Earlier this year, Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 11, which will allow concealed handgun license holders to carry their weapons on campus. The new law will go into effect in August of 2016.

In the meantime, college campuses around the state will have the next year to decide how it will approach campus-carry policies. The bill gives universities the right to establish gun-free zones on campus, and to consider student population and safety needs in their implementation of the new law.

In response, Tarleton State University President Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio has established a Campus Carry Council, which will be tasked with designing a set of policies to recommend to the Executive Cabinet. The council will be made up of nine members of Tarleton faculty – Kent Styron, Director of Risk Management and Compliance; Harry Battson, Assistant VP for Marketing and Communications, (Advancement and External Relations); Dr. Keith Emmert, President of Faculty Senate; Dr. Javier Garza, Assistant VP for Enrollment Management (Academic Affairs); Troy Jones, Assistant Athletic Director; Dr. Brittany Rodriguez, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice; Dr. Kim Rynearson, Assistant VP for Outreach and Off-Campus Programs; Bobby Waddell, Director of Residential Living and Learning (Student Life); and Matt Welch, Chief of Police for Tarleton.

The council will “recommend rules and procedures to implement on campus regarding concealed carry…” said Dottavio, “[and] will consider whether the rule will prohibit concealed carry from any specific campus areas or activities.”

Recommendations will be submitted to the Executive Cabinet by December 1. Texas A&M University System schools will submit their policies to the Chancellor and Board of Regents by February 1, 2016.

“This is a serious issue that will require us to develop rules that are compatible with Senate Bill 11,” said Dottavio. “We will approach this effort with our university vision firmly in front of us, diligently maintaining our student focus and our commitment to preserving campus safety.”