Senate to vote on smoking resolution
Elizabeth Koch
Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: News
Flanagan said she thinks the Senate is in favor of the resolution because she hasn't heard many complaints. She said the resolution probably will pass in its current state because a vast majority of voting senators made very mild forms of recommendations, and they're not asking for anything extreme. Flanagan did not say whether she supported the resolution because she is concerned that it does not reflect student opinion. Flanagan is doubtful the resolution would affect potential Truman students.
"Kids are going to smoke if they want to smoke somehow, at least that's what I believe," she said. "It's kind of like sex. I mean kids are going to do those sorts of things - you're just not going to stop them."
If the resolution were passed, research into designated smoking areas would begin. But the responsibility of the resolution would then leave the Senate - they are only advocating it. If the resolution does not get passed, it cannot be brought up again until the next legislative session.
John Gardner, interim director of Residence Life, said the Residence Life policy states that if a student is smoking closer than 10 feet from a residence hall, the incident is documented and sent through the Residence Life conduct system.
"One of the concerns with that is that we have ashtrays that are attached to the top of trash cans and are cemented into the ground that are about 10 feet away from the buildings," Gardner said.
Smoke flowing into a student's window is another serious offense - because of the danger of secondhand smoke - that the policy prevents, he said.
Students smoking in residence halls are not a huge problem, and the number of students beginning to smoke has decreased, Gardner said. There also are few conduct cases concerning students smoking too close to the residence halls because overall the students who do smoke are respectful of other people, he said.
Residence Life and Student Senate have had several discussions about smoking on campus. One suggestion that has ended up in the resolution is to allow students to smoke 20 feet away from all buildings, but that did not seem promising.
"Kids are going to smoke if they want to smoke somehow, at least that's what I believe," she said. "It's kind of like sex. I mean kids are going to do those sorts of things - you're just not going to stop them."
If the resolution were passed, research into designated smoking areas would begin. But the responsibility of the resolution would then leave the Senate - they are only advocating it. If the resolution does not get passed, it cannot be brought up again until the next legislative session.
John Gardner, interim director of Residence Life, said the Residence Life policy states that if a student is smoking closer than 10 feet from a residence hall, the incident is documented and sent through the Residence Life conduct system.
"One of the concerns with that is that we have ashtrays that are attached to the top of trash cans and are cemented into the ground that are about 10 feet away from the buildings," Gardner said.
Smoke flowing into a student's window is another serious offense - because of the danger of secondhand smoke - that the policy prevents, he said.
Students smoking in residence halls are not a huge problem, and the number of students beginning to smoke has decreased, Gardner said. There also are few conduct cases concerning students smoking too close to the residence halls because overall the students who do smoke are respectful of other people, he said.
Residence Life and Student Senate have had several discussions about smoking on campus. One suggestion that has ended up in the resolution is to allow students to smoke 20 feet away from all buildings, but that did not seem promising.
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