Dive Brief:
- Frederick R. Steiner, a longtime dean of the University of Texas at Austin’s school of architecture, announced last week that he was leaving for the University of Pennsylvania, and news coverage boiled it down to a single issue: the state’s revised concealed carry law.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Steiner wants to clarify the record, citing “a broader lack of support for public higher education in Texas” and a chance to go back to his alma mater as other important elements of the decision.
- Steiner sees the campus carry law as a reflection of the lack of support for public higher ed, and its passage prompted an open mind to opportunities outside of UT-Austin.
Dive Insight:
UT-Austin economics professor Daniel S. Hamermesh resigned last October, making his letter of resignation public, with its reference to the danger of teaching large lecture courses at a time when any number of students could be carrying weapons. The University of Houston has also faced backlash from faculty, who, in a recent faculty senate meeting, discussed safety strategies including altering curriculum and discontinuing open office hours.
Supporters of concealed carry laws have argued mass shootings on college campuses could have been cut short by an armed third-party. Those on the other side, however, argue guns could make interpersonal spats deadly. So far, every private college and university in Texas has opted out of the new concealed carry provisions, which allow guns in campus buildings.