BY PHILIP P. DISTEFANO
Today the CU-Boulder campus announced that we are amending our housing policies in order to implement the Colorado concealed carry law.
Under the changes we are implementing, housing contracts will be amended for students, faculty and staff living in residence halls, asking those who possess a Colorado conceal carry permit (CCP) to forgo bringing their weapons to campus. We will also provide housing, as available, for those who possess a CCP in graduate apartments off of the main campus, provided they store them in a safe in their dwellings, and we will not allow weapons into ticketed public events and performances on campus, or in Folsom Field.
This change in our housing contracts stems from the Colorado Supreme Court decision handed down last spring, which held that the University of Colorado Board of Regents lacks the authority to ban weapons from campus. The Board delegated authority to the campus chancellors to implement compliance with this change in policy on our respective campuses. Please see our news release on the front page of the main CU-Boulder web site at www.colorado.edu and check your email for today’s edition of CU Connections, the University of Colorado system newsletter.
To determine our course of action, we consulted University legal counsel and held extensive discussions with experts, other campuses, and key campus constituents here at CU-Boulder. We also received input from the Regents.
I know many of you are concerned about the implementation of the law and have many questions about how it will factor into the day-to-day operations of the campus. In the coming days – in CU-Boulder Today and in Administrative E-memos – please look for more information that will provide instructions and guidelines for accommodating the law in our work and lives on campus.
I want to express my gratitude to my cabinet, and to all of you, for your combined work complying with the concealed carry law in our community. Please know that the safety of this campus and our community remains my highest priority, and you have my pledge that we will do all that the law allows in continuing to promote personal and community safety in all places, at all times, at the University of Colorado Boulder.