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The presidents of Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island are seeking to allow police on their respective campuses to carry firearms, reviving a long-debated issue in the months since the December mass shooting at Brown University.
The Council on Postsecondary Education is expected to vote on the proposal at its 5:30 p.m. meeting tonight.
“After careful review of our campus survey results and extensive consultation with colleagues in higher education, law enforcement, and emergency management, I have concluded that arming campus police at Rhode Island College is the right and responsible course of action at this time,” RIC President Jack Warner wrote in an e-mail to students, faculty, and staff on Monday.
“This is not a decision I arrive at lightly, nor is it one I view as a singular solution to campus safety,” CCRI President Rosemary A. Costigan wrote in a similar message on Monday. “Arming our officers must be accompanied by clear policies, rigorous training, strong oversight, and continued investment in prevention, mental health resources, and community-based approaches to safety.”
The bigger picture: A 2013 law allowed the state’s public colleges to arm their officers, but only the University of Rhode Island has chosen to do so. Brown University, which is private, also allows police to carry firearms.
David Caprio, the chairman of the Council on Postsecondary Education, declined to comment on Tuesday, but it would be surprising to see the council vote against the wishes of the college presidents.
While the December shooting at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others is the backdrop for the discussion, both Warner and Costigan said their decisions came after campus-wide surveys. Warner said 57.6 percent of respondents were somewhat or strongly supportive of arming police at RIC.
In her message, Costigan said CCRI has experienced “two serious public safety incidents” in the past 13 months. While no one was harmed in those incidents, “they are part of a broader reality in which acts of gun violence have become more frequent and more proximate to our communities and have reinforced the sobering truth that no college or community is immune,” Costigan wrote.
🤔 So you think you're a Rhode Islander...
Can you name the Block Island man who won the Rhode Island Lottery and used part of the proceeds to create a college scholarship fund for students on the island?
(Answer at the bottom.)
Do you have the perfect question for Rhode Map readers? Don't forget to send the answer, too. Send me an email today.
The Globe in Rhode Island
⚓ Without specifically naming House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, former state Supreme Court Justice Robert Flanders writes that there "is nothing illegal or unsavory about appointing former or even sitting legislators to a judicial position." Read more.
⚓ “Our goal was to have one of the cheapest Newport weddings you’ve ever seen — while still making it look very nice.” Read more.
⚓ Rhode Island College received a $1 million gift – one of the largest in the school’s history – to bolster support aimed at helping students who are at risk of leaving its nursing program, the college announced on Monday. Read more.
⚓ A man who worked as a substitute teacher and lacrosse coach for the Silver Lake Regional schools in Massachusetts was found dead in Rhode Island on Tuesday amid an investigation into a “sexualized conversation” he had with an social media streamer posing as a 15-year-old girl. Read more.
⚓ The New England Revolution survived a scare from Rhode Island FC, who scored late in regulation and forced a 1-1 tie through extra time. Read more.
You can check out all of our coverage at Globe.com/RI
Also in the Globe
⚓ With the US Capitol Police investigating a significant jump in the number of concerning messages in 2025, the Globe asked the offices of more than two dozen House and Senate lawmakers from New England for examples of the threats they’ve received and of how they have disrupted the once staid routines of Congress. Read more.
⚓ With less than five months until their September primary, US Senator Ed Markey holds a double-digit lead over US Representative Seth Moulton among likely Democratic primary voters, many of whom said a candidate’s age matters little, if at all, in their decision, a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll found. Read more.
⚓ NFL reporter Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic less than a week after published photos of her and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at an Arizona resort prompted an internal investigation at The New York Times-owned sports outlet. Read more.
⚓ Rhode Map readers, if you want the birthday of a friend or family member to be recognized Friday, send me an email with their first and last name, and their age.
⚓ The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual legislative luncheon at noon at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
⚓ At 5:30 p.m., Providence Mayor Brett Smiley will unveil his proposed city budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
⚓ Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins will deliver his budget address at 5:30 p.m.
🏆 Pop quiz answer
Fred Benson won the lottery in 1977 at the age of 82.
RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST Ed Fitzpatrick talks to Salve Regina University professor William Leeman about the history of presidents accumulating the power to initiate wars. Listen to all of our podcasts here.
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