A Plague of Gun Violence on College Campuses

stop-50b6c0291bf4eThe year 2015 has seen a large number of incidents of gun violence on college campuses nationwide. Ten people died after a gunman opened fire on the campus of Umpqua Community College in Oregon in early October.

Unfortunately, many of our nation’s historically Black colleges and universities have also been subjected to shooting incidents on or near their campuses this year.

  • A man was killed at a street block party near the campus of North Carolina A&T State University, where 300 to 400 people, many of them students, had gathered. Neither the victim nor the alleged shooter were students.
  • Three students were shot at a university-sanctioned cookout at Delaware State University. Early the next morning, shots were fired at a university housing complex.
  • A male student was shot at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. The student was shot while sitting in a car on campus.
  • Three students were shot at Tennessee State University as a result of a dispute during a dice game. One person died in the incident.
  • A male student at Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama, was shot and killed at an off-campus housing complex that is owned by the university.
  • A sophomore at North Carolina Central University was shot after an argument on campus.
  • One student was killed and another wounded at a housing complex at Texas Southern University in Houston.

Gun violence is widespread and certainly is not restricted to Black college campuses. But a perception that HBCU campuses are not safe may put pressure on enrollments. And increasing enrollments is very important to the financial stability of many HBCUs.

John M. Rudley, president of Texas Southern University in Houston recently convened group of law enforcement officials to look at procedures, personnel and protocol when dealing with crime and crime prevention on and near campus. “I want to send a message to the community that this is not a one day story,” President Rudley emphasized. “We will deal with this issue of protecting our students, faculty and staff 365 days a year.”

Dr. Rudley and the law enforcement leaders said five initiatives and recommendations that were presented in the task force meeting will be implemented immediately. They are:

* Build stronger relationships and partnerships with area federal, state, and other local law enforcement agencies
* Enhance visibility on campus by utilizing alternative mobility units (bicycle officers, etc.)
* Conduct community forums with students and hold specific training sessions with them
* Apply for grants to supplement the police operations
* Utilize technology as a force-multiplier (cell phone apps, etc.)

Update: On November 1, one student was shot dead and another student was wounded in an incident on the campus of Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

University at Buffalo Acquires Archival Collection From Historic Black Church

Founded in 1861, St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Buffalo, New York, is one of the country's oldest Black Episcopal congregations. Recently, the University at Buffalo has acquired a collection of materials documenting the church's history and impact on the Black community in Buffalo.

In Memoriam: Clifton Wharton, Jr., 1926-2024

Dr. Wharton was the first Black president of Michigan State University, the first Black chancellor of the State University of New York, and the first Black CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

Huge Surge in American Students Studying Abroad in Sub-Saharan Africa

According to the latest Open Doors report from the Institute on International Education, there were 9,163 Americans studying in sub-Saharan Africa in the 2022-23 academic year, up 98.6 percent from the previous year. Nearly 39 percent of these students attended universities in the Republic of South Africa.

Featured Jobs