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Editorial:
MHCC lacks ability to enforce tobacco-free policy
MHCC’s move to become tobacco-free has generated much discussion, controversy, and scrutiny over the past two decades. First removed from classrooms in 1988, tobacco use at the college has been increasingly limited through district board action and administrative policy. In January 1993, The Advocate asked students whether they believed smoking should be banned on campus. Of those surveyed, only 21 percent preferred not to ban smoking.
Fast-forward 16 years and the college is on its way to becoming not only smoke-free, but tobacco-free. No chew, no snus, no cigars, no cloves, no cigarettes, nothing.
“It’s a tough issue,” said June Jacobs, the chair of the tobacco-free implementation committee at MHCC. “We want to be sensitive to people. We don’t want to change individual people. There will be board rules available to those who don’t know the rules and public safety will make sure those rules are in place.”
Currently, there are few signs on campus explaining that tobacco will be banned on campus as of Jan. 2, 2010. Other colleges, like PCC, that have gone tobacco-free have had signs up months in advance, warning students about the impending ban.
“We’ve been working hard to get up some signs,” said Jacobs. “We’ll have them up in the more prominent areas of the college so they’re visible. I hope people understand why this is happening.”
The Advocate understands the policies in place and doesn’t necessarily agree or disagree with the tobacco-free policy.
The question is enforcement. Most smokers Advocate reporters have spoken to said they will continue to smoke regardless. The rules in place dictate that nowhere on campus can a person use tobacco. They must leave the grounds entirely before lighting up or dipping, or whatever it is the student chooses to do. So the question remains: How will the college’s public safety staff possibly enforce such a wide-sweeping law, which includes a ban of smoking in a person’s own vehicle?
“OHSU, Clark (Community College), Pacific University – they’ve all been smoke-free and haven’t had issues,” said Jacobs. “I know for certain that Clark hasn’t issued a single warning or ticket. I’m inspired by Clark.”
Public safety doesn’t have the manpower to monitor the entire campus (Public safety declined to comment to Advocate reporters). Rumors have spread that faculty will be asked to enforce the ban, but Jacobs said that wasn’t true.
“We won’t require any faculty to do this,” said Jacobs. “A lot of faculty are comfortable with telling students not to smoke. Not necessarily confronting them about it, but doing it in a comfortable way – giving them some information on the rules of campus. No faculty has to do it, but if some want to, they can.”
As for students continuing to smoke, regardless of the ban, Jacobs said, “If anything happens to where the rules are being broken, public safety will issue warnings and tickets. But we won’t know until it happens. Wayne Feagle has written up procedures to his department about enforcement. I hope people will look at this in a positive way. There are people with health problems. It’s not easy. This has been discussed for years, and finally it is ready to happen.”
The Advocate reserves the right to not publish comments based on their appropriateness.