Poll: Stamp out smoking on campus?

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - On college campuses in the Baltimore area, some students may never again hear the question “Do you have a light?”

At least two local schools, Harford Community College and Villa Julie College, are working to update smoking rules and the changes could add them to the national list of colleges that ban smoking — indoors and outdoors.

At least 40 colleges and universities across the country have gone completely smoke-free, according to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation.

“In the past year or two we’ve seen an increase in the number of smoke-free campus policies nationwide,” said Annie Tegen, a senior program manager for the association. “The basis for that seems to be the increase of information about the dangers of secondhand smoke, as well as the public demand.”

SMOKEOUT? Online Poll Using WebSurveyor

Harford Community College will vote April 9 on a complete smoking ban. No one would be allowed to smoke anywhere on the campus starting July 1 if school officials pass the proposal.

“We currently have three designated smoking areas that were started because of the health risk of secondhand smoke,” Harford Community College spokeswoman Nancy Dysard said. “But people aren’t abiding, so the president proposed to take it a step further.”

The faculty at the Villa Julie Wellness Center hired a consultant who will look at the campus this week and help draft a proposal for smoking rule changes. The proposal will then get sent for approval to the student government and the school administration.

“At first, I hope to allow smoking only in a ... small designated area,” Villa Julie College nurse Pam Kelleman said. “I would like for it to be a complete smoke-free environment, but you have to consider all of the students. … I guess you have to take some baby steps.”

The majority of the local schools follow a smoking policy where students cannot smoke in campus buildings and have to stand several feet away from buildings when they smoke outside. Unlike Harford Community College and Villa Julie, many of these local colleges and universities said there are no changes planned.

“We feel like this policy has worked well for us,” said Theresa Wiseman, a spokeswoman for the College of Notre Dame. “We are not hearing much of an argument from either side.”

bmann@baltimoreexaminer.com

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