The problem at this point is no one knows what a campus public safety officer does. PSU already has officers performing the role of a police agency. The language in the current law gives officers the same arrest authority as a peace officer to include stop and frisk. In the State of Oregon peace officers are only required to arrest on a Domestic Violence, Warrants, and Restraining or Stalking Orders. They are required to enforce all laws but those 4 are the only ones requiring an arrest.
Peace officers have certain protections while making arrests and enforcing laws.
Doing this will not guarantee officers will carry firearms, but the opportunity is there. However there were 17,000 students who did not vote. So is the poll accurate, no. Currently PSU and OIT are the only universities that would be effected by this change because they are the only ones that have commissioned their officers. If UO and OSU chose to move forward then that would be millions of dollars that could be saved.