Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Why I Teach...in Utah

Namely, because I can teach at a respected public research institution that allows any and all students, faculty and staff to carry concealed weapons on campus.

The recent memo sent to all professors re-iterated this policy and advised us of what to do in case that weapon is not-so-concealed:


Faculty, staff, or students may become aware of the presence of a weapon in their immediate vicinity either by happenstance as when a concealed weapon is momentarily visible or through deliberate action of the possessor. In either event, the advice of law enforcement experts is the same – stay calm and avoid confrontation whenever possible.

Wait for it....

If you are threatened directly or if violence erupts, then

a. STAY CALM

i. take evasive action

ii. do not enter any area without knowing what is there

iii. use self-defense methods only to the extent that you are familiar or comfortable with them

iv. look for the most solid protection available (e.g., prefer solid wood furniture over drywall)



4 comments:

Unknown said...

Is the suggested evasive action some kind of cartwheel? Maybe some Gymkata?

You have no choice but to buy a killbot.

Biche said...

at least they included the possibilty of "happenstance" in their guidelines

not very HR of them to put it that way, i gotta say

Shanghai Shecky said...

wherever i go, I ALWAYS locate a piece of wood furniture in case the shit goes down.

Tony B. said...

That's depressing, and Biche is right: bizarre word choice.

You're probably not going to attribute a gun-encounter in your classroom to "Happenstance" when retelling the story later on.

But at least Gymkata was finally referenced.