The Ohio Revised Code may allow tobacco use under certain stipulations, but some students would prefer the tobacco free policy posed in a USG bill that failed to pass.
The bill, authored by Founders Hall senator Eugene Gorman, failed to pass by a narrow vote of 9 to 11. This is the second iteration of the bill, titled “A Resolution Formally Supporting Bowling Green State University as a Tobacco Free Campus.”
Gorman proposed the bill in collaboration with Wellness Connection Director Faith DeNardo, a certified health education specialist. Both Gorman and DeNardo believe the bill would have promoted a healthier environment on campus.
“I think that this bill would provide a healthier environment for students on campus. There would be no risk of second-hand smoke, and those who do smoke could get help to quit,” Gorman said.
Gorman also cited the fact the University is only one of two Ohio universities that is not a tobacco-free campus.
The bill included plans to acquire funding through a $20,000 grant sponsored by the American Cancer Society and CVS Health Corp. The grant would have paid for anti-smoking signage and help for students who want to quit smoking.
Gorman abstained from voting from the bill, as he authored it and is deeply committed to the issue. He added he and other USG senators ultimately represent the student body, and there has not necessarily been an outcry for the University to become a tobacco-free campus.
However, the University’s current policy quarantines tobacco use to certain locations on campus.
“I mean, I would vote (yes), but with the current rules, it practically is a tobacco-free campus,” marketing major Drew Reliford said.
In a Facebook poll, the student response showed most students do want a tobacco-free campus. Twenty-eight students said they would want the policy, four said no and 18 said they did not care either way.
Junior Brock Toopes, environmental policy and analysis major, has mixed views on the proposed tobacco-free campus policy.
“I’m for vapes (electronic cigarettes) since it doesn’t smell bad, and I can’t get sick from inhaling it,” Toopes said. “I’m against chew and cigarettes because it smells horrible and is an environmental concern with people spitting and throwing their butts all over campus.”
The University’s current stance on tobacco use marks off spaces people can smoke on campus, but it is a common sight to see people using tobacco outside of these marked zones.
Eventually, if a future revision of the tobacco-free campus bill is passed, there may be trouble enforcing the policy. The Ohio Revised Code bans smoking inside businesses and inside other public spaces but allows smoking within 20 feet of those areas.
The University campus police have said they will not enforce the proposed tobacco-free campus policy, as it is not in agreement with the Ohio Revised Code. Enforcement would rely on University staff, faculty or students reporting violations, which could result in punishment per the University’s code of student conduct.
