The Associated Students of CSU is moving forward in opposition to a bill making its way through the state legislature — House Bill 1226 — which would ban carrying concealed weapons on public campuses.
The ASCSU Senate was expected to have an emergency vote Wednesday night to determine whether ASCSU Director of Governmental Affairs Lindon Belshe or Vice President Joe Eden — or both — will testify before the Colorado Senate in opposition to the bill.
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At time of press, the vote had not yet taken place.
House Bill 1226 would also prohibit carrying concealed weapons at sports venues or on property owned by the campus.
Addressing the senate, Belshe discussed the results of a student voice survey ASCSU conducted over a period of two days on the Lory Student Center Plaza last week.
The survey asked students a series of questions on whether or not they support banning concealed weapons on campus. Out of the 579 students who responded, 79 percent said they opposed any ban of concealed weapons on campus.
Currently, concealed weapons are allowed on the CSU campus.
Belshe acknowledged the survey was not random, and those who responded likely had strong emotions regarding the issue, but overall felt it accurately reflected student opinion.
He said because of student opposition to the ban, ASCSU supports concealed carry with proper licensing and in accordance with state law.
“The other thing it does is it encourages CSU administration to engage in a discussion with students and consider the student position,” Belshe said.
If the resolution passes in the ASCSU Senate, Belshe said ASCSU would address the state legislature within the next two weeks.
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“This bill is moving through the legislature pretty rapidly so we need to act on it,” he added.
Also at Senate Wednesday night, RamRide director Chelsey Green updated ASCSU on initiatives underway within the program. Currently, an internal review is underway by CSU General Counsel, and an external review by a professional consultant from CU-Boulder’s safe ride program will be assessing the program March 28.
“I’m planning on having her see every aspect of RamRide, from nightly operations to contracts to procedures,” Green said.
Two weeks after that, the consultant will return to CSU and address the RamRide Advisory Board to offer suggestions on how RamRide can improve operations.
In light of recent events involving a RamRide volunteer who got a DUI, and an incident where a RamRide driver and navigator switched spots, Green said the organization is working to ensure safety protocols are in place to prevent future infractions.
“We’re figuring out how to shape and change RamRide so we’re not a liability to the university,” Green said.
Senior Reporter Austin Briggs can be reached at news@collegian.com.
