Manuel Veloria
The Pierce College Academic Senate discussed the possibility of more stringent restrictions for on-campus smoking during an Oct. 22 meeting in the College Services Conference Room.The Academic Senate is proposing a new regulation that would either strictly enforce smokers on campus or a citation.”Smokers aren’t complying with the signs,” said Diane Levine, secretary of the Academic Senate and professor of anthropology. “I always see smokers not smoking at the designated areas on campus. I always have to tell them that this area is smoke-free,” she said to the members of the senate.The senate is considering two new solutions to the increasing problem of smokers disregarding designated smoking areas. One possible course of action discussed is to instruct campus sheriff’s personnel to warn those seen smoking in smoke-free parts of campus to return to a designated smoking area. Another possibility is issuing citations for these violations.Beth Benne, director of the Student Health Center, suggested another approach.”If we courteously approach smokers on campus (and ask them) to comply, there might be some improvements,” Benne said.”Colleges such as College of the Canyons only allow smokers to smoke outside the campus. They can only smoke in parking lots, and not inside the vicinity of the campus,” Benne said, explaining how opting to ban smoking on campus could bring an end to the problem.Tessa Moss, president of the Associated Students Organization, said something should be done about the issue, and that the ASO is trying to get students involved.”We did a cleanup on campus once, and you’d be amazed how many cigarette butts we collected,” Moss said.”I always see smokers pay no attention to the signs, and I always tell them that this isn’t a smoking area,” as Levine diligently gave the senate a reason why smoking should be prohibited inside campus. “…it’s distressing those who don’t smoke.”Seeing that the smoking in campus is a major problem, the senate all meticulously agreed that the smoking in campus should be enforced and making Pierce College smoke-free. “This should be enforced,” as Levine eagerly pushed this proposition to senate.
As the minutes go by with members of the senate head of one at a time, Senate President Tom Rosdahl presided that the issue will be further discussed on next meeting and senate will vote on whether the new rule of smoking should be in effect at Pierce.