Will guns on campus drive out high-demand faculty?

In the wake of the Senate passage of campus carry Friday, a Georgia Tech professor wonders: Why does the legislation forbid guns in dorms yet allow them in classrooms, including hers?

In an essay on MyAJC.com, Ellen W. Zegura, a professor of computer science, writes: “The professor is vulnerable, by virtue of location in the room, the activities of teaching and the role assigning grades. More guns do not make for a better classroom learning environment. More guns mean more potential for violence. How could that be good for learning, the core mission of the university?”

Approved now by the House and Senate, House Bill 859 now goes to the Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature. The legislation allows anyone 21 or older with a weapons license to carry a gun anywhere on a public college or university campus, except for inside dormitories, fraternities and sorority houses, and at athletic events. The bill requires weapons be concealed.

To read why Zegura believes this law could cause more professors to leave the classroom for the private sector, especially those in such high-demand fields as computer science, go to the AJC Get Schooled blog.