SMOKING: CLASS PROPOSES BAN FOR GROCERY STORES

A class at Southeast Missouri State University wants the Cape Girardeau City Council to ban smoking in grocery stores.

Students in Practical and Professional Written Communication will present their proposed ordinance to the council Monday.

Michael Hogan, who teaches the class, explained that students have worked all semester to develop a report supporting their proposal.

"Ultimately the purpose of this project is to ask the City Council to facilitate the health and welfare of its citizens," Hogan said.

Students also learned about research and writing business reports during this "real life" project.

Heather Finkelston, a student in the class, said: "Because of health and environmental hazards, smoking in grocery stores should be prohibited."

In her report, she wrote: "This report will help you as City Council members to facilitate a need expressed by Cape Girardeau's citizens, the promotion of non-polluted air in grocery stores."

Before preparing their report, students surveyed 253 people in Cape Girardeau; 82 percent said they supported a city ordinance prohibiting smoking in Cape Girardeau grocery stores, and 58 percent of those surveyed said they were bothered by smoke in grocery stores.

Finkelston said the survey results validate their project.

"It says Cape is really behind our proposal," she said. "I believe non-smokers are definitely in the majority now. That's why there is so much hype about no smoking."

Students also learned that Columbia has a very strict no-smoking ordinance, which includes banning smoking in grocery stores.

The Missouri Coalition for Smoking and Health, which includes 13 agencies, has published a handbook outlining steps toward passage of a non-smoking ordinance.

"These validate our project and our approaching the City Council," said Hogan.

Frank Schaffer, who will serve as class spokesman in the presentation to the council, said: "There is really nothing new in this report. We are just bringing attention to the issues. We would like to see clean air in the places we must go.

"We're not trying to eliminate anyone's rights. We just want clean air in public places."

He said grocery stores were targeted for the project because almost everyone must go to a grocery store.

"It's not a luxury," he said.

Schaffer, who is a smoker, said he personally supports the proposal. "I believe the carcinogens get on the fresh food."

While students would like to see action Monday night, they said realistically that probably will not happen.

Steve Menard said: "I think it might some day. But I think the whole community will have to get behind it."

Menard said some stores have no-smoking policies. "But they are not always enforced," he said. He thought bringing attention to the issue might encourage enforcement efforts.

Jayme Kolwyck said that organizations and associations have been very helpful in assisting with the students' project. "They have given a lot of help."

The American Lung Association, for example, wrote a letter of support to be included with the report to the council.

Hogan said the students started the project at the beginning of the semester with a report about the problems, followed by reports on the feasibility of their proposal. The project concludes with the written report and oral presentation Monday.