Southeast regents to vote on tobacco-free policy for campus

The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents will vote today on a proposal that would bar faculty, staff, students and visitors from smoking or using any tobacco product or smoking devices campuswide.

The regents meeting will start at 9 a.m. in the board room in Academic Hall.

Under the policy recommended by the university administration, smoking and the use of tobacco products would be allowed only at designated smoking areas outside the Show Me Center and the River Campus arts center during public events and performances.

If approved, the new policy would take effect at the start of the fall 2017 semester, according to a university document.

Kathy Mangels, vice president for finance and administration, said in the report to the board delaying implementation of the tobacco ban until the fall would allow time for the school to educate the campus community about the new policy.

Southeast’s fitness and wellness program in recreation services and the human-resources department will collaborate to offer smoking-cessation programs for students, faculty and staff, according to Mangels.

The university has restricted tobacco use since August 2008, school officials said.

That policy prohibited smoking indoors and outdoors on university property, except in designated areas. Currently, there are 28 designated areas, according to the university’s website.

That policy also prohibits smoking in university vehicles and the use of smokeless tobacco inside all university buildings other than student residence halls.

The policy was updated in September 2013 to incorporate other products that produce nicotine, such as electronic cigarettes.

The university convened a task force at that time to consider making the school entirely tobacco-free, but no consensus was reached, according to the board-meeting document.

“Student perceptions of smoking have changed in the last four years,” Mangels said in the report.

Since 2013, the number of students using tobacco products has declined steadily, according to the Missouri College Health Behavior Survey administered annually by the Missouri Partners in Prevention statewide coalition of colleges and universities.

“Over 70 percent of Southeast students completing the survey each year since 2014 indicated they would support having a completely smoke-free campus,” Mangels said in the report.

According to a health-behavior survey of 608 Southeast students last year, 72 percent favored making the university smoke-free.

As of early January, more than 1,700 college and university campuses nationwide were smoke-free, with 1,468 being 100 percent tobacco-free, according the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights organization website.

Southeast student Jasmine Massey welcomed the tobacco-free proposal.

“I hate cigarettes,” she said Thursday while chatting with friends at the University Center.

Under university policy, students may be reported to the office of student conduct for repeated violations. Faculty and staff violations may be reported to Southeast’s human-resources department.

Students, faculty and staff could face disciplinary action, according to the policy.

But student Kelly McCormick said she believes regardless of the policy, “people are going to smoke.”

She added she doesn’t believe university faculty members who smoke will abide by the policy.

McCormick said she believes it would be “rude” for the university to enforce such a smoking ban.

Student Kendel Battles said the university should “crack down on everybody” when it comes to use of tobacco. But he said he is unsure of how the school would enforce such a policy.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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