Page 56 - EducationWorld March 2023

International News

UNITED STATES limits on where guns can be carried.
Guns on campus controversy The fatal shootings in May 2022 of 19 students and two
teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, seems
to have sparked increased political interest in allowing guns
(for self-defense) in educational settings, says Cheryl Jon-
son, associate professor of criminal justice at Ohio’s Xavier
University.
However, Andy Pelosi’s group and others argue that
despite more than 40,000 gun deaths per year, university
campuses are among the safest places to be. And there’s no
clear evidence — despite West Virginia lawmakers push-
ing their Campus Self-Defense Act on the grounds that it
will help women deter sexual violence — that guns make
college campuses safer, says Pelosi. Women’s advocacy
groups instead are among numerous campus constituen-
cies especially opposed to such laws, he says, fearing that
gun permissiveness will help arm their potential attackers.

Students campaigning to keep guns off campus UNITED KINGDOM
Post-study work visa debate
AMERICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES ARE fight-
ing new attempts to allow guns on campuses, with UK GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN
conservative state lawmakers undeterred by re- asked to set out their position on student visa re-
search data and clear opposition from institutional leaders. forms. The Home Office is pressing for restrictions,
The most recent instance involves West Virginia, where with opposition to post-study work limitations said to be
the state senate voted 29-4 in favour of legislation to let coming from an array of departments including the Trea-
people bring firearms on to college and university campus- sury.
es, despite opposition from state university leaders. The The Times reports that Indian origin Suella Braverman,
Bill heads next to the state legislature’s other chamber, the the home secretary, has proposed reducing the time that
House of Delegates, which is also overwhelmingly domi- overseas students can stay in the UK after completing their
nated by Republicans. courses under the graduate visa route from two years to six
The US already has about a dozen states that permit guns months, a plan “strongly opposed” by the Department for
on college campuses, with lawmakers in several others al- Education. Previous calls from Braverman for a student visa
ready trying or expected to pursue the idea this year, accord- “crackdown”, aired in the press from autumn to Christmas
ing to the activist group Campaign to Keep Guns Off last year, were regarded as “noise” — with no government
Campus. “The gun lobby is trying to find as many places machinery turning to implement such plans.
as possible where people can carry,” says the organisation’s However, Times Higher Education understands that
executive director Andy Pelosi. on January 20, government departments were formally
In West Virginia, the presidents of the state’s two largest asked to outline their positions on visa policy options. It is
higher education institutions — West Virginia University thought that not just the Department for Education (DfE),
and Marshall University — wrote to lawmakers urging them but a range of departments including the Treasury, the De-
not to pass the Bill. Governing boards “are best suited to de- partment for International Trade and the Department for
cide whether guns should be permitted on campus”, Gordon Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy — fearing damage
Gee and Brad Smith told senators. West Virginia Univer- to the UK’s economic position — are opposed to the Home
sity’s faculty senate also approved a resolution opposing Office plan on reducing the time allowed under the gradu-
the Bill. States that already allow guns on the campuses ate visa route.
of their public colleges and universities include Arkansas, Opposition is said to be less strong to reform of the rules
Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, on overseas students’ rights to bring dependants into the
Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin. UK — and sector sources are hopeful that change in this
New York lawmakers are being asked to join these states, area will be the option 10 Downing Street chooses, rather
despite the state’s Democratic majority, while more plau- than targeting the graduate visa route. No.10 is expected to
sible campaigns appear possible this year in several other make a decision soon.
states, including Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, The Times reports that Indian origin prime minister Ri-
South Carolina and South Dakota. Idaho lawmakers are shi Sunak asked the Home Office and the DfE to submit
considering legislation that would stop colleges putting proposals for reducing the number of international stu-

58 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2023