The Work Environment Committee (WEC) proposed a tightening up Pierce College’s non-smoking policy by designating parking lots 1 and 7 the as the only smoking areas, according to the minutes from their Feb. meeting.
This tentative update would replace the “curb-to-curb” policy that made Pierce’s campus smoke-free in Feb. 2010, according to a Pierce College News Alert release.
The new policy would carve away most of the 20 designated smoking areas, leaving two specific spots for smokers: the public parking area of lot 1 and the area nearest Victory Blvd. in parking lot 7.
Joseph Perret, professor of computer applications and office technologies, summarized the potential update’s effects.
“It basically bans smoking anywhere within the core of the campus,” said Perret. “I’d like to even see it banned from parking lots, just to make it clearer to students that they can’t smoke.”
Pierce would also post signs that would label areas that were once designated smoking areas that would no longer be so.
“They put up little sawhorses with temporary signs, but there are no signs all over to indicate that there’s no smoking on campus,” Perret said. “We need signage on campus.”
Margarita Pillado, chair of the WEC, played a key role in outlining the possible policy update.
Pillardo said the WEC wants to make this change in policy to help provide a campus environment that is healthy, clean and safe.
“This is a cultural change,” Pillado said. “Not just some policy for the school. We are taking steps to make our campus a cleaner, healthier environment.”
Because the policy is in compliance with city law, the LA City Attorney’s Office has the right to issue an absolute ban on smoking on campus if it is violated.
As of now, no citations have been issued, according to Perret.
Only the campus’ sheriffs can issue citations and fines if violations are broken, but ultimately it is up for the Pierce community to spread the word about the policy in order for it to properly be enforced.
“If we can be good citizens and inform the community about the policy, we can make a change” Pillado said.
Perret expressed his support of the new policy, saying he is “100 percent” behind it.
“There’s no reason to smoke in an educational environment,” Perret said. “We’re smart people, we shouldn’t smoke. If we do, then we need to figure out how to stop.”
For more information about the cigarette policy change, visit faculty.piercecollege.edu/wec.