University of Texas dean quits over a law that lets students carry concealed guns

Frederick "Fritz" Steiner, a dean at the University of Texas, announced he's leaving his position, largely because public colleges and universities in Texas will have to allow concealed weapons on campus under a new state law, Fox News reported.

Steiner, dean of the Texas School of Architecture, explained that he's not anti-gun but said he doesn't believe they should be allowed on college campuses.

"I grew up hunting," he told Fox. "My father was a Marine and a policeman. I'm not a stranger to firearms in any way. I grew up believing there was an appropriate place for guns and it was not in a place of higher education and higher learning."

Steiner is leaving Texas for a position as dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design.

Texas colleges are beginning to grapple with the ramifications the decision may have on students and faculty.

Earlier in February, Gregory L. Fenves, the president of the University of Texas, acknowledged the burden the law places on students and faculty.

"I do not believe handguns belong on a university campus, so this decision has been the greatest challenge of my presidency to date," he wrote in a letter posted online.

"I empathize with the many faculty members, staffers, students and parents of students who signed petitions, sent emails and letters, and organized to ban guns from campus and especially classrooms, " he continued.

At The University of Houston (UH), faculty members also appear to be concerned with the new law.

UH Faculty Senate held a meeting to address some of their concerns and offered somewhat troubling solutions to fears that classrooms may become violent, Gawker reported on Tuesday.

A Ph.D student at UH tweeted a slide from a meeting that addressed concealed carry laws on campus. The slide advises students and faculty to "be careful discussing sensitive topics and "not 'go there' if you sense anger."

"This is not a slide of the Campus Carry Workgroup at the University of Houston, and it is not official policy," a spokesperson for UH told Business Insider. The spokesperson confirmed that the slide was written by the UH Faculty Senate.

UH is the third-largest university in Texas. It has about 43,000 students. "The faculty, staff continue to express serious concerns. Some have said they will leave the university," University of Houston System Chancellor Renu Khator told the Houston Chronicle.