by Logan Meriwether, Student Reporter
Is pepper spray a necessary and legal item to have on Northwestern’s campuses?
The Northwestern student handbook doesn’t say anything about pepper spray being an illegal item to have – as long as it is only being used for self-defense.
Calleb Mosburg, Northwestern’s dean of student affairs, read the policy for weapons on campus. According to the handbook, the university bans “the possession or firing of firearms, fireworks, explosives or weapons or imitations of weapons including but not limited to bows, knives, or guns … on campus in any student residence, sorority, fraternity, approved private housing or university-operated facility. … NWOSU will enforce this policy with administrative action being taken or criminal charges filed for any person(s) who violates this policy.”
“Guns, knives or anything that imitates a weapon – we are going to be very cautious about that and confiscate any item like that and remove it from campus,” Mosburg said.
Mosburg said he knows some students carry pepper spray, though no Northwestern student has ever used it on campus for any reason other than self-defense.
“Traditionally, that’s not something we look for,” Mosburg said. “If someone is using it as a weapon, then we will make sure it is taken care of.”
Mosburg said he encourages students to carry it if it makes them feel safe.
“We want people to feel safe on campus,” he said. “If carrying your pepper spray while you walk across campus alone at night makes you feel safe, we want you to have it. We don’t want students having it and using it as a weapon. Then, no one could carry it on campus because it would be deemed a weapon.”
Matt Adair, assistant dean of student affairs, said that students who find weapons in dorms should report them to resident assistants. In an emergency, the student should immediately call the police.
The campus police may be reached via phone by calling 580-327-8511. The Alva Police Department may be reached via phone by calling 911.
When it comes to pepper spray in the dorms, Adair said students would not get in trouble for having it if it is tucked away in a purse or bag. However, students may not offensively use it as a weapon to hurt others, and they may not set it off in the dorms as a prank.
Kyle Hair, police chief on the university’s Alva campus, said pepper spray is allowed on campus unless it is being used as a weapon. In the instance of any weapon being used on campus, police officers will respond to the situation in the ways they have been trained, Hair said.
If a student calls the police and reports a gun in someone’s truck, officers will check out the situation, determine who owns the vehicle, and find out why the person has it on campus. In a more serious situation, they will call in other police officers and handle the situation in a way that is going to keep everyone safe, he said.