Another Win! How This Student Convinced His College President to Take a Public Stance Against Guns

By Rex Leonowicz, DoSomething.org Writing Intern

Storm Hurwitz has always been a change-maker at The New School. As the former Co-Chair of the University Student Senate, he advocated for students’ concerns and pushed for improvements to student life. Now, he is making a change of both campus-wide and nationwide concern. Storm singlehandedly convinced his college president to take a public stand against guns at The New School.

The 22-year-old senior is majoring in Global Studies, with a minor in Journalism and Design. He also is a Global Attitudes Research Assistant at DoSomething.org, where he’s been closely following the Guns Out campaign, which has mobilized over 48,000 students across the US to tell their colleges that the only guns they want on campus are the ones they can flex. Students use social media to encourage their president to sign the official letter against concealed carry on campus.

Storm isn’t just a student; he’s also a volunteer Crisis Counselor with Crisis Text Line, a free, 24/7 text-message hotline for those in need. He knows firsthand how young people, especially in college, face stressful life crises and big workloads every day.

“At these moments, the last thing I want is for individuals to have a gun,” he said.

Because New York state prohibits all firearms on college campuses, The New School already has an anti-gun policy. Still, this March alone, at least 16 bills have been discussed by state legislatures around the country about whether or not to allow concealed carry handguns on college campuses. In light of this, it makes a strong national statement when specific schools sign onto the coalition and take a public stance against guns.

Through the Guns Out campaign, Storm used social media to reach his peers as well as The New School president, David Van Zandt. He mentioned Van Zandt in a Twitter and Facebook post with a photo of himself with #GunsOut written on his biceps, prompting Van Zandt to sign the letter against any legislation that would force them to allow guns on campus.

“This gained some traction among my peers, especially after the Social Media Manager at The New School responded to my post and said ‘you should reach out to [David Van Zandt],’” Storm said.

While serving as Co-Chair for the University Student Senate, Storm had the privilege to work with Van Zandt concerning student issues during the 2014–2015 academic year.

As a follow-up, Storm sent an e-mail directly to Van Zandt explaining the significance of the Guns Out campaign and why The New School should take a public stand against concealed carry. After a few days, Van Zandt replied, saying he and his support team would look over the campaign and the letter. Days later, he signed it.

Storm’s huge victory is an inspiration to college students everywhere to make bold moves and trust in the power of student voices.

“This experience was incredible and a testament to recognizing the importance of my ‘place’ in relation to the change I want to see in the world,” Storm said.

“Sometimes it takes a nudge from a tweet to challenge you to boldly email people in places of power and ask for their public involvement and support,” he said.

Why #GunsOut?

This year, guns will surpass car accidents as the leading cause of death among young people. Though young people are disproportionately affected by gun violence, most feel silenced on the issue. In fact, 85 percent of our members at DoSomething.org have said their voices aren’t being heard in the gun violence prevention debate.

DoSomething.org created the Guns Out campaign to change that. When it comes to guns on college campuses in the United States, concealed carry is prohibited at most schools. However, as DoSomething.org CEO Aria Finger notes in a recent Huffington Post article, “bills have been introduced in at least 37 states that would allow guns on college campuses.”

Read the story of how another DoSomething.org member win a huge victory in keeping her campus safer from gun violence.

Help keep your school safe. Sign up for the Guns Out campaign, and encourage your college to take a stand against guns on campus.

Rex Leonowicz is a Writing Intern at DoSomething.org. He’s a trans/nonbinary/femme writer, poet, and visual/performing artist from Queens, NY. Find him online at rexylafemme.tumblr.com and @rexylafemme on Twitter & Instagram.