Limited smoking resolution to be implemented at WKU

Jessica Voorhees

The Student Government Association and staff council recently passed proposals to limit smoking on campus, which launched an action plan to implement those policies. 

President Gary Ransdell said he thought the proposals were “well-thought-out, researched and presented.” 

“I think it’s a good idea, and I encouraged Nicki Taylor to follow through,” he said. 

Ransdell said in order to implement the plan, he will appoint a council consisting of two students, two faculty and two staff members to decide the “logistics,” which was a recommendation from SGA. 

SGA president Nicki Taylor said the resolution will designate 39 areas for smoking, and these locations will decrease gradually over a three-year period.

Taylor said the council will decide the end number of locations.

The restrictions on smoking won’t extend to electronic cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. 

Ransdell said the student ambassador program will enforce the smoking policy and not the campus police. 

The staff council smoking committee submitted its proposal Dec. 3, 2014. Staff council took a longer goal to becoming a “Limited Tobacco Use Campus,” according to the proposal, opting for a five-year plan, rather than SGA’s three years. 

Prior to presenting a plan, staff council looked at Purdue University’s smoke-free policy for inspiration. 

Taylor said the goal is to begin implementing these policies in fall 2015, but the council will ultimately decide when to begin. 

“There’s so much still up in the air till what the committee decides,” she said.

Ransdell said the campus will achieve the limited smoking objective by the end of  2017.