The University becoming a tobacco-free campus was a big topic at Monday’s Undergraduate Student Government meeting, among other topics such new procedures for planning student events.
A committee, made up of different representatives around campus, was formed to discuss the topic of the university becoming a tobacco-free campus, in addition to being a clean-air campus.
The University is currently a clean-air campus which means that “smoking is prohibited in all facilities owned or leased by Bowling Green State University and on the grounds of any property owned or leased by the university,” according to the clean-air policy put in place by the University.
A clean-air campus prohibits products that emit smoke on campus, while a tobacco-free policy prohibits any tobacco products in addition to products that emit smoke.
According to the members of the committee currently discussing this topic, if the campus were to become a tobacco-free campus, then the policy would prohibit anything from cigarettes and chewing tobacco to hooka and marijuana.
This topic, according to USG President Victor Senn, is a “conversation” right now and it is a topic that is just being discussed.
The committee is hoping to receive feedback and opinions from students and anyone else who might be affected by this policy and the decision to move forward.
“USG is part of the conversation,” said Senn. “USG is on the committee, so our voice is there so that you all know that students are being heard.”
“Right now it is not anything that is in place, and really, we’re not really looking to put it in place at this moment,” Senn said. “We’re looking to listen to people and see what they want. And if they do want it in place, we will put it in place, and if they don’t put it in place then we will work to find a good ground with everybody so that we can benefit students.”
Members of USG are going to be discussing this topic within the organization and with other students to find out what the student body thinks, and will be bringing that feedback to the table.
In addition to the topic of a new tobacco free policy, the new Office of Campus Activities Event Management Policy was also discussed.
Currently, if a student organization on campus wanted to have an event, several groups of people need to be contacted to book a room and whatever else is needed.
This new policy reduces the amount of people that an organization needs to go through to plan an event.
Senn said that the new policy turns the process into a “one stop shop.”
This policy will make the process more simple and more efficient for students who are planning events.
