Lm
www.brevard.edu/clarion
Volume 79, Issue 5 Web Edition SERVING BREVARD COLLEGE SINCE 1935
We wish Nora Sheehan, our
school nurse, good luck as
she heads to New York for
the next chapter of her life.
Sept. 27, 2013
Tobacco discussion continues
By Patrick G. Veilleux
staff Writer
T he Student Government Association
held an open forum at 6 p.m. on Sept.
23 in the Dunham Auditorium. The forum
met to discuss the campus administration’s
potential plan to make Brevard a tobacco free
campus. This move was primarily motivated
by the violations of the current policy.
However, many students are still opposed to
the complete ban of tobacco use.
“We wanted to make sure that we hear from
the students before we made any decisions,”
Dean of Students Deborah D’Anna said, “The
current policy is simple. There is no tobacco
use in buildings, and that includes smokeless
tobacco. It’s up to faculty to enforce that in
their classrooms. Smoking is only permitted
in designated areas. We don’t want people
walking around using tobacco products. That
is why there are smoking areas.”
“The issue is that these policies are
being violated, and in a manner that if
things don’t change tobacco will have to be
banned on campus entirely,” SGA’s Student
Representative to Academic Affairs Kyle
Jackola said, “SGA’s understanding is that
if we can inform students about the policy
and successfully encourage them to follow
it, we can keep our privileges. These are
privileges- not rights, and we need to treat
them as such.”
Students in the forum asked questions and
voiced concerns pertaining to the current
smoking policy. Several also conveyed that if
tobacco use was completely banned, students
would likely disregard the ban altogether, or
take to smoking in front of the school. Others
suggested that as a side effect of the disregard
for the policy, littering would increase on
campus.
Other students explained that the current
arrangements for smokers lack custodial
services for the smoking areas and cover
during inclement weather. Several juniors
and seniors pointed out that designated
smoking areas had only been disappearing
and becoming more inconveniently placed
over the past several years.
Critics of tobacco users on campus mainly
targeted students leaving bottles filled with
dip spit around campus. “People smoking
or dipping doesn’t bother me,” said one
student, “but I find bottles filled with brown
spit ever}rwhere. Smoking and dipping are
personal choices, but it all needs to be properly
disposed of It’s disgusting.” Another student
added, “When I am in the MG computer lab
I see open cups with
dip spit in them. I even
saw one spilled over a
keyboard.”
There were additional
students who critiqued
the current tobacco
policy for not being
properly enforced by authority figures
on campus. “There are no tickets,” said
Freshman Jesse Sheldon, “There’s nobody
talking about tickets. There are no penalties
for this, and if there are no penalties then
people won’t follow the rules.”
Jackola responded to the critiques on
enforcement, “As it stands, when the policy
is broken students are supposed to be fined.
But I know that RAs, including myself, are
very relaxed about that. I know that security
is also very relaxed with the tobacco policy.
“The issue is that
these policies are
being violated”
Ignorance isn’t a viable excuse. It’s up to
tobacco users and non-tobacco users to
enforce those policies, and remind their peers
that there are designated areas.”
“We’ve fined people this year for smoking,
but people continue to violate the policy,”
Director of Residence Life Michael Cohen
said, “It’s something that
we instruct on during
RA training, but it’s not
necessarily emphasized
as much as something
like the alcohol policy. I
wonder what causes RAs
to feel differently about the
smoking policy than they did the alcohol or
noise policies,” he added, “I think primarily
RAs should enforce policy in residential
areas, but should they be the ones enforcing
the tobacco policy in other areas of campus?
As student leaders, I say yes, but other
students should be enforcing as well.”
To protect the privileges of students who
use tobacco products on campus, people are
encouraged to follow the current policies and
only use tobacco products at the designated
Tailgate
T-shirts
As part of Family Weekend, Campus Life will host a Tailgate for all BC students and their families starting
at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow in the rear parking lot of Brevard High School. Hamburgers and hotdogs will be
provided. Family members are asked to bring their best tailgating dish. The first 100 students who attend
and present their Student ID will receive a free Family Day long sleeve t-Shirt, like these worn by Dean of
Students Debbie D’Anna and Coordinator for Counseling Services Dee Dasburg.