Crafted out of cigarette boxes, the letters I-M-P-U-R-E dangle from a bulletin board in the Art and Journalism Building, forming a statement with which the members of a Ball State University Business Fellows group can agree.
Lax enforcement of the current university smoking policy and health concerns have led the group, including faculty members Jeff Clark and his wife, Susan, along with nine students, to work to make Ball State a smoke-free campus.
According to the Ball State Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, smoking is prohibited in buildings containing classrooms, offices and other work areas as well as within 30 feet of any building entrance, air intake or operable window.
Clark, a professor of physiology and health science, said he did not think moving from smoke-free buildings to smoke-free grounds was a large leap.
"It's not gong to happen in a day or two," he said. "The people have to address and understand the issues and seriously consider it."
Junior Jenny Shea, a member of the Business Fellows group, said the current policy is a compromise that doesn't work.
"I don't think it's being enforced well enough at all because it's an inherently bad policy," she said.
The 30-foot policy doesn't address secondhand smoke well enough, she said. Clark said secondhand smoke contributes to significant health problems and loss of life.
"I think it becomes more and more difficult for state institutions of higher education to continue to enable behaviors that are detrimental to our students, faculty and staff health," he said.
Clark said a report released in Spring 2006 involving the American College Health Association and Ball State Health Services asked students whether they had used cigarettes in the past 30 days.
Almost 68 percent said they had never used cigarettes and 5 percent said they used cigarettes everyday, Clark said.
About 25 campuses in the U.S. have already gone smoke-free, including IUPUI, he said.
Ball Memorial Hospital has also gone smoke-free, Clark said, and now its smokers walk over to Ball State's campus to smoke, leaving their cigarette butts on campus grounds.
Although the Business Fellows group is ready to present a sample policy, it would have to go through a process to get approved, and President Jo Ann Gora and the Board of Trustees would make the final decision.
Clark and Shea said the administration is open to the smoke-free campus idea. Clark said he talked to Gora about going smoke-free and she encouraged the group. He also said he spoke with members of Ball State's Office of Admissions who thought a smoke-free campus would be a positive change to help attract new students.
Communities across the country are moving toward the smoke-free idea, Clark said.
Ball State should be one of the first to implement this policy instead of waiting and being one of the last, Clark said.
"This is a chance for Ball State to step forward to be a leader," Clark said.
ENFORCEMENT
No matter whether the policy is a 30-foot rule or no smoking at all, the question of how to enforce a smoking policy lingers.
Enforcement of the current 30-foot policy falls to "persons who head individual units, departments, buildings, student housing units and other public facilities and venues," the code states.
Alan Hargrave, director of Housing and Residence Life and one of these enforcers, said compliance with the smoking policy is a matter of courtesy.
"I don't stand out there watching, but when I see something I ask," he said, "and I think that's how most of our staff has approached it."
Kevin Kenyon, associate vice president of Facilities Planning and Management, said the policy has no centralized enforcement.
"I only have my own observations, and I'm sure there are violations here or there," Kenyon said, "but generally I think it's being followed pretty well."
David Fried, director of Student Rights and Community Standards, said he thought most people dealt with the policy in an informal manner. According to university officials, people simply ask smokers to move away from the building, and they comply.
"I typically don't have to walk through clouds of smoke to get into a building," Hargrave said.
Fried said if someone breaks the policy, it is up to individuals to complain about it.
"If someone feels there is lax enforcement of the smoking policy, then the thing to do would be to report to someone who is in charge of that particular building," Fried said.
Clark said the amount of enforcement is limited, which is the main problem. The specific designation of 30 feet is not well defined around buildings, which makes it more difficult for individuals to confront smokers about the distance.
"I think the current policy is a good first step," Clark said. "It has moved us forward. I think there are some limitations to the policy."
Clark said the group went around campus and picked up about a gallon and a half of cigarette butts on the ground within 30 feet of the building.
"I think that's a good indication people are not doing their smoking beyond the 30-foot boundary," he said.
The University Police Department also plays a role in enforcement because, according to the Indiana Code, a person who smokes in a university building, vehicle or other area where smoking is prohibited can be subject to a fine of up to $1,000.
Gene Burton, director of public safety, said the smoking policy is difficult to enforce because the campus is so wide with many buildings.
"Enforcement without self-compliance is difficult, so that's what makes the policy work now," Burton said.
UPD received two calls on smoking policy violations in 2005, and none in 2006, Burton said. No fines have ever been given out for violating a smoking policy, he said.
When a call comes in regarding smoking violations, the officers go, and if they find a problem, Burton said they would handle the situation in whatever manner they thought was appropriate.
If an officer saw a person violating the policy while on duty, Burton said the officer would be expected to stop and take enforcement action. No officers have ever called in a smoking violation, Burton said, because he suspects they also handle the situation in an informal manner without involving dispatch.
If Ball State became a smoke-free campus, Burton said UPD would have to create a new enforcement strategy.
"I think there are some questions that need to be answered that would require some university-wide dialogue," he said.
The university would need to discuss how to handle crowd-gathering events and whether campus would have designated smoking areas.
"Those are questions the university community needs to address before they put a policy in place," Burton said.
Clark and Shea said they did not know how a smoke-free campus would be enforced.
The university body that makes the final decision about whether to adopt a smoke-free policy would have to do research on enforcement issues, Clark said. Mostly, however, he thought it would be self-policed like the current policy.
"People on campus need to step up and say this is the standard we expect on this campus," he said.
PUNISHMENTS
If a student is caught breaking the smoking policy, they could be referred to Fried, director of Student Rights and Community Standards, who would determine what penalty the student would face. For a first-time offender he said a letter of reprimand would likely be the penalty.
The university does not fine students, faculty, staff or visitors for breaking the smoking policy, Fried said.
However, the Indiana Code states that people cannot smoke in a university building, vehicle or other restricted areas, and if people break this law, they are subject to a fine of up to $1,000.
In order for someone violating Ball State's policy to receive this fine, a university official would have to cite the person to the university police department, Fried said.
Fried is in charge of student disciplinary actions at Ball State and said he has never received any complaints about students violating this policy.
"Never in the five years I've been here, I've never had anyone come forward with a violation about the smoking policy," Fried said. "I think honestly that people are being courteous to each other."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
