Campus carry: KU elected leaders wonder, would insurance pay if they were shot on campus?

Some University of Kansas Senate representatives have suggested that the body demand that KU provide employees and students with insurance that would pay for injury, long-term disability or death should they get shot on campus.

It’s possible that existing KU insurance already addresses workplace injury coverage including bullet wounds, but right now governance representatives aren’t sure. After discussions at Tuesday’s Faculty Senate Executive Committee and Thursday’s full University Senate meetings, the full Senate agreed to send the issue to a committee to figure out before making any formal recommendations.

Without knowing the status quo, the insurance question and proposal seem half-baked at this point (hence, the referral to committee). But the spirit is loud and clear.

As the calendar ticks down to campus carry — scheduled to become legal in four months — it’s another example of the types of fears, questions, discussions and suggestions university governance representatives are coming up with.

As covered last week in Heard on the Hill, governance also is talking about how much KU should be required to advertise concealed carry to the KU community and prospective students and employees. The full University Senate also talked about that on Thursday, and agreed that it, too, needs more review before a formal resolution goes to a vote. (Suggestions include everything from linking to concealedcarry.ku.edu from KU’s homepage to purchasing ads in The University Daily Kansan of a specific size, location and frequency.)

Faculty Senate representative Lynn Hancock, associate professor of molecular biosciences, said he’d just met with a prospective student and parent who, among other things, asked what was going on with the gun law. While the law could affect some students’ and employees’ decisions to come to KU, it did not seem to be a deal-breaker for this particular family.

“From their perspective they didn’t care,” Hancock said. “I think we have a lot of opinions that are going rampant, but I think the information needs to be available.”

In Faculty Senate, suggestions from faculty have even included considering unionizing to better lobby for employee safety and changing policies to allow faculty who want a weapons-free environment to conduct all their teaching and other duties remotely, at private or federal off-campus locations that prohibit guns.

For now, those too are just discussions. As far as formulating concerns into specific proposals and voting on them, Faculty Senate representative Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, professor of aerospace engineering, urged governance representatives to hurry.

“I think that given the sense of urgency we should move forward and press on,” he said. “I’m not sure that we should delay.”

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Like music? Not busy next weekend? Here are two events worth noting.

• Rock Chalk Revue: KU’s greek community is performing Rock Chalk Revue — musicals written, choreographed and staged by participating chapters — next weekend at the Lied Center. Show times are 7 p.m. March 2, 3 and 4. This year’s theme is “It Takes Two to Tango.” Tickets are $20 to $25 and can be purchased at lied.ku.edu.

The campus variety show dates to 1949, and organizers say it’s one of the largest student-run philanthropies in the United States. Last year’s show raised $60,000 for charity. Find more information at rockchalkrevue.org.

• Anniversary jazz concerts: The KU School of Music is presenting its 40th Annual KU Jazz Festival concerts at 7:30 p.m. March 3 and March 4 in Woodruff Auditorium at the Kansas Union. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $10 with a KU ID, and can be purchased at the KU SUA office or by calling 785-864-7469. Following the main stage concerts, check out the After Hours Jazz Sessions from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at The Oread, 1200 Oread Ave.

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• I’m the Journal-World’s KU and higher ed reporter. See all the newspaper’s KU coverage here. Reach me by email at sshepherd@ljworld.com, by phone at 832-7187, on Twitter @saramarieshep or via Facebook at Facebook.com/SaraShepherdNews.