The Student Government Association will begin a survey of students in the coming weeks in an attempt to gauge opinion on tobacco enforcement, James Bonsall, SGA president, said at their meeting on Sept. 24.
The move follows a meeting of the Campus Executive Council on Monday, Sept. 21, in which the council outlined ways to enforce the campus’s no tobacco policy.
“The council came up with a few ideas about how to enforce the policy,” Bonsall said. “It’s looking like the first offense would be a warning, the second would be a $25 fine or an hour of community service, and the third would be a $50 fine or two hours of service.”
He said the SGA is trying to reach out to students so they have a say on the issue.
“In the past, this body has been reactive while addressing these kinds of issues,” Bonsall said. “Right now we’re trying to be proactive and give the students a voice in the matter.”
While the proposed plan is still up for debate, Bonsall says the rule needs to be enforced better.
“It’s becoming clear people aren’t abiding by the smoking ban,” Bonsall said. “It’s not being enforced because there is really no policy for enforcement.”
SGA Senator Johann Pedolzky, philosophy and political science senior, said he is not in favor of further enforcement.
“It seems like isolating an entire group of people from the community is counter to the goal of the university,” Pedolzky said. “No matter your opinion of how filthy the habit is, persecuting an entire group of people is not how to build a strong community environment on campus.”
The meeting also saw further staff changes, as Ian Girdley, English sophomore, assumed the role of press secretary after only a week of serving as a full-time senator.
“I was a little surprised to be elected, to be honest,” Girdley said. “I know I’m qualified and I’ll be able to do a good job.”
The resolution item to apologize to Melissa Hill, manager of campus card services, was absent from the meeting’s agenda after being introduced in the meeting last week.
“I’m not sure why it wasn’t there,” Bonsall said. “But an apology means a lot less when you wait longer.”
By ZAK OWENS
Staff Writer
zowens@ius.edu
