SGA passes smoking cessation resolution bill

The Student Government Association (SGA) discussed the Monument Quilt Project, a national art installation aimed at raising awareness about sexual assault, as well as the passage of the smoking cessation bill. They also addressed academic freedom and crime reporting during their weekly meeting on Tuesday.

Behavior Health Specialist Alyse Campbell of the Health and Wellness Center asked SGA to contribute funding to the Monument Quilt, which will be displayed on campus next Wednesday. The Quilt is a collection of stories from survivors of rape, sexual assault and abuse. People can contribute to the quilt by stitching, writing or painting their story on red fabric.

Campbell said she was excited to announce that the event has grown since the quilt first came to Hopkins in 2015.

“One of the things that I’m doing for October, which happens to be intimate partner violence month, is I’m bringing the Monument Quilt back to campus,” she said. “We’re bringing it back, and it’s a lot bigger than last time.”

She asked SGA for funding for materials that she can provide to people who want to contribute to the quilt.

Sophomore Class Senator Anthony Boutros brought up a bill to contribute $200 to the monument quilt.

“If there are Hopkins students who would like to share their stories or even allies working on their own, that $200 goes to buying materials,” he said.

A smoking cessation resolution bill, which helps the University prepare for a full smoking ban, passed 16-4. The bill will provide resources like nicotine patches and a smoking phone hotline to offer counseling to students during the transition to a smoke-free Hopkins.

Executive Secretary Rushabh Doshi explained the next steps for the bill.

“[Deputy to the Vice Provost for Student Affairs] Erin Yun is coming next week to talk more about the smoking ban and also talk about the resources included,” he said. “Everything in the resolution has been approved by the administration.”

Several senators asked questions about the aims of the smoking cessation bill and the location of the anti-smoking resources. Doshi admitted that those details had not yet been finalized.

SGA then discussed setting up a special council on academic freedom to promote the administration’s civic discourse and academic freedom initiatives this year.

Boutros suggested implementing a quota to increase the number of people currently on the Civic Engagement Committee, which he says is having trouble managing its workload.

Junior Class President Ash Panakam was opposed to setting quotas.

“There are pressing issues every committee has and it is up to us how to space that out,” she said.

Boutros responded that he would be open to a compromise.

After he recently saw a Hopkins student getting robbed, Senior Class Senator Kwame Alston criticized how both Hop Cops and Campus Safety and Security resopnded. He said that they did a poor job of dealing with the psychological trauma crime victims face.

“It was painful to watch. No action was really made for 30 to 40 minutes. They sat there and kept asking the girl questions,” he said.

Alston was also concerned about the vague suspect descriptions included in Crime Report emails that are sent to students a few hours after a crime has occurred.

He argued that they were not helpful in finding suspects and could encourage racial profiling.

“There is no point in sending out a broad range of ‘18-26 year old black male.’ What is that doing for you? That’s not doing anything, that’s like inciting racial fear,” he said. “I can promise you that black men are not the only people committing crime in the patrol area.”

SGA members said they would discuss Alston’s concerns with Student Services or send it to the Health and Safety Committee.