ASUI takes stance on tobacco discussion
After several weeks of silence on the issue of a proposed tobacco ban on the University of Idaho campus, ASUI unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday supporting a smoke-free campus policy, instead of a tobacco-free policy.
After ASUI President Nate Fisher introduced the initial resolution last week which showed support of a smoke-free policy or designated smoking areas, ASUI senators amended the resolution on the floor Wednesday to only support the implementation of a smoke-free policy.
ASUI senators were asked to meet with their assigned living groups after the first draft of the bill was introduced to gather feedback from students. Senators were also asked to intermingle with students on campus to gain different perspectives on the issue.
ASUI has refrained from taking a definite stance on the proposed tobacco ban, a topic that has gained attention throughout the semester from many campus stakeholders including student organizations, staff, faculty and even UI President Chuck Staben — until now.
After resolution F14-03 passed Wednesday evening, ASUI released a statement addressing its action.
The statement reads “the ASUI Senate passed a resolution encouraging the university to move toward a smoke-free campus. ASUI had, until this point, remained neutral on the issue but has since found the need to address the matter in order to accurately reflect the student voice. This said, ASUI has, and will continue to, place higher importance on more pressing issues facing the student body.”
The resolution, written by Fisher and sponsored by ASUI Sen. Michael Ryan, initially stated ASUI recognizes student support for a change to the current campus smoking policy, while ASUI “remains ambivalent toward a tobacco-free campus.”
“ASUI has largely remained neutral, and that was intentional,” Fisher said. “We have and will maintain that there are issues that we are more interested in addressing. That said, I think it was time for us to take a stance once and for all.”
Although the senate has officially taken a stance, Fisher said the language of the resolution is not necessarily ideal, nor is it fully inclusive of the array of student perspectives. However, Fisher said he does believe it was a progressive and productive step for ASUI to take, and it is good to have a statement released that represents the majority of the student voice.
Students Trevor Ahrens and William Robinson, who are against changes in the smoking policy, voiced their concerns to the senate Wednesday evening before the vote took place.
“I would just like to point out that we are adults and are entitled to make our own choices,” Ahrens said. “Additionally, the only time I really see students actually talking to each other and socializing on campus is when they are smoking, and I personally have made friends through those encounters.”
Robinson said he also felt there were voices that weren’t being heard on this issue, particularly international students who smoke.
“I have literally dozens of friends from Brazil alone that smoke and it’s a part of their lives,” Robinson said. “They are really concerned about whether or not this smoking or tobacco ban would be passed and have talked about not coming back here if it is.”
ASUI determined the supportive majority of students through the feedback offered by on-campus living groups and surveys conducted on the issue from 2012 to 2014. ASUI states within the resolution that a survey administered by ASUI in the fall of 2012 involving 304 undergraduate students shows 67 to 77 percent of students support smoking in designated campus areas, while only 27 to 37 percent of students support a tobacco-free campus. The same survey shows that 41 to 49 percent of respondents support a smoking ban. Fisher said all of these percentages are given with 95 percent confidence.
During the open forum portion of Wednesday’s senate meeting, Director of Health and Wellness Nick Wren referenced an additional survey included in F14-03 that was also conducted during the fall of 2012.
Wren said a fact often overlooked in this debate is that this separate survey was approved by the UI Institutional Review Board and is therefore, scientifically valid. He said it is the only scientifically valid survey that has been conducted in relation to this issue. The survey was initially conducted by four students for a project within a movement sciences class, a student group that began the development of the UI Tobacco Task Force. This 2012 student group survey involved 985 students — 51 percent of whom favored a tobacco-free campus and 62 percent favored a smoke-free campus.
According to members of the task force, including faculty members Helen Brown and Patricia Hartzell, the the task force has looked at research from other universities concerning this issue for over a year and has concluded a tobacco-free policy would be best for the UI community.
Elicia Hunt, a current member of the student group involved in working towards a tobacco-free campus, also addressed the senate with student perspectives and a breakdown from facilities of the expected costs of implementing the various potential policy changes.
“Specifically our group is looking at the education of students on campus about the tobacco-free policy,” Hunt said. “Something that we’ve talked about as students concerning a tobacco-free campus versus a smoke-free campus is that a tobacco-free campus shows you’re concerned about the health and well-being of all students, not just the users of tobacco or the non-users of tobacco.”
Hunt said the cost of designated smoking areas would be much higher than a tobacco-free campus implementation, but it’s ultimately up to the president to make the decision of whether or not the campus will be tobacco-free or smoke-free.
Fisher said in the ASUI presidential communications Wednesday that while there may be added costs to designate smoking areas or other methods, he encourages senators to keep the student voice a priority, although he feels ASUI has taken their appropriate action with this resolution. Fisher said Staben’s final decision would be what brings ASUI back to this issue.
“Once he has made a decision, I think ASUI will play a very vital role in helping communicate and implement what the policy change will do,” Fisher said. “That’s what will bring us back to tobacco — serving and helping implement and helping students understand what happens with the final decision.”
Cara Pantone can be reached at [email protected]