(ROUND ROCK) – The Board of Regents of the Texas State University System today approved campus-specific policies regarding the possession of concealed handguns at the System’s eight member institutions. The policies, which take effect Aug. 1, 2016, were approved during the Board’s quarterly meeting at Texas State University’s Round Rock campus.
Senate Bill 11, passed during the 84th Legislative Session, requires university and college presidents to develop policies allowing handgun licensees to carry concealed handguns in campus buildings, with certain exceptions. TSUS institutions held a series of public meetings and engaged a wide variety of stakeholders over the past year to receive input as the policies were being developed.
The policies at four TSUS institutions – Sul Ross State University, Lamar Institute of Technology, Lamar State College-Orange and Lamar State College-Port Arthur – include no restrictions anywhere on campus, except for restrictions provided by existing law, such as intercollegiate or interscholastic events and governmental meetings.
Policies at the three largest TSUS institutions include limited restrictions, consistent with the letter and spirit of the law:
Lamar University restrictions – Health and mental health counseling facilities; student and employee disciplinary hearings; premises hosting high school, collegiate, and professional sporting events; premises where governmental meetings are being held; the University Police Department; premises hosting events involving safety concerns (e.g., elections); and one residence hall housing students who concurrently finish high school while earning two years of college credit.
Sam Houston State University restrictions – Premises hosting interscholastic or intercollegiate athletic events; premises hosting governmental meetings; premises housing psychological counseling services; premises when in use for disciplinary and legal compliance; student and employee disciplinary or grievance hearings; and the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Lab.
Texas State University restrictions – Premises providing services/events for minor children; premises when in use for competitive sporting, NCAA, and UIL events; premises providing counseling and health services; premises when in use for disciplinary and legal compliance; the president’s residence; and facilities used for official events.
The Texas State University System, established in 1911, is the oldest and third-largest university system in Texas, comprising eight institutions from West Texas to the Gulf Coast.