University regents meet today to decide budget, health-care contract

Smokers would be restricted at Southeast Missouri State University next fall under a plan the board of regents will consider today.

If approved, students, faculty and staff would be limited to smoking at 24 outdoor locations on campus. They are already banned from smoking inside buildings.

"You won't be able to just sit at doorways" and smoke, university president Dr. Ken Dobbins said. "People will have to move."

Dr. Dennis Holt, vice president of administration and enrollment management, said designated areas will be marked with a "distinctive ash post." Holt said the university does not intend to issue tickets or fines to those not in compliance unless the person persists despite continual warnings.

"We had been dealing with numerous complaints outside of entrances to buildings where non-smokers felt their health was compromised by secondhand smoke," he said. "Another problem was just the messiness of it. We've had a lot of complaints just about litter."

Dobbins appointed a committee to study smoking policies last year. An October survey showed 84 percent of students and 78 percent of faculty and staff favored changing the current policy to limit smoking on campus.

Under the proposal, an area would be provided outside most dorm or building complexes, although none would be sheltered. The designated smoking areas would be outlined in a brochure distributed to students.

Besides the smoking restriction, the board of regents will also consider approving:

• The budget for fiscal year 2009 and auxiliary operating budgets. Total expenditures are an estimated $96.66 million. The budget includes a 3.25 percent raise for faculty and staff. It also includes funding for marketing and communication needs discussed during the university's strategic planning process, including $127,000 for admissions recruitment operations and nearly $85,000 for new university advancement positions.
• A contract with Southeast Missouri Hospital to deliver health-care services at the university's clinic. Currently the clinic is run by university personnel. Dobbins said the university has been losing about $80,000 a year on its clinic because, unlike a hospital, it "doesn't have the capability of billing insurance carriers."

Under the contract, students would pay a $10 minimum for each visit. In the past, students did not have to pay to see a nurse, although there was a charge to visit a nurse practitioner. Services would be expanded to include faculty and staff.

The university's current clinic staff would be given the opportunity to interview with the hospital for a job.

• The design of an autism center to be built adjacent to the old Washington School. The university already owns the property. Construction of the 11,000-square-foot facility is slated to begin this fall. The state has appropriated $2.6 million for the project.

The board will meet at 9:30 a.m. in Glenn Auditorium.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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