Daily Egyptian and student groups need to review Tabacco Policy more in-depth

Dear Editor:

In recent news stories and one editorial, the Daily Egyptian has taken note of the proposals to change the University's policies related to the use and sale of tobacco products on campus. Specifically the chancellor has accepted the recommendations from our committee that there should be a ban on smoking in the residence facilities on campus and a ban on sale of tobacco products (especially cigarettes) at the Student Center beginning with the fall semester of 2004. In addition, we recommended that there be a "no smoking" zone established for at least 25 feet around the entrances to campus buildings, and the chancellor accepted that recommendation. SIUC has been a "smoke free" campus since the late 1980's with respect to smoking inside university facilities. The ban we recommended is in addition to those prohibitions currently in force against smoking inside University buildings. Rules to implement this ban will be worked out over the rest of this academic year and will be announced before they are put into place.

The editorial in the Daily Egyptian and the tone of the front page news articles, with the possible exception of one article on page three by Bethany Krajelis, and the large color pictures which accompanied them on the front page depicting young women smoking outside University buildings, were particularly negative toward these policy changes.

Then your editorial came out foursquare against them. In addition, we have learned from the Daily Egyptian that the Undergraduate Student Government organization and the Graduate and Professional Student Organization are considering a vote against these bans. Your reasoning in the editorial seemed to be that the policy changes were ill-considered, abrogated the rights of smokers and perhaps would cost all students a fee increase at the Student Center. Unfortunately, neither the reporter assigned to the story nor the Daily Egyptian editorial board seemed to have done much homework trying to learn more about the policy proposals, their history nor their rationale. With the exception of one brief interview with our committee chair, the major reporting technique utilized seemed to be interviewing people who were standing outside buildings smoking and those standing and talking with them. The negative evaluations of those found in that highly biased sample were inevitable and largely predictable.

If the Daily Egyptian staff had done more thorough research, you would have found some of the following facts:

(1) Our committee is a part of a large three-year grant funded by the Illinois Department of Public Health originally obtained by the Public Policy Institute under the leadership of Mike Lawrence. The project has included dozens of faculty, students and staff from virtually all the colleges on campus. Most prominent in this large group of participants have been students, staff and faculty from radio and television, journalism, public relations, dental hygiene, psychology, radiology, Student Health Programs, Student Housing, the Center for Rural Health and Health Education.

(2) All of these people worked together as a team and produced a public campaign called the Live Free project, which was very active over the past two academic years. Among other efforts, the Live Free Project sponsored "Clean Air," a smoke free night held last spring at a local bar (Carboz) and a multi-faceted publicity campaign featured earlier in the Daily Egyptian. We also have a website, www.tolivefree.com. The point of all this larger campaign is to help educate young people, and especially young women, about the health risks associated with smoking and to encourage them to not start.

(3) Students were deeply involved in every stage of designing the major publicity campaign and executing it. Students were also involved in the decision to recommend that the residence facilities go smoke free in the fall of 2004. In the spring term of 2003, the Student Residence Hall Association debated that decision and voted overwhelmingly to support it. In the spring semester of 2003 there was also a large group of student volunteers who worked as advocates for the Live Free Project. The point is that this recommendation to change University policy did not suddenly materialize out of nowhere, and it was a part of a much larger program and a well-publicized effort, which has been underway for more than two years now.

(4) The dangers of smoking to one's health are real and are well documented. The fact is that young people are learning to smoke, partially from experiences they have after they arrive on university campuses. Young college-age women are especially vulnerable and are taking up the habit at an escalating rate. That was why the Illinois Department of Public Health funded the study and the Live Free program originally. The externalities of second-hand smoke breathed by non-smokers, some of whom have serious allergic reactions, the unsightly nature of the debris left by smokers and the cost of cleaning up the mess are borne by all of the University community, not just those who smoke. The University has chosen, wisely we believe, to aid the objectives of this program by trying to discourage smoking in or near University buildings. We hope the Daily Egyptian and the student groups involved would take a second look at your opposition to this enlightened move made by the chancellor.

Sincerely,

Members of the Tobacco Policy Committee

John Jackson, Chair of the Committee Visiting Professor Political Science and Public Policy Institute, phone: 453-3106

Brian Chapman, Assistant to the Chancellor Office of the Chancellor

Martha Cropper, Field Representative Center for Rural Health and Social Services Development

Maggie Flanagan, Researcher College of Agriculture

Tess Heiple, Director Center for Rural Health and Social Services Development

Miram Link-Mullison, Administrator Jackson County Health Department

Andy Morgan, Program Coordinator University Housing

Ruth Pommier, Clerk, Director's Office University Housing

Cheryl Presley, Director Student Health Programs

Paul Restivo, Director Center for Environmental Health and Safety

Paul Sarvela, Acting Dean College of Applied Sciences and Arts

Carmen Suarez, Assistant Dean School of Law

Elaine Vitello, former Dean College of Applied Sciences and Arts and Director Live Free Project

Copyright 2009 - Daily Egyptian