 "Photo: Jacob Naasz")
UTD's administrators reviewed the university's smoking policy after the Academic Council, a body charged with setting the agenda for the Academic Senate, brought forward the idea to institute a campus wide smoking ban.
Student government president and a senior economics major Ben Dower explained that the initial push to review policy came from the UT System Faculty Advisory Council that, in turn, was being encouraged to investigate the possibility of a full-smoking ban from the six Health Institutions in the UT System.
A campus-wide smoking ban would put UTD in a growing list of smoke-free colleges throughout the United States. According to a study published by the group Americans for Non-Smokers rights, there are at least 105 colleges with campus-wide bans on smoking. Only three colleges in Texas are on that last: Alvin Community College, San Antonio College and the south campus of San Jacinto College.
Many college campuses already ban smoking inside of buildings and residential housing, but only a few ban smoking indoors or out throughout the campus.
However, Vice President for Business Affairs Calvin Johnson said that the campus-wide ban is not being considered at the moment. He added that the administration's review of the policy need not result in major changes. "Sometimes, with policies like these, you need to reaffirm and recommunicate them periodically."
UTD's current policy, as stated in the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual, prohibits smoking "in any University-owned or leased buildings or vehicles. This includes hallways, classrooms, offices, restrooms, meeting rooms, indoor or open-air athletic facilities, performance halls and all other spaces in University-owned or leased buildings or vehicles."
Smoking outdoors is not permitted within 25 feet of building entrances, windows, or air intakes.
"The 25-feet rule," Dower said, "is consistently violated, partially due to ignorance, and partially due to the bad physical location of ashtrays. It also isn't enforced consistently. The common consensus that I have heard, from faculty and students alike, and the recommendation Student Government made, was not to institute a campus-wide smoking ban but rather to enforce the current rules better."
At a March 18 senate meeting, student senators voted to officially disapprove of the ban, according to their minutes from that meeting.
Assistant Vice President for Business Affairs Rick Dempsey explained that many ashtrays stand within 25 feet of buildings because students move them there, especially during winter months. "I do not think it would be the best use of the energies of our staff repeatedly moving those ashtrays a few feet back," he said.
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