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As students at the University of Wisconsin, we deserve the basic right to protect ourselves from harm. Unfortunately, that right is being denied to us by an outdated and overreaching policy. According to the Wisconsin Administrative Code, UWS 18.10(3) prohibits any person from carrying, possessing, or using any “dangerous weapon” on university lands or in university buildings or facilities, unless for law enforcement purposes or with written approval from the chief administrative officer. This includes common, legally owned non-lethal self-defense tools such as pepper spray and stun guns, even though these are perfectly legal across Wisconsin and used daily by civilians for personal protection.
This blanket ban puts students, especially women and vulnerable individuals, in harm’s way. In a time where assaults, harassment, and violent encounters are not just abstract fears but very real dangers, our university has chosen bureaucratic control over basic student safety. According to the City of Madison Police Department, there were hundreds of reported assaults and batteries near campus in the last year alone, many taking place during evening hours when students walk to and from class or work. These incidents include attempted sexual assaults, muggings, and stalking — yet students remain disarmed and defenseless by policy.
We are not asking for firearms or dangerous projectiles. We are demanding the right to carry legal, non-lethal self-defense tools that can give students a critical few seconds to escape an attack and stay alive. Policies like UWS 18.10(3) create a false sense of safety by disarming the innocent while doing nothing to deter those with violent intentions.
Suppose a student in Madison, Milwaukee, or Eau Claire feels unsafe walking home at night. In that case, they can carry pepper spray or a taser on any public sidewalk — but the moment they step foot on their campus, that same life-saving tool becomes a policy violation. This contradiction is not only absurd — it’s dangerous.
We, the undersigned, demand that the University of Wisconsin System amend UWS 18.10(3) to explicitly allow the possession and use of pepper spray and compact stun guns for personal self-defense. These tools are legal under Wisconsin state law and should be permitted on campus without requiring written permission or facing administrative punishment.
Chancellor John Chenoweth, we call on you directly: stop disarming your students. End the ban on non-lethal self-defense. Let us defend ourselves.