An apparent spike in shootings at schools has been the focus on national attention, but few if any have had to deal with what Texas Southern University has faced: three shootings in the space of one week, according to the Associated Press.
Benjamin Wermund, higher education reporter for the Houston Chronicle, says a shooting last Friday morning led to the death of an 18-year-old freshman and sent another student to the hospital.
“Since then, TSU has put down some new security measures, including an 11 p.m. curfew at dorms and they’re adding patrol shifts to try to do 24-hour security,” he says.
According to Wermund, TSU President John Rudley opposes the campus carry legislation taking effect in fall 2016.
“He also pointed out that at TSU, a lot of the freshmen, as he put it, are coming from communities where having guns is a way of life,” Wermund says.
In addition to contracting an outside company to add around-the-clock security, Wermund says the university is planning to reinforce mandatory sign-in and sign-out policies in campus housing, authorize random room checks in dorms, and review the campus surveillance system.
