I enjoyed the previous letters concerning guns on campus. I found Paul Kalisz’s letter in the Kernel on Jan. 18 suggesting that faculty be required to take weapons training and then carry a gun to class to be especially provocative.

Despite the obvious bother of carrying yet one more thing from classroom to classroom, I did perceive some significant advantages. First, I suspect my students would be much more attentive in class, and there is no doubt that they would argue less about test questions. Second, when the majority begins to doze, there is nothing like a gunshot-induced rush of adrenaline to energize a class (I’d have the first cartridge be a blank). And with a few concise statements in the syllabus detailing the penalty for wrongdoing, I suspect that classroom interruptions like cell phones, late arrivals and early departures could be solved permanently! On those occasions when a room is double-booked, a faculty duel is a simple, speedy solution.

Although a handgun would be sufficient for many of my classes, it may be prudent to include additional training with assault weapons for those faculty involved in large introductory classes. When a mob mentality takes over, faculty must be prepared!

Dexter Speck

Physiology professor