West Virginia University has assembled a team of students, faculty, staff and administrators to serve on a task force examining the campus smoking policy.
Chair C.B. Wilson, associate provost for academic personnel is currently working to schedule the task force’s first meeting.
Though specific issues to be discussed have not yet been fully planned, and input from the members is still needed, Wilson said the task force will examine smoking rights on campus.
"I think the underlying purpose relates to the health of individuals of the University," Wilson said, adding that the task force will develop a group position and research all aspects of the smoking policy on campus.
Student representatives on the task force include Jon Bond, Student Government Association Student Health Chair; Abby Sobonya, SGA governor; and Dave Slusarick, graduate student.
"I hope to bring a student perspective with a lot of information on what our peer institutions have done while also hopefully seeing what’s worked at the hospital and what’s not," Bond said.
Bond said he has already spoken with several officials who work with tobacco policies across campus and hopes to speak with other institutions as well.
Updating the current policy, which was established in 1990, is a goal Bond has for the task force.
Sobonya has been lobbying to implement a state-wide smoking ban at all hospitals and health sciences campuses. She has been studying the shortcomings of the Pennsylvania state-wide smoking ban.
"It didn’t work out. It was due to, if you don’t have a way to stop, how can you stop cold turkey," Sobonya said.
As far as a campus-wide smoking ban, Sobonya said a ban isn’t going to work and hopes the task force will examine all options, such as offering treatments to quit or creating smoking hubs.
"I think (smoking hubs) would be the first step to a smoking ban," Sobonya said.
"A (smoking ban) is hard to do because you do have 30 percent who smoke here."
Sobonya hopes the new smoking policy will become a positive attribute of WVU.
"I hope to accomplish a healthy University and have a good light shed on WVU," Sobonya said.
Slusarick said he hopes to be an objective and fair listener on the task force.
"Being a (resident assistant) in the resident halls and being involved in many organizations, I get to hear a lot of opinions, so hopefully I can represent them," Slusarick said.
After finals, Slusarick said he hopes to study the history of the West Virginia smoking policy to see where the state has stood on the issue in the past.
Establishing consistency in enforcement, designed smoking areas or a ban, as well as satisfying the interests of both health an comfort on campus are Slusarick’s goals.
"I think just having this conversation is going to be beneficial because it’s been a while since the University has made a concentrated effort," Slusarick said.
1 comments
Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"