It looked as though the UW Faculty Senate’s “Resolution Against State Preemption of Regulation of Firearms on UW Campuses” would remain in limbo after the senate once again failed to meet quorum.
“We do not have quorum,” Ed Janek, Faculty Senate chair and educational studies associate professor, said.
This pronouncement came following a lengthy role call filled with proxies and alternates for the numerous absent senators. The senate was just two short of having the quorum necessary to vote on business.
Chair-Elect and Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Health Tucker Readdy lectured the senate about the importance of attendance.
In the absence of quorum, presentations commenced until senators Jennifer Eisenhauer and Patrick Johnson appeared, and shortly following a wrap-up of the presentation, the agenda was approved and the senate moved onto business.
Janak killed any divisive discussion on Faculty Senate Resolution 325, Resolution Against State Preemption of Regulation of Firearms on UW Campuses, with a pronouncement asking the senate members to limit discussion to a matter of policy, rather than what rights the constitution guarantees individuals on campus.
“I’m trying to encourage you that gun ownership in this state is a religion,” said Janak.
Because the senate didn’t have quorum, Janak’s amendment changing the title of the resolution had to be voted on. The amendment was voted in favor of with little discussion and the resolution became A Resolution in Favor of State Retention of Current Statutes Regarding Concealed Carry on UW Campuses.
Janak’s earlier pronouncement regarding limiting discussion to questions of policy was apparently effective, as discussion on the resolution consisted only of Senators questioning its implementation.
On a nearly unanimous vote with only five nays and no abstentions, the resolution was passed.
Effectively, the resolution is a policy declaration that the University should continue in its current near-ban on concealed carry, and being a resolution rather than a bill, it functions as a document of guiding policy, and has a secondary effect of assisting any discussion in the state legislature that may happen in regard to concealed carry on campuses.
This secondary action was a primary motivating factor for the senate in creating the bill, and with the new legislature coming in, a vote regarding firearms in schools might reach the floor.
“Two years ago when the legislature met they were potentially going to entertain a bill that allowed concealed-carry on campus,” said Readdy, “We thought it was important that we go on record permanently opposing concealed-carry weapons.”
Despite the large numbers of senators missing, Readdy said he is certain that had more senators been in attendance the vote would have been the same.
“The last meeting we had approximately 30 minutes of discussion.” Readdy said, “If we had gone another 15 minutes we would have voted.”
Additionally, he said he believes the vote will receive little backlash on campus.
“It’s probably just a good idea not to have guns in the classroom,” Readdy said. “Most people can probably agree on that statement.”
