Q1
Law on Gun Possession on Campus
The Opponents’ Arguments
Some students strongly believe that they are safer when they have guns than when relying on campus security personnel to protect them. They believe it is their inherent right as private citizens to possess guns as enshrined in the second amendment. According to this amendment, the state law classifies students as private citizens and as such can possess a gun for their own security. Furthermore, the state law is superior to postsecondary institutions that enjoy autonomy from the state in making rules and regulations that ensure student safety and health. Most campus regulations outlaw gun possession within the institution without the written authority of the institution security department. This regulation conflicts with the state law. According to Kaplain and Lee (2013), the autonomy of postsecondary institutions does not override the state law. The government through its legislative arm has supervisory powers over the institution.
Limitation of the Opponents Arguments
However, many proponents of gun possession on campus fail to take into consideration the security of other students who are not able to acquire guns and their own security outside the institution premise. In the event of an attack outside campus environment, the law enforcement officers may mistake students who have guns as part of the criminal gang when caught up in a robbery environment.
My Position
Refutations
The proponents of gun possession argue that students are safer when they have guns as they are able to defend and protect themselves at all the time. However, this has not been the case. A report published by the journal of emergency medicine established that a person possessing a gun is 4.5 more likely to be shot during an assault (Walpole, 2009). Their argument based on the second amendment ride on the fact that the government has not been able to reclassify students something that will deny them the private citizen status which they cling on in possessing a gun while in Campus. Today, there are various state legislative initiatives that will aid in reclassifying students to prevent further campus shootings. The law will ensure students are not allowed to possess guns in schools and the university health and safety regulations will be fully enforced without conflicting with the state laws.
Q2
Designing Course Project
Most projects are presented for approval or for defensive purposes on a given topic. It is very important to bring everyone on board when presenting. The use of visual aid in the wake of the continued growth and development of multimedia literacy has enhanced communication and designing projects easier compared to the past. According to Lientz and Rea (2007), the use of visual elements in the 21st century enhances communication. It engages the audience in the presentation through visually providing additional information that reinforces some of the key issues presented.
Thomas and Hodges (2010) posit that the success of any project presentation is only determined by the level at which the presenter engages the audience. Sometimes the presenter may not be audible enough to get the attention of each member present, but when visual elements are used, many people find it more appealing and can easily follow the discussion at a distance. However, achieving the best presentation depends on the project designing where the presenter has to decide the kind of visual elements to include and cut off from the presentation.
In designing my project, I will use both graphs, charts and images. This is because they make the presentation more appealing to the audience and get their maximum attention when they are able to relate the visual elements with the accompanying voice explanation. Moreover, these visual aids help in reinforcing ideas as well as providing additional relevant information that the audience needs to know.
References
Lientz, B., & Rea, K. (2007). Project Management for the 21st Century. New York: Routledge
Thomas, D. R., & Hodges, I. (2010). Designing and managing your research project core skills for social and health research. London: SAGE.
Kaplain, W. A., & Lee, B. A. (2013). The Law of Higher Education (5th ed.). San francisco: Jossy-Baa.
Walpole, B. G. (2009). Gun control-a public health issue. Emergency Medicine, 8(4), 203-204
