The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education's Board of Governors says it wants a task force to study the issue.
Kutztown University's new weapons policy, which allows people with permits and permission to carry concealed weapons on campus as long as they are not in university buildings or at university events, will stay in place until the school hears from the state university system, a spokesman said this afternoon.
In a statement released this afternoon, Guido M. Pichini, chairman of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors, said a task force was being formed to study weapons on campus. While that work is being done, he said, "the board has asked the universities to maintain the status quo in regards to their existing weapons policies."
Matt Santos, director of Kutztown's university relations, said the "status quo" means the new policy will remain in place "until and/or if we hear otherwise." Ken Marshall, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors, agreed with Santos' stance.
Santos said the school received "dozens" of calls from parents, students and alumni about the new weapons policy.
Citing Second Amendment concerns, Kutztown and the other 13 state universities had been asked by the state system to look at their weapons policies. Kutztown said in the last day that it couldn't ban weapons in some circumstances, such as outside on campus and in vehicles, as long as university police cleared the request. It said it came to that conclusion based on advice from the state system's counsel and the Office of General Counsel, the legal arm of the governor's office.
The new policy allows a person with a "compelling reason" related to personal safety to bring a weapon onto campus with permission from the university police chief.
The new rules came after concerns were raised about gun bans on state university campuses.
"In the spring of 2012 questions were raised by a number of individuals concerning campus firearms policy," Pichini said in the statement. "In order to provide guidance on the issue, PASSHE legal counsel shared a model policy for consideration that addressed both public safety and constitutional concerns.
"PASSHE universities have the ability to prohibit weapons, including legally registered firearms, in academic buildings, student residence halls, dining facilities, student union buildings, athletic facilities and recreation centers or while attending a sporting, entertainment or educational event on university property or sponsored by the university. However, PASSHE’s policies also must be consistent with Pennsylvania law, which allows individuals who are properly permitted to carry a firearm on or about one's person or in a vehicle throughout the Commonwealth.'"
The Public Safety and Security Task Force, which was announced at an April board meeting, will "study all areas of campus safety and university police operations in order to enhance efforts to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff, as well as that of all visitors to our campuses," Pichini said. "The task force will include in its work a review of the issue of weapons on campus in order to help ensure consistency across the system and that the policies comply with the law."