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No smoking is permitted near buildings
Written by: Dan Merica
The Student Government Association (SGA) unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that effectively harmonizes smoking policies at Bentley, clarifying the rule that states no smoking can occur within 25 feet of campus buildings.
While the bill does not require administrators to take the actions suggested, in this case, many of the recommendations suggested in the bill are already being worked on.
The bill simply enforces the 25 feet rule and posts signs at entrances, aligning with the Massachusetts state law prohibiting smoking within 25 feet of any public facility. The bill also reconciled the difference between the Bentley University Student Handbook and the Human Resources policies that apply to staff and faculty.
“I’m really proud of the work on this project this year because it addresses a concern among students that we know arises every year,” said President of SGA, Puja Shah.
Chris Hayes, Vice President of Student Affairs, lead the project group that looked into the discrepancies of policies. In order to sequester student input, SGA put a survey out to the Bentley community regarding their feelings in smoking on campus.
“Nearly 70 percent of the respondents to the survey that we sent out in the fall agreed or strongly agree that people smoking right outside buildings irritated them,” said Hayes. He went on to say that 77 percent of students also believed that smoking should be prohibited 25 feet from on-campus buildings.
“This information gave us the confirmation that this is an issue that bothers people and needed addressing,” concluded Hayes.
Prior to the passage of this bill, Hayes and the SGA Senators on the Smoking Policy project group worked with facilities to move ash trays away from buildings and put ash trays in areas that a great deal of smoking occurs. Though this bill is meant to change smoking habits, Hayes was specific in pointing out that this bill is “not meant to tell people they can’t smoke on campus.”
A number of students who spoke with The Vanguard welcomed the bill passage; however, many of them questioned the effectiveness of enforcement.
“I get nervous every time I see Campus Police, expecting them to say ‘You can’t be here,’ but they never do,” said senior Miriam Friedman, “and as police offices, I think it is their job to say something.”
Senior Jon Michaud, who admitted that he is a smoker, said that the reason he smokes near buildings is out of habit.
“You can compare my smoking habit to drinking coffee,” said Michaud. “Some people in the morning get up, get a coffee and walk up to class, throwing their cup away outside a building. I smoke on the way up and just finish my cigarette outside a building.”
Both Friedman and Michaud agreed that the policy is necessary and it needs to be how enforced, however, they both do not feel that students should be written up by Campus Police for smoking within 25 feet of campus buildings. “This should not be something that people are ticketed for,” said Friedman.
Even Director of Public Safety and Chief of University Police Ernest Leffler stated at the March 31 SGA meeting that he did not desire to see Campus Police in full enforcement of the smoking policy.
In order to help ensure this policy is followed, SGA is working with University Police and Facilities to put no smoking signs at a number of entrances and exits of buildings. In addition, SGA plans to continue efforts in educating the Bentley community regarding the policy.
“This is a project that SGA will continue to work on through next year. We will be communicating the policy to all members of our campus at the beginning of each semester to remind them of the guidelines and to ask for their cooperation,” concluded Shah.
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