After passing a resolution calling for smoking cessation resources at Hopkins last week, the Student Government Association (SGA) debated on a campus-wide smoking ban at its weekly meeting this Tuesday. The meeting was followed by a public input session during which Hopkins community members offered feedback on a potential smoking ban.
Voting on the Smoking Ban Resolution was supposed to take place at the meeting, but has been pushed back indefinitely to give SGA more time to collect community input and relevant statistics. Input will be solicited from undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, faculty and contract workers.
Senior Class Senator Joshua Bertalotto said that even though SGA is focusing on marketing the resources for smoking cessation, the ban has become the focus of University discourse.
Executive Secretary Rushabh Doshi agreed, adding that this was one of the reasons SGA decided to delay voting on the ban.
“The ban is getting a lot more attention than smoking cessation resources,” Doshi said.
Deputy to the Vice Provost for Student Affairs Erin Yun and Human Resources Staff Member Meredith Stewart were present.
Yun explained that the idea of a smoke-free Hopkins was first brought up during fall 2012 to University President Ronald J. Daniels. During spring 2013, SGA worked with student groups at all University campuses and rolled out a survey to understand smoking demographics throughout Hopkins.
Yun discussed the divisive outcome of this survey.
“Students across the University were in favor of going smoke free, but it was not unanimous,” she said. “Homewood graduate students were not in favor of it.”
Yun said that the committee that was consequently created to further explore the issue spent over a year debating aspects of implementation, financial resources and enforcement.
“Designated smoking areas really seemed like the logical next step,” she added. “It’s a more pluralistic approach and preserves the ability of individuals to make their own decisions.”
She also discussed the challenges associated with creating and maintaining smoking areas. Because they cannot be located near doors or air vents, they would have to be in less frequented areas of campus, which she said could make smokers feel like “third-class citizens.”
She also believes a campus-wide ban would be easier to enforce.
Stewart emphasized the administration’s goal of prioritizing smoking cessation and making it a prominent on-campus presence available to students, faculty, staff and Hopkins affiliates.
Though the smoking cessation resolution has been passed, the University is still in the process of finding a vendor for cessation resources. Senior Class President Kwame Alston expressed concerns regarding funding.
“Rolling out smoking cessation programs University-wide and finding a vendor would obviously be a very costly endeavor,” he said.
Both Alston and Bertalotto questioned how the ban would be enforced, noting that many University offices are on N. Charles Street.
“How far would someone have to go to actually smoke a cigarette?” Alston said.
Sophomore Class Senator Olivia Cigarroa suggested that if a ban were to be implemented, breaks should be extended for employees to give them time to leave campus to smoke.
Senior Class Senators Tatiana Sorenson and Sarah Zappone advised against implementing monetary fines to enforce the ban, particularly for contract workers and graduate students with low disposable incomes.
Sophomore Class Senator Alex Walinskas feels that small measures like removing the ashtrays on the Brody Terrace have been effective in encouraging people to stop smoking in front of Brody.
Doshi noted that many of the security officers meant to enforce the ban also smoke, making enforcement an even greater challenge.
He explained future plans for the Smoking Ban Resolution in an email to The News-Letter,which include reaching out to Executive Director of Campus Safety and Security Lee James.
“I am going to set in motion a school-wide survey to gauge student interest in Smoke-Free Hopkins which will be sent out in next month’s school-wide emails,” Doshi wrote.
Any further decisions on the Smoking Ban Resolution will be put off until after SGA receives survey results.
During the public input session, senior Emeline Armitage asked SGA to reach out to the contract workers’ unions for input.
Senior John Hughes agreed with Armitage, adding that smoking areas could be designated without direct enforcement from the SGA.
“You could even incentivize walking [to smoking areas] by adding space heaters there,” Hughes said.
Another guest was Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion Moses Davis, who emphasized the importance of students engaging in other cultures and helping to further diversity at Hopkins.
Sorenson discussed ways in which SGA could provide the Hopkins community with free pads and tampons. Other topics discussed included fossil fuel divestment, the Monument Quilt Project and the OMA 25th Anniversary celebration.
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