Smoking sections on Ball State’s campus will be extinguished if a university task force has its way.
A proposed ban of on-campus tobacco use will now make its way to President Jo Ann Gora following a meeting Tuesday night.
The proposed ban would eliminate every smoking section on campus and prohibit smokeless tobacco products and in-car smoking as well.
It would go into effect in the Fall Semester, but changes could come as soon as Spring Semester.
Student Government Association Secretary Brittany Weaver and SGA At-large Chair Alyssa France presented the plan after an introduction by Kay Bales, vice president of Student Affairs.
“We’ve had a lot of students ask ‘Why now?’” Bales said. “Like any other university, we like to review our policies.”
The current policy allows students to smoke in designated sections on campus and in their cars, provided the windows are rolled up.
Since the current policy was instituted in March 2008, Bales said the university has issued more than 200 citations. Most have come from residence hall directors and university police officers.
Bales said only one citation, carrying a $50 fine, has been issued to a visitor.
“And that was really because they were belligerent.”
Alan Hargrave, associate vice president for Student Affairs and director of Housing and Residence Life said he doesn’t think the fine is high enough as it is.
“It should be $100,” he said. “More of the problems I have to listen to are those stupid smoking areas. I’m not calling the smokers stupid.
“I’m just really sick of the smoking areas.”
When it came to a full ban, Hargrave was in support.
“I think it will be easier to enforce when it’s the whole campus.”
Questions from both the attendees and the presenters fueled the embers of discussion.
When asked about how the university will enforce the new policy on smokeless tobacco, Weaver and France were unsure what to say.
“That’s exactly our question to you. We haven’t already 100 percent decided how this should be enforced. We’re wanting to know what’s effective.”
Senior social work major Angelina Zulas doubted the ability to enforce it at all.
“You cannot search everyone’s mouth and see if they have tobacco in there,” she said.
One attendee asked what exactly is considered campus, citing the public streets that run through campus.
“It depends on where you are,” Bales said.
France then said that the smoking policy put in place by Delaware County in 2011 would prevent smoking even on public streets.
“Technically you’re within a public place and so that policy would still be in effect,” France said. “That would be my assumption.”
The regulation proposed by Tobacco Free Delaware County and accepted by county commissioners in 2011, though, states that the “reasonable space” rule only applies to areas around enclosed spaces.
“Smoking is prohibited within a reasonable distance outside an enclosed area where smoking is prohibited,” the ban states.
The ordinance banned smoking within 12 feet of buildings, according to a Daily News report. In that case, smoking on a public street would be allowed.
The most debated of the night, though, came when the presenters discussed a plan to eliminate the smoking sections in phases, rather than in one fell swoop.
“It should be a smoking campus or a non-smoking campus,” said Zach Hartley, Interfraternity Council president. “Otherwise, it’s going to be confusing.”
University Senate Chairman Dave Pearson favored “cutting the cord.”
“I think we should shut them all down,” Pearson said.
He also supported the elimination of smoking in cars.
“If we don’t implement a ban on smoking in cars, our ban won’t have any teeth,” he said.
Zulas said one voice was notably absent from the meeting: that of the smokers.
“They were missing a whole aspect,” she said. “By not really talking with smokers and getting their input, suggestions and ideas about how to make Ball State a healthier campus. You know, clearing the air.”
France said the opinions defending smokers was brought up in an SGA meeting by senators.
“SGA spoke 100 percent on the part of the minority,” she explained. “The senators are representing them, don’t you worry.
“But that’s just the point. The smokers on this campus are the minority.”
Beyond the student leaders previously consulted, few students have been informed of the change and fewer have had input.
“I don’t feel like they really got the full perspective, how they feel and their situation,” Zulas said. “That should be their next step, not trying to enforce.”
Zulas, a former SGA senator, was invited as current president of Student Voluntary Services. She stressed that her opinions did not represent her organization, though.
“They just started talking about this to SGA, and I know a lot of the SGA was really thrown back, smokers and non-smokers.”
In regards to a referendum, as executed before the last change to the smoking policy, Bales said she thought it was not necessary.
“Last time, 67 percent of students voted in favor of a full ban,” Bales said. “We think this is the most effective approach. We view this as an amendment to the previous policy.”
The voices from SGA, Residence Hall Association and Tuesday’s leadership roundtable are enough for the task force. But Zulas said she’s not sure.
“An open forum should be their next step,” she said.
The map below shows where smoking sections are currently located on campus:
View Smoking sections at Ball State in a larger map
