Sue Loughlin
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Indiana State University is considering the establishment of a $50 fine for those who violate the university’s smoking policy.
The university went smoke-free July 1, 2009; however, the policy has no penalties for violations.
The policy does state that “the use of smoking tobacco products is permitted in privately owned vehicles and in designated smoking areas on campus.”
Trustees meet Thursday and there is an agenda item related to the proposed fine of $50 per occurrence for violations of the smoking policy.
In a weekend e-mail letter to the campus community, President Dan Bradley indicated he wants to solicit campus input on the proposed fine before asking trustees to take action. Trustees would take action at the October meeting.
Teresa Exline, ISU executive assistant to the president for internal relations, said the transition to a smoke-free campus has been “pretty smooth” for the most part, although there are “pockets of abuse.”
The policy is difficult to enforce, however, she said.
Current policy states that enforcement “will depend on the cooperation of all faculty, staff, and students not only to comply with the policy, but also to encourage others to comply, in order to promote a healthy environment in which to work, study and live.
“Observation of violation of the policy should be reported to Public Safety. Follow up for violations of the policy should be referred to the appropriate administrative office for review and action for faculty through the office of Academic Affairs, for staff through Human Resources and to the Dean of Students for students,” the policy reads.
ISU wants to give the campus community opportunity for input before asking trustees to approve a $50 per occurrence fine, Exline said. “That’s not an insignificant fine,” she said. “We wanted to make sure there’s an opportunity for people to weigh in.”
Smokers and nonsmokers alike had mixed reactions to the proposal.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Meredith Bartlett, an art education major who was smoking on a Zorah Shrine parking lot. “Smoking is legal.”
Sally Wallenstein, a senior who smokes, said that $50 is a lot of money for a college student. “That’s rough. That really too much,” she said. “It’s like severe capital punishment.”
She suggested starting with a smaller fine, and if that doesn’t work, then ISU could increase it. She said she abides by the current tobacco policy and only smokes off campus.
Lucile Woods-Callahan, an ISU freshman who smokes, said she understands why the fine is being proposed. “There are students who don’t smoke and I can appreciate their viewpoint on the matter. They don’t want to breathe in secondhand smoke from the rest of us who do smoke. We are in the minority,” she said. The university has established designated smoking areas on campus, although “they are few and far between, so it’s hard to get to a place like that.”
Woods-Callahan does believe a $50 fine is “hefty.”
An ISU employee who was smoking on the Zorah Shrine lot suggested that enforcement would be political, based on “who you are, who saw you and who complained … They’ll pick and choose who to use it on.”
Brimika Dunfee, an ISU freshman nursing major and nonsmoker, said, “I don’t think people who don’t smoke should have to walk through a cloud of smoke or have to sit and breathe all that when they prefer not to. I don’t know if fining them is the right way to go about it.”
Kerri McCalister, also a freshman, is asthmatic and a nonsmoker. She supports the fine. “I’d prefer that my air stays smoke-free,” she said. McCalister said she has witnessed violations of the smoke-free policy.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
