Tag: featured

After four years, the smoking debate returns to campus

 

The debate on Ohio Wesleyan’s smoking policies has been relit by WCSA’a Smoking Initiative Committee. This week, the Committee held an open discussion on smoking policies and effects and sent out a survey to gauge students, faculty and staffs’ opinions on the issue.

Committee co-chairs junior Lauren Holler, president of WCSA and sophomore Hannah Henderson, residential representative of the student conduct committee, said the survey will ask questions involving students’ opinions on designated smoking areas on campus, where students smoke now and whether an all-out ban on smoking or tobacco products should be considered.

Henderson said there are two sets of goals for the Committee. The first set, called “stretch goals” involve making the campus completely smoke free.

“These are bold and probably impossible,” Henderson said.

The second set of goals, or “manageable goals” involve providing alternative products for smokers, such as nicotine patches or gum at the Student Health Center and designated outdoor areas for smoking.

Henderson said the goal is to have the policies, whatever they end up being, voted on during the 2014 spring semester, adopted during the 2014 fall semester and implemented by spring 2015.

Previous attempts went up in smoke

The WCSA began the discussion of a smoke-free campus in spring 2010. At the time, the Healthy Bishop Initiative was formed to help OWU provide a healthier environment and the WCSA adopted a goal to decrease the effects of second-hand smoke.

WCSA created an educational campaign about the need for smokers to stand a minimum of 20 feet away from buildings and moving cigarette receptacles to the appropriate distance. These policies were in accordance with the state law.

WCSA also created a compromise in which the residential side of campus would adhere to the mandatory distance away from buildings and public areas such as the JAYwalk and academic side would eventually transition to smoke-free zones by 2013.

“There was a push for that conversation to continue but that didn’t happen,” Holler said.

Holler said that WCSA does not know if there is a “right answer” for the issue but the Committee will hold open meetings every Wednesday.

“We’re allowed to debate. The purpose is to understand each other and find some common ground,” Holler said

Health Concerns

Sophomore Hannah Henderson, co-chair of the Smoking Initiative Committee, said she experienced the negative effects of smoking at a young age. When Henderson was a child, her father died of lung cancer caused by smoking and the effects of second hand smoke. She said her mother has struggled with a smoking addiction and it has affected her family.

“No one has to go through what I went through and lose a loved one to second-hand smoke,” she said.

Henderson presented statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the effects of secondhand smoke, including a 20-30 percent increase in heart disease and lung cancer risk for those who are exposed to secondhand smoke.

“If cigarette smoking was illegal the world would be a much better place,” Henderson said.

Gene Castelli, senior director of Chartwells, said the Committee’s decision will be supported by him and his employees, though several of them smoke.

“From a safety standard to a food standard, it should be eliminated,” Castelli said.

Sophomore Matt McCord said he understands the health implications behind the potential smoking ban because his family member had lung cancer.

However, he is concerned about the negative effect a ban could have on smokers.

“Smoking, for some, is a coping mechanism,” McCord said. “What would the withdraw effects be?”

Safety concerns

“I definitely agree with being far away from buildings,” sophomore Alyssa Jones said. “But am I going to need to walk to Spring St. to smoke?”

Jones said since most of the buildings on campus are in close proximity to one another, she fears for her safety at night and does not want to have to go too far in inclement weather.

“If there were smoking areas that were farther away that were covered, I would be willing to walk out of my dorm,” Jones said.

Another concern is the time Public Safety would have to spend enforcing the smoking policies. Jones said Public Safety has more important issues, especially on weekends.

“I’d rather PS focus on protecting us or doing things like breaking up fights,” Jones said.

Senior Kate Johnson, member of the Modern Foreign Language House, said she is concerned about the safety issues involved with students having to step far away from the campus to smoke at night.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to having lit designated places in open areas, they’ll be fewer safety issues,” Johnson said.

Henderson said a solution for this could be the creation of smoking cabins, or open, roofed structures that would be built at least 20 feet away from campus buildings.

Henderson said schools like OSU have already adopted the idea of smoking cabins and they could be a good compromise for students here.

Potential problems of a ban

Junior Jackie Cole said although smokers will want to cooperate, an all-out ban on smoking won’t work and cause smokers to feel like their rights are being violated.

“I just recently became an actual smoker, and completely making it smoke free might make it a little more tense,” Cole said.

Cole also said she was recently at the University of Central Florida, where smoking is banned. She said the policies there are nearly impossible to follow and caused more problems than solutions for smokers.

“I feel like people couldn’t follow it here,” Cole said.

Junior Liz Dickson, member of WoHo, said an all-out ban on smoking would disrupt social activities on campus.

“We bond over smoking hookah, I would kind of be concerned that we wouldn’t be allowed to do that,” Dickson said.

Dickson also said that the ban, if enforced, should not be a 24 hour ban and should at least allow smokers to smoke where they want outside at night when there are less people around them.

 

Despite a desire from program directors to have more male participation, Travel Learning courses continue to be significantly more utilized by female students.

Darrell Albon, Director of International Students, said the skewed participation is a national trend.

For more than 10 years, study abroad participation rates have been consistently 65 percent female and 35 percent male.

“This is magnified a bit at OWU by the gender distribution—59 percent of our grads are women,” Albon said.

Albon said OWU tends to have slightly more male participants studying abroad than the national average.

He said gender distribution in the majors affects the gender distribution in programs that reach abroad.

Robert Harmon, Travel Learning program director, said while the destinations of trips play a role in who applies for them, more women apply than men no matter the destination.

“Given the wide variety of destinations, I don’t think that it’s a matter of no trips going where men want to go,” Harmon said.

Harmon said that the academic aspect of the application process also has little to do with the skewed gender distribution in programs.

While GPA is taken into consideration for selection for the programs, students with a wide range of GPAs participate and men with high GPAs apply for trips at a much lower rate than women with comparable GPAs.

Harmon said faculty play a large role in Travel Learning Course promotion and recruitment and would like to see more male participants.

“All the professors to whom I’ve spoken tell me they’d like to have a more balanced applicant pool in terms of gender,” Harmon said.

Bob Gitter, professor of economics, said his Mexican Migration Experience travel learning course, which took place over spring break, comprised of only female students.

The cost of the trip was roughly $2,500 with students paying half of the amount and OWU picking up the balance.

Gitter said the cost may have affected the ability of some students to go but not necessarily male students.

“I think the males at OWU are missing out on a wonderful opportunity,” Gitter said.

Albon said data suggests that one of the most effective ways to increase male participation rates in programs abroad is to have a direct and detailed advising aimed at men who have shown an interest.

“I’d like to see every student have a significant off-campus experience — one that articulates well with their academic and personal goals,” he said.

Near the end of an already emotional speech on campus, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) delivered a passionate call for unity.

“It doesn’t matter whether we’re black or white, Latino, Asian-American or Native American, it doesn’t matter whether we’re Democrats or Republicans, it doesn’t matter whether we’re straight or gay – we’re one people, one family,” Lewis said.

Lewis came to campus to receive an honorary doctorate degree, and as one of the “Big Six” civil rights leaders, he has seen firsthand the violence that can follow division.

“Congressman John Lewis was on the frontlines of virtually every struggle for racial justice in the 1960s,” said Professor Michael Flamm of the university’s history department.

Flamm, professor Paula White and Terree Stevenson ’95, all nominated Rep. Lewis for the honorary degree. White is chair of the education department and Stevenson is director of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.

In their nomination form, submitted last academic year, the three say that Lewis “is one of the towering figures of the modern civil rights movement.”

“The path he chose was brutally hard at times, but the results historic,” said Michael Long, chairperson of the Board of Trustees, which unanimously approved Lewis’ degree. “This is exactly the type of educational experience we seek to provide at Ohio Wesleyan.”

Lewis received his honorary degree from university President Rock Jones and Rev. Myron McCoy ‘77, an at-large trustee.

“Sir Isaac Newton said, ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants,’” McCoy said in his introduction. “Congressman John Lewis is such a giant.”

Lewis rose to prominence within the civil rights movement with his involvement in sit-ins in Nashville, challenging segregated restaurants. Despite beatings and arrests, he and other activists, trained by Rev. James Lawson, continually practiced nonviolence in the style of Mahatma Gandhi and Henry David Thoreau.

“I literally grew up by sitting down on those wax counter stools,” Lewis said in an interview before the speech.

His lecture, following the presentation of his degree, focused on his experiences in the civil rights movement and modern politics and his belief in the need for unity and reconciliation rather than bitterness and anger.

Jones said that the lecture provided “a terrific evening.”

“I was thrilled so many people were here and so thrilled we were able to hear him speak so powerfully and eloquently about his life and about what it can mean for all of us,” Jones said.

“There were some great questions, people identifying with his life and with the commitments he’s made and thinking about the work that’s still to be done.”

Senior Madeleine Leader was among the students who asked questions of Lewis following his speech, describing how members of the black community and allies have struggled to make their voices heard on campus.

“I was wondering if you can offer any advice so that we don’t get burned out, we don’t become hostile, we don’t become bitter because obviously we want to create positive change for people in the future,” Leader asked.

“Continue to be hopeful, continue to be optimistic and continue to negotiate,” Lewis replied. “Never give up.”

“I think that his approach is extremely important,” Leader said afterward.

“It’s something that we as students today don’t entirely understand because we want everything, now now now. I think embracing his message of love and not getting bitter is only going to help us.”

Even though they’ll be graduating, Leader said they hope to “get in good trouble,” as Lewis put it.

Junior Brianna Robinson, co-director of Ohio Wesleyan’s performance of “Butterfly Confessions” – a series of readings on the experiences of black women – said she thought the event was “absolutely amazing.”

“I kind of wish that (Lewis) knew what we just did over the weekend, but I think it’s amazing that we got to do it and then this is probably one of the greatest events that OWU has ever put on,” Robinson said.

“I think it’s amazing that we got to share the same timeframe of him being here.”

Related – Memories of the Movement: A Q&A with John Lewis

Photos by Marlene Jazmin