I beleive this is Mr. Hargis’ first communication that doesn’t surround his new position. Mr. Hargis has a long history of being a diplomatic and effective communicator and his effort (below) shows that nothing has changed. His direct message – rethink this bill. More important, in my opinion are his indirect messages. Let me get you started… he is not afraid to take a position on a hot topic – even when it involves publicly challenging state legislators, safety on his campus is a priority… what other messages do you see. Leave your comments below. Also, feel free to share your comments on the legislation if you wish.
To the OSU Campus,
The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed House Bill 2513 last week which allows certain persons to carry concealed weapons on Oklahoma’s College campuses. While we all share the concern for the safety of all of our campuses, this proposal is fraught with unnecessary risks.
We all honor our veterans and members of the armed services, but they are not immune from the few who act irrationally. And the training the bill requires for others is minimal. In the end, additional weapons on campus only increase the risk of a weapon in the possession of the wrong person. Moreover, there is no assurance that guns left in dorm rooms or in lockers by approved carriers would not fall into the hands of others.
This is not the solution. If it were, similar authorization should be allowed in the State Capitol as well as state, county and municipal offices. Tragedies happen in all areas of society, not just on college campuses. Witness the events at Tinker, post offices and other public places.
What we need is more training and better distribution of our security services, unique alarm systems on campus, increased counseling and training of our students, faculty and staff. We need more thought and discussion on the steps necessary to make our campuses safer. We must all become more aware of our surroundings; know what to look for, how to react, and utilize new and more effective means of sounding alarms. Higher education, through the Governor’s Campus Life and Safety and Security Task Force, has developed a comprehensive statewide plan that is an excellent starting point. We don’t believe increasing the number of guns on campus is the answer.
Let’s all take a deep breath, study this critical issue and come to a reasonable consensus. Require an interim study. Allow the Task Force recommendations to be considered and implemented. We owe as much to our best and brightest.
Burns Hargis
I read this email before I read it on this post. I have the same position as President Hargis but I believe he expressed it so well. He gave his position, one that everyone may not agree with, but he backed up his position with solid points.
I know my PR teacher would be proud of me because I found three main message points:
1. Guns do not belong on our campus.
2. Tragedies happen everywhere, not just on college campuses.
3. We need to work together to make our campus safer.
I totally agree regarding who wrote the message but do you think the tone is unique to this president? As a side, what do you personally think of Mr. Hagis?
None of the presidents write their own messages – the communications office writes, gets approval and sends all of them. I don’t give Mr. Hargis credit.