University weapons policy forces fencing club from campus
Sterling Beard
Sterling BeardNews Editor@SterlingCBeard on May 13, 2014 at 9:42 AM EDT
•Despite having no pointed tips or sharp blades, NDSU classifies the club's equipment as weapons.
•The university doesn't permit the use of weapons on campus. As such, the club is currently practicing elsewhere.
Looks like the pen is still mightier than the sword.
The newly formed fencing club at North Dakota State University (NDSU) cannot practice on campus thanks to the university’s weapons policy.
"The current interpretation of the non-weapon policy in NDSU...understands our fencing equipment as weapons," Enrique Alvarez, the club’s coach, told Valley News Live.
The swords the club uses have no sharp points or blades. The tips are flat and spring-loaded. Still, the university deems them weapons; as such, possession or use of the swords is prohibited on university owned or controlled property.
Though the club may have been foiled in its desire to practice on campus, the group hasn’t retreated. Instead, it’s hosting practices at the Fargo-Morehead Fencing Club at Grace Lutheran School in Fargo, though attendance is a concern.
“We have only a small hand full who practice on a regular basis and we feel that's largely due to not being able to practice on campus,” club Vice President Jaime Jensen said.
http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=5611
