EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The Michigan State University Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet Friday morning and is expected to vote on amending its on-campus weapon ordinance after changes were made in state gun laws.
The campus shooting that took the lives of three students and hurt five others is fresh in the minds of student gun control activists.
While they are encouraged by the changes they’ve seen in state policy, they tell 6 News they hope campus leaders bring them to the table in the future.
“The School Board needs to make more progress and they need to listen to us as students because we know what’s best for us. We are adults, despite them seeing us as students,” said Hailey Kenward of Spartans Against Gun Violence.
Kenward shares her frustration with the pace of university security policy changes in the aftermath of February’s campus shooting.
On top of classes, the public relations major is helping support the group Spartans Against Gun Violence, which she co-founded.
While progress has been made at the state Capitol, she says more can be done at the university.
Those changes could be when the MSU Board of Trustees meets for the first time in the new academic year.
On the table is tightening up the on-campus weapons policy, which currently differs from Michigan gun laws.
But since new state gun control bills passed, the board plans to vote on updating the language in the ordinance to reflect that the university has more control to set up its own weapons rules.
The amendment to the ordinance would clarify that firearms are prohibited on campus, with some exceptions allowed by MSU officials, like police and people with valid state certification who drive through campus.
Not seeing more changes to the policy right now is disappointing to Kenward and fellow activist Joseph Kesto.
Kesto says demanding policy change should not fall on students and says recent upgrades to campus security like expanding classroom door locks should have come sooner.
“It’s been years since things have happened. I think there were shootings before Columbine, changes should have been made way back then, not right now,” Kesto said.
6 News did reach out to trustee members for their thoughts on the amendment but did not hear back yet.
There’s more on the board’s agenda than the weapons policy, and attorneys for survivors of abuse by disgraced gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar are planning to present a new lawsuit against MSU.
