CONCEALED CARRY INFORMATION INFORMATION SESSION AND WEBSITE

Dear students, staff, and faculty:

Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of the University of Kansas community.   

The exemption from Kansas’s Personal and Family Protection Act ends on June 30. Beginning July 1, 2017, citizens 21 and older are allowed, by law, to carry concealed handguns into most buildings at state universities, including those on the KU Lawrence and Edwards campuses.

In October, I asked you to share your thoughts, concerns, and questions about KU’s draft weapons policy, which will guide us when the law changes on July 1. Your varied responses have been an invaluable point of reference to help my team and I understand what you need to know and how we can prepare for the change in the weeks and months ahead.

I want you to know my goal is to do what we can to empower every member of our community with the information they need to feel safe and be safe. This change will create a new reality for our university. And as with other state-directed changes that influence our day-to-day lives, we will rally together, learn as much as we can, and support each other through the transition. Our community of Jayhawks has always been resilient and resourceful.  

The new KU Concealed Carry website is our next waypoint. The site contains information about applicable state laws, the KU policy, the Kansas Board of Regents policy, and provides resources that, I hope, offer reassuring perspective as well as helpful services.  The site strives to answer many of the questions you shared in the fall, such as Where will handguns be allowed?  What do I do when…?  What training is available?  and many others. We will update information and add to this site as necessary to ensure you and other members of the KU community and our guests and visitors are abreast of these new regulations and can make informed and responsible decisions.

I invite you to attend our first concealed carry information session from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, February 15, in 120 Budig Hall. The session will feature select campus experts who can share information and answer your questions about this statute-driven change. The session will be live-streamed and recorded to accommodate those who cannot be there in person. Additional details will be sent to you soon. I hope you will be able to join me at this important session. Until then please visit the website to learn more about resources, rights, and responsibilities pertaining to concealed carry.

We are one team. I wake up every day thankful for each of you and the important work we accomplish together at this exceptional institution. I value your contributions here and look forward to continuing this important conversation with each of you.

Sincerely,
Neeli

Neeli Bendapudi
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor