Dive Brief:
- Observers of gun control legislation and culture say that the Trump Administration is unlikely to reform any policy on college-based research to study the effects or outcomes of the epidemic, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
- While researchers continue to offer insight into gun violence, such as a recent report from Boston University's School of Public Health which calls for more state oversight of gun ownership regulations, some academics believe the key is studying environment effects which lead to or impact gun violence in communities.
- Professors say that increased information on domestic violence, suicide, and other gun-related public health issues are the best way to increase awareness of gun violence, and potential needs for changing state legislation on the issue.
Dive Insight:
Like climate change, the arts and other hot-button political issues with university impact, gun violence is among the hottest of the topics that is becoming increasingly interwoven with campus regulation and budgets. Texas made headlines last year with its changes to campus carry laws and touted the fact that the new rules did not result in the sweeping costs many leaders and professors expected.
For many college executives, particularly in metropolitan settings, the root issues tied to gun violence are being studied; poverty, literacy, employment rates, etc. The next step is drawing parallels between these maladies and statistics on gun violence, to create a regular narrative of how all of these issues impact community safety and development.