As published in the Courier-Tribune on December 12, 2011
by Hugh Martin
TROY — A proposal to make the campus of Montgomery Community College 100 percent tobacco-free will be voted on by college trustees at their next meeting on Jan. 11, 2012.
MCC President Dr. Mary Kirk distributed the proposed policy at the October meeting of the board for the first reading and a vote in January. The board does not meet in December.
Kirk said the issue of a tobacco-free campus came up because high school students will be on campus regularly next year to take college-level courses. All facilities of the Montgomery County Schools system are 100 percent tobacco-free.
Tobacco is already restricted in MCC buildings, with designated areas available for tobacco use. If the policy is approved, it will prohibit smoking and use of other tobacco products by students, staff, faculty, or visitors in all campus buildings, facilities or property owned, leased or operated by MCC, including outside areas, on campus grounds, facilities or vehicles that are the property of the college.
The policy would also be in force at lectures, conferences, meetings and social or cultural events held on college property or campus grounds.
Student organizations are now prohibited from accepting money or gifts from tobacco companies. The ban would expand to include events sponsored by tobacco companies, distribution of free, reduced-price, or fully-priced tobacco products, such as T-shirts and hats, on campus and all tobacco advertising.
The Mid-Atlantic Woodsmen’s Meet and the Stihl Timbersports Competition, which will be broadcast nationwide on ESPNU and the Outdoor Channel, will take place at the college in April. This event would not be affected because the policy would not be implemented until Aug. 1, 2012.
Student Government Association President Sharon Hurley told trustees that, as word of the policy has spread on campus, she had been hearing negative comments from tobacco users.
“I have had some students tell me that they will leave school if the policy goes into effect,” Hurley said.
Kirk asked Hurley, “Do you think they would really leave?”
Hurley responded, “I don’t know, but I would hate to think that someone would end their college career because they weren’t able to smoke a cigarette.”
Kirk said reaction to the proposed policy has been mixed.
An online survey administered by the college was completed by administrators, faculty, staff and students in which 64.3 percent of respondents said that they were not bothered by secondhand smoke on campus while 33.1 percent indicated that they were. The remaining respondents said they didn’t know.
Support for the policy was about evenly divided with 49.7 percent in favor, 40.1 percent said no and 10.2 percent said that they didn’t know.
The policy calls for MCC to provide students and employees with information on quitting. Over 65 percent of the respondents were in favor of a program to help people quit tobacco use on campus.
The policy states that students and employees who continue to use tobacco products will be subject to the disciplinary actions according to the Student Code of Conduct and MCC Board Policy.
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