Enlarge

Chimes archive photo

Last Thursday, Student Senate hosted an open meeting with Health Services Director Nancy VerMerris to discuss the pending tobacco ban proposal at Calvin College. The meeting, held at Johnny’s atrium, included all members of the Student Senate and served to update these members on the issue. Students were also encouraged to attend and sit in on the discussion.

Nancy VerMerris indicated that the current proposal to ban tobacco on campus is necessary and that Calvin College is already behind schools and hospitals that have proceeded with the ban. “356 colleges and universities have gone smoke free and competing hospitals in Grand Rapids became smoke free four years ago despite business implications.” To VerMerris, smoking is a serious health risk.

“We’re talking about chronic health issues for a lifetime. I have seen the progression of part-time smoking to addiction but we might be able to stop the progression if the campus is not so smoke-friendly.”

The tobacco ban health promotion proposal asks Calvin College to “revisit the issue of tobacco use on campus in response to the overwhelming body of evidence supporting its harmful effects and the national trend toward tobacco-free environments.”

“A tobacco-free environment is an effective health promotion strategy. The college years offer a window of opportunity to delay the initiation and progression of smoking behaviors while students continue to assimilate knowledge about the risks of tobacco use and build health lifestyles.”

The proposal suggests that the college limits smoking on campus in designated outdoor areas so that if the proposal were passed, the smoking policy would “prohibit the use of all forms of tobacco on all outdoor grounds, parking areas, and in college-owned and/or leased vehicles.”

According to the proposal, there are a number of initial steps that the college must take before it can implement the policy. First, the proposal must have the full support of the office of the president and its implementation must be assigned to an appropriate vice president. The proposal advises that an implementation task force be formed in order to develop an “implementation plan, timetable, and cost analysis.” Students will be able to participate in this task force along with representatives from Healthy Habits, Health Services, Campus Safety, Human Resources, faculty, Creative Dining, Student Senate and Communication and Marketing.

Student Senate members and VerMerris also discussed possible side effects of the ban, such as the implications it could have on the surrounding neighborhoods where all the smokers would go to smoke if the college followed through with the tobacco ban. Student Senate members also voiced concern over possible decrease in enrollment at Calvin if there was a smoking policy. However, VerMerris indicated that enrollment has not decreased at other smoke-free campuses.

VerMerris indicated that she would like Calvin students to continue discussing the issue and would like to get more feedback from them. The tobacco ban health promotion proposal has already been to the Cabinet and has yet to be passed by the Faculty Senate.