Ohio University Student Senate members and attendees debated concealed carry at the body's meeting Wednesday night.
The discussion was originally planned to last an hour, but the senate body motioned to extend the conversation so all students and senators would have a chance to speak.
“Senate Bill 199 is what we are discussing tonight,” Student Senate President Hannah Clouser said. “We are talking about this tonight because we want to hear opinions from you all as senators and all the guests in the room.”
Students of varying viewpoints spoke out about concealed carry and how they expected the bill, which allows universities' governing bodies to decide if they want to allow concealed carry on campus, to impact OU’s campuses.
OU Police Chief Andrew Powers and Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones attended the meeting to answer questions about concealed carry.
Responding to a question posed by a senator, Hall-Jones confirmed concealed carry could potentially allow students over age 21 to keep guns in residence halls, which became a common argument against concealed carry during the discussion.
“It would be opening up a conversation for how our campus would handle it,” Hall-Jones said.
Senators stressed the importance of hearing the opinions of international students and students under 21, as they would not be allowed to carry a concealed weapon on campus, unlike domestic students over 21.
International Affairs Commissioner Nino Abolola said the International Affairs Commission would present to the International Student Union on Monday and would vote in the referendum based on the union's opinion.
David Parkhill, president of OU College Republicans, spoke in favor of concealed carry.
Parkhill noted the lack of OU students in attendance at the meeting, despite senate’s efforts to spread the word about the upcoming referendum and hear from students at its forums and meetings.
Clouser and Senate Vice President Courteney Muhl thanked students from outside of senate for attending the meeting.
“It speaks volumes about your passion about the issue and about your engagement on Ohio’s campus,” Muhl said. “While we had maybe a lower turnout than we’d hoped for, we had voices in the room, and that says something. That’s important.”
Senate continued to stress the importance of informing students and encouraging them to vote in the referendum.
“Vote (in the referendum), get your friends to vote,” Senate Treasurer Steve Lichtenfels said. “It’s important that we have a strong turnout.”
Senate also unanimously voted in favor of a resolution to pay for senators to go to the Ohio Student Government Summit conference Feb. 11 in Akron. The budget, which totals $228.72, will pay for transportation and registration for the five senators who will attend the conference.
Muhl, who attended the conference last year, said they talked about sexual assault prevention, textbook costs and other issues “that all student governments have been working on.”
“This is a really great opportunity to share some struggles and successes as a student government and really learn,” Muhl said.
