerns about "dangers from armed students," according to Villines. The group had passed a resolution opposing firearms on campus late last December, when it noted that "weapons designed to end human life have no place in the academic life of the University, except when carried by duly authorized law officers."

"My slides are not university policy but faculty to faculty discussion points in a faculty senate led discussion group. They express the downside of having more weapons on campus and the chilling effect that has on academic freedom," University Faculty Senate President Jon Snow tells USA TODAY College regarding his presentation.

The "campus carry" bill was signed last June by Governor Greg Abbott. The legislation, officially titled SB 11, authorizes licensed individuals to carry a concealed handgun on campuses of public institutions of higher education.

The university, which last year created a Campus Carry Work Group, is distancing itself from the presentation.

"This is not a slide of the Campus Carry Work Group at the University of Houston, and it is not official policy," UH spokesperson P'nina Topham tells USA TODAY College in an email. "The University’s draft policy is expected to be released in the next week."

The university has also released the following statement:



The University of Houston takes issues surrounding campus safety and guns on campus very seriously and will strive to create policies that comply with the new Campus Carry law, protect the rights of citizens, and address the safety and security of the entire campus. The University of Houston has charged a 15-member Campus Carry Work Group comprised of representatives throughout various University departments and groups with the responsibility to develop a campus carry policy that is compliant with the new campus carry law, which goes into effect Aug. 1, 2016.

Each of the four UH System universities will develop a policy through input from constituencies at each campus. Final drafts of the campus carry policies are expected to be presented to the UH System Board of Regents in May.

The campus carry bill has been met with protests from faculty and students across the state. Last October, a University of Texas Austin professor emeritus resigned over campus carry concerns, for instance, while a "#cocknotglocks" demonstration involving sex toys is being planned for August. There have also been demonstrations from gun rights supporters, including a mock mass shooting.

"I find it funny that smoking is banned throughout every inch of campus -- even 15 feet away from campus -- yet guns are A-OK inside every room," says Natalie Larson Jaramillo, a student at UT Austin.

So far, 20 private Texas colleges have opted out of the campus carry bill, the Texas Tribune reports.

Last month, the Georgia state legislature proposed a bill that would allow students to carry tasers and other forms of stun guns on public college campuses.



Oona Goodin-Smith is a Oakland University student and a USA TODAY College breaking news correspondent.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.