HOUSTON (AP) – Some faculty members at the University of Houston say sensitive subjects may become taboo in their classrooms because of a law allowing Texas public university students to bring guns to class.
Jonathan Snow, president of the faculty senate at the university, told University of Houston regents that staff concerns about the law are growing, the Houston Chronicle reported (http://bit.ly/1KMs1Wz ) Wednesday.
“Academics know the intrusion of gun culture into campus inevitably harms academic culture,” Snow told the Board of Regents.
A faculty senate slideshow shown at a recent meeting featured a message that said instructors “may want to be careful discussing sensitive topics” or may choose to drop “certain topics” from their curriculum.
Under the law, which takes effect Aug. 1, licensed gun owners may carry concealed handguns on public university campuses. University officials have some discretion to designate gun-free zones, but a recent opinion from the Texas attorney general’s office said no limits may be placed on students carrying guns in classrooms or dormitories.