The faculty senate approved the Student Government Association’s smoking policy, after Robert Gerlich, S.J. voted in favor, breaking the tie.
“I voted in favor because I support SGA’s right to set a policy,” Gerlich said.
But, the controversy now lies in how University Police will enforce the policy.
“They’re being asked to enforce a policy that has not come from the board and has not come from the administration; therefore, I don’t think that they think that it has much weight,” Gerlich said.
The senate agreed that SGA has to work within the parameters of the university to make sure that a measure like this one can be enforced.
SGA President Cade Cypriano said the smoking policy is still in a formative process and is scheduled to be in effect starting Nov. 20. The policy consists of a number of designated smoking areas in different regions of the campus, Cypriano said.
According to Cypriano, the enforcement of this policy is the area of greatest concern. The Rev. Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., university president, has met with his cabinet and gathered information from students to find an effective way to enforce it. From here, the policy is taken to University Police where they discuss how the policy will be enforced.
On Oct. 29, Cypriano met with the faculty senate executive committee and discussed how UP will enforce the policy with the faculty. “The representatives of the faculty senate guaranteed a level of consensus for voluntary compliance with the policy,” Cypriano said. Enforcement by police, however, hasn’t been determined yet.
Sanctions or violations haven’t been determined yet for UP or Residential Life to apply to the students. Director of University Police Patrick Bailey and Wildes plan to meet in the future to determine UP and Residential Life’s level of involvement. Once this has been determined, the policy will go into effect.
Cullen Smith, philosophy freshman, doesn’t agree with the new policy. Smith is a smoker and states that he understands the policy but doesn’t agree that smokers should be fined for smoking in non-designated smoking areas.
“I get it, and if someone would tell me to move, then I would. I think smokers should do what they can to not bother people,” Smith said.
He wasn’t aware that University Police and Residential Life would be fining students who violate this policy.
“I think that fining students is a little over the top, but will make students to follow the policy, though,” Smith said. He then added that he believes the policy is pointless.
Melanie Ziems, political science sophomore, was not aware of the smoking policy. She believes that this policy shouldn’t be implemented and doesn’t agree that University Police and Residential Life should be allowed to fine students who violate this policy. “It’s ridiculous to fine them because they have the legal right to smoke if they are 18,” Ziems said.
Eduardo Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected].
