The Texas House and Senate are both considering bills that would prohibit a ban on concealed weapons on college campuses.
While the bill has caused debates across both public and private universities. Some provisions in the bills will allow private universities to exempt themselves from the bill
"Per the Texas Penal Code, no weapons are allowed on educational grounds. This includes HBU," said Dr. Kathy Anzivino, associate vice president for student life and chair of the Campus Safety and Crisis Committee.
The University's policy, found on page 180 of the 2008-2009 Student Handbook, states that the possession of weapons is prohibited, regardless if a person has a license to carry a concealed weapon.
Chief Charles Miller, director of police and parking services, said if a student is found with any weapon on campus, University police will take the violator into custody.
"If you have a weapon on campus, we will take you to jail," Miller said.
Miller said allowing guns on campus could present myriad problems ranging from possible theft of the weapon to accidental discharge of the gun during a routine cleaning of the firearm.
Miller also gave the example of an active shooter threatening the campus as another problematic scenario. He said, in such an event, University police will respond to threat once they receive notification.
"Our officers do not secure the perimeter and wait for SWAT," Miller said. "If there is an active shooter, we are trained and prepared to go to the problem site and take out the shooter."
Miller added that if another student or faculty member had a firearm it would present confusion as to the identity of the real gunman posing a threat
Miller added that the University is not trying to infringe on anyone's right to own or carry a firearm, but the campus is meant to be a safe environment.
Campus shootings such as those that occurred at Northern Illinois University and the massacre at Virginia Tech have made for a more proactive police force, Miller said. University police have taken part in Anti-terrorist Law Enforcement Response Training funded by the federal government.
Miller and Sgt. David Fraizer are also A.L.E.RT. instructors, Miller added, and it is rare for any campus to have this many instructors.
The University implemented its Emergency Alert System nearly two years ago as another means of campus safety whether that of a campus shooting or other threats to campus.
"We knew it was needed," said Martha Morrow, assistant vice president of University communications and member of the crisis committee. "I worked public relations at Fort Bend Independent School District during Columbine. No one had an awareness of how big of an issue school shootings were at that time."
In case of any emergency the system pulls information from HuskyNet and sends out e-mails, phone calls and text messages. Morrow said it is critical that students, faculty and staff update their information and check their OCS e-mail on a regular basis.
The alert system also sends out messages to all of the faculty and staff's personal and office phones so they are aware of any incidents on campus.
"As long as I have a network connection, I or anyone else who is authorized to access the alert system can send messages from anywhere," Morrow said.
She added the system can reach individuals whose information is available on HuskyNet within 40-45 minutes.
The first time the University used the alert system for an actual emergency was during Hurricane Ike, and even in the very worst of Ike, the system had a 70 percent delivery rate.
"I would say one of the most important things we do is educate the students about personal safety and their responsibility to make good decisions." Anzivino said.
Miller added that in reality University police deal with the back-end of a crisis.
"Take behavior changes and off-hand threats seriously and tell faculty or staff members who you trust and will take concern seriously," Morrow said.
She added that if students prefer to be anonymous when alerting authorities of potential threats, they can also contact Crime Stoppers.
Miller said it is important that the University foster a safe environment and let it be known that there is no consequence in reporting a threat made by their friends or other students.
"Most of the time when you see Virginia Tech or Columbine happen the signs that these kids had problems were there," he said. "It's just that no one said anything."
Morrow added that students should be aware of their surroundings and keep the University's emergency number, 281-689-3911, in their cell phones.
"In the end there is no amount of training, no police camera and no gate that is more powerful than your own awareness of your personal safety," Morrow said.
Reporting by Desireé Grimes
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