Metro Atlanta campuses will not withhold admission to students in gun protests

Two metro Atlanta campuses say they will not withhold admission to high school students who are disciplined for peacefully protesting for changes in the nation’s gun policies.

Agnes Scott College and Emory University are on a list of dozens of colleges and universities that have joined the #NeverAgain Colleges list created in the wake of this month’s shooting that killed 17 people at a Florida high school. Many students from that Florida high school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, are organizing a mass demonstration next month to demand changes in federal policies that they hope will stop such violence in public schools. Students nationwide have staged walkouts to demand changes from Congress.

An Agnes Scott spokeswoman referred a media inquiry about the list to comments the college’s president, Elizabeth Kiss, wrote on Twitter Sunday:

"Future Scotties, our mission @agnesscott is to educate women to think deeply, live honorably & engage the intellectual and social challenges of their time. We support your right to protest peacefully and doing so will not impact your admission to Agnes Scott or your scholarship."

Emory posted a similar statement online:

"Here in the Office of Admission, we respect the action of students who engage in peaceful protest, particularly on an issue like gun violence. Emory will not rescind the offer of admission to students because they engage in peaceful protest, nor will such protest action negatively affect future admission decision making for students involved."

Both institutions are located in DeKalb County.

MYAJC.COM: REAL JOURNALISM. REAL LOCAL IMPACT.

The AJC's Eric Stirgus keeps you updated on the latest happenings in higher education affecting metro Atlanta and Georgia. You'll find more on myAJC.com, including these stories:

Never miss a minute of what's happening in state and local education. Subscribe to myAJC.com.