I'm attending Saint Mary's College of Maryland next year: what sense does this make?

Matriculate · Jun 4, 2001

Next year I will be attending Saint Mary's College of Maryland. Being the responsible knife nut I am, I decided to look up policies on possessing and carrying knives on campus. The only problem is that I have found two contradictory policies:

From: http://www.smcm.edu/iwebroot/college/stulife/handbook/28%5Fpublicsafety.htm
Weapons

Firearms, knives of any kind, explosives, dangerous chemicals, or other illegal weapons are strictly prohibited on College premises.

Bummer! This line says no knives of any kind!
But what sense does that make? No butter knives? No kitchen knives? Those are available in the cafeteria. No swiss army knives?
SMCM has the number one sailing team in the nation. I'm sure that a fair number of them carry knives: I've rarely met a sailor that didn't. There are plenty of valid uses for knives on campus.
Another weird part of this line is that it says "other illegal weapons." This implies that the knives that they refer to are illegal weapons. Knives are not illegal weapons in MD. What's going on?

From: http://www.smcm.edu/stulife/stuaffrs/stuhandbook/policies.htm
Prohibited Items

These items are prohibited in the residence halls and townhouses. This list is not all-inclusive. The Office of Residence Life reserves the right to prohibit items and practices which may not appear on the list but which are deemed hazardous and/or unsanitary.

- Firearms and/or weapons of any kindincluding guns, bows and arrows, and knives with a blade of 3" or longer.

This makes more sense and although 3" is small, I can live with it. I would go by this standard but the first quote I have makes me nervous.
I would contact someone at the college but I don't want to sound like some freaky kid asking about what knives I can bring.

My friends are telling me not to worry about it and just carry what I want. This doesn't sound like a good idea to me, especially considering what just happened to solid_solier.

I certainly don't want to be kicked out of college for a knife so what advice can you offer me?

Thanks in advance.

medusaoblongata · Jun 5, 2001

Check your state and local laws first. It could be that knives <3" are ok in the dorms but not on (the rest of) campus? If I were you, I'd carry a 3" knife (or two

) and keep it concealed. If no one knows you have it you can't get in trouble. When I lived in the dorms at SFSU I carried a knife that was against school rules and state law, basically because I didn't know what the rules were, and no one knew. Now I only carry knives that couldn't get me in trouble, but no one knows that either.

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Jason aka medusaoblongata
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"Is not giving a need? Is not receiving mercy?" - Thus Spoke Zarathustra
"Cutting his throat is only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about." - Lazarus Long
"Knowledge is not made for understanding; it is made for cutting." - Michel Foucault

Matriculate · Jun 5, 2001

Originally posted by medusaoblongata:
Check your state and local laws first.

Article 27, Sec 36 (MD's weapons law) has no apparent length restriction on knives. It just says I can carry an "ordinary pen knife without switch blade."

It could be that knives <3" are ok in the dorms but not on (the rest of) campus?

But it says in the one quote no knives of any kind on "college premises." This includes dorms.

I do plan on discreet carry, there's no doubt about that, but I still want to cover my bases in case I have to deal with some kind of hassle.

RH · Jun 5, 2001

I think the biggest lesson in soldier's story is - be very careful who sees or knows about your hobby.

He wasn't "caught" - he was ratted out.

If you want something at the 3" mark for SD (Delica, Voyager, whatever) then keep it for ONLY that purpose, and keep it hidden ALWAYS. Do not use a sheath or pocket clip. Do not leave it lying about in your dorm room, or be seen handling it. For mundane tasks, get a SAK Classic or Tinker. (every college student needs a bottle opener, eh

)

Disclaimer: I do not drink myself, and do not advocate drinking, but it's a great justification for carrying a tool in your pocket.

[This message has been edited by RH (edited 06-05-2001).]

Rick1955 · Jun 6, 2001

Even though you might not want to do it, I strongly suggest that you get the school stand on this in writing, preferably signed by some official of the school. Sounds weird maybe but if you tell them about the conflicting policies, as a paying student, you are entited to a clarification.

If they refuse to give you an answer, or are vague, I would be VERY careful. Make sure that you at least comply FULLY with actual laws.

Originally posted by Matriculate:
Next year I will be attending Saint Mary's College of Maryland. Being the responsible knife nut I am, I decided to look up policies on possessing and carrying knives on campus. The only problem is that I have found two contradictory policies:

This makes more sense and although 3" is small, I can live with it. I would go by this standard but the first quote I have makes me nervous.
I would contact someone at the college but I don't want to sound like some freaky kid asking about what knives I can bring.

My friends are telling me not to worry about it and just carry what I want. This doesn't sound like a good idea to me, especially considering what just happened to solid_solier.

I certainly don't want to be kicked out of college for a knife so what advice can you offer me?

Thanks in advance.

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Your survival knife is the knife you have on you when a survival situation arises.

JamesA · Jun 30, 2001

Hey, Matriculate.

I'm also attending SMCM next year, and I also noticed the inconsistency -- I doublechecked with the administration when I was visiting, and I was told that three inches is fine.

Restricting ALL knives is ridiculous -- how in the world would I put cream cheese on my bagels?

Matriculate · Jun 30, 2001

That's great news, James: thanks for the info!

Cool to see that another BFC member will be on campus. We'll definitely have to hang out!

So what's going to be your college carry piece(s)?

JamesA · Jul 1, 2001

Most likely a spyderco Calypso Ltwt Jr and a Spyderco D'Holder Toad. Perhaps varying with a Dyad Jr Ltwt, a Cricket, a Centofante Jr, and a G-10 Harpy.

Assuming, of course, I don't end up buying something -else-. Still looking for something with better blade steel than VG-10 which is short enough. I'm transferring from a school that had a 4 inch limit, which gave me a good excuse to buy a handful of Spyders...