Smoking on San Diego State campus could face stricter regulationsin the future.
The Environmental and Safety Committee is proposing changes to theuniversity’s current smoking policy.
Barbara Hemmingsen, chair of the committee, said it’s recommendingno smoking within 20 feet of buildings and other areas. Othersuggestions include prohibiting the sale of tobacco products oncampus and prohibiting vendors or event sponsors from handing outfree tobacco product samples or advertising such products anywhere oncampus.
She said the University Senate isn’t considering the proposedchanges yet because it hasn’t accepted the committee’srecommendations.
The current smoking policy prohibits smoking inside buildings andstate-owned vehicles. It doesn’t allow smoking within 15 feet ofbuildings, doors, windows, balconies, overhangs, stairwells and airintake vents.
Hemmingsen said the committee is proposing the changes because itreceived complaints from people who are exposed to secondhand smokedrifting into their offices or when they walk to class.
Thestate legislature also passed a bill in August mandating smoking beprohibited within 20 feet of buildings on state-owned property,including California State Universities. This will be effective Jan.1, 2004.
“We have to bring our policy in line with the assembly bill,”Hemmingsen said.
She also said a survey at San Diego State conducted in April of2002 found 66 percent of the more than 1,300 faculty, staff andstudents who answered favored a ban on campus tobacco sales.
R.D. Williams, director of communication and campus relations forAztec Shops, said the stores would abide by any ban on tobacco saleson campus. However, he doesn’t know if that will lead to a smokingreduction on campus because there are many nearby locations wherecigarettes can be purchased. He said it would probably shift a lot ofthose sales to the 7-11 store on College Avenue.
He said Aztec Shops sells cigarettes only at the five Aztec MarketConvenience stores on campus. Gross sales in 2002-03 totaled$132,000. Aztec Shops has seen a downward trend in cigarette salesover the past three years and expects it to be even lower this year.Cigarettes are the only tobacco products Aztec Shops sells on campus.
Williams said profits from the sale of all Aztec Shops products,including cigarettes, goes back to the university.
“As our sales go down it does affect our ability to return moneyto the university,” he said.
Aztec Shops doesn’t advertise or promote tobacco sales in any ofits convenience stores. Williams said they make cigarettes availableto customers over 18 years old as a service and have for many years.
The Senate Executive Committee has to approve the proposal beforeit goes to the University Senate. Hemmingsen said the Environmentaland Safety Committee will take the executive committee’s advice,rework the proposal and bring it forward again. The next executivecommittee meeting is Nov. 21.
She said Public Safety would not enforce the changes if they wereimplemented.
John Carpenter, director of Public Safety, said officers don’tenforce the university’s smoking policy because it’s not a legalissue. They can’t write citations or arrest any violators of apolicy. He said they don’t have any involvement with the policyunless a dispute over smoking erupts, but that’s a separate issue.
Hemmingsen said signs indicating no smoking within 20 feet couldbe put up. The main enforcement would simply be asking for people’scooperation.
She said one would hope these changes, if implemented, mightresult in a decrease in smoking on campus. The university is anintellectual environment founded on reason and rationality, sosmoking materials shouldn’t be sold here, she said.
“The committee feels very strongly about this and that’s why wekeep putting it into the resolution,” she said.
While no changes have been made and the proposal is beingreworked, some still ponder the impact the policy alterations mighthave on the university.
Undeclared freshman Matt D’Amore said a change in the policywouldn’t affect him much. As a smoker, he said he doesn’t buy tobaccoproducts on campus and doesn’t notice any advertisements. He said hejust buys cigarettes at the 7-11 instead.
Williams said enforcing smoking policies around public buildingsis challenging, and a campus is no different than anywhere else.
“If the goal is to have a non-smoking campus, that’s going to bevery difficult to make happen,” Williams said.
D’Amore said while a change in the policy might not be fair forsmokers like himself, he agrees it’s good for non-smokers.
“It’s fair to non-smokers because they don’t like to walk intothis stuff,” D’Amore said blowing smoke into the air.
