Trustees to discuss smoking ban

Among other topics, Miami University’s Board of Trustees will consider a controversial smoking ban this Friday says Stephen Snyder, secretary to the trustees.

The vote will give president David Hodge and Miami’s administration permission to draft and implement a plan they deem as fair and effective – it does not specifically address the stipulations of the ban.

After this vote, the trustees will need not vote on any further issues related to the prohibition of smoking on campus said Snyder.

This Friday’s vote was put on the board’s agenda following a recent e-mail from Hodge to the students and faculty.

“I take this action in light of numerous studies finding that tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor air pollution, and that breathing secondhand smoke is a cause of disease in healthy nonsmokers, including heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, and lung cancer,” Hodge said.

Some students disagreed with Hodge’s proposal.

According to Hodge’s e-mail, the proposed smoking ban would include all of Miami’s campuses, including Luxembourg, but would include “hospitality” areas where smoking is permitted for visitors.

Snyder said that the hospitality areas are important for visitors who might be unaware of the smoking ban.

“You can’t expect someone who smokes regularly to suddenly go cold turkey when they come to Miami,” Snyder said.

Nancy Cornthwait, director of Marcum Conference Center and the Miami Inn – both areas that would include hospitality areas – estimated that over 50% of full time employees who work at the Miami Inn or Marcum are regular smokers.

On the whole, Cornthwait said, she has received mixed feedback from employees regarding the ban.
“I think it’s mixed. I think some people are very pleased with it and other people are concerned. And obviously the university is taking great efforts to help people who want to to quit smoking,” Cornthwait said. “Its also been impetuous for some of them to try to quit smoking, but some say ‘it’s my right to smoke and I don’t want to quit smoking.”

To be discussed this semester, but perhaps not at the upcoming trustees meeting, said Snyder, is the renovation of residence halls’ internal systems.

According to Snyder as students begin using more electric and electronic equipment, the demand on the electrical infrastructure in many of the residence halls can become too much.

Jay Mabry, director of support services said that particularly with the recent installation of window air conditioners in several halls, there is even more demand on the wiring –especially in many of the halls that date back 50 or 60 years.

Snyder also said that the trustees will be looking at the possibility of changing the setup in many of the residence halls.

“Does it make sense to continue having long corridors with common bathrooms, or is the suite style better?” Snyder said.

Although there have been no serious problems with halls yet, Snyder maintained that it is important for the university to remain proactive in its renovations.

The trustees will also be looking to change the name of the School of Education and Allied professions to the School of Education, Health and Society.

Snyder said that the new name is more precise in that is better defines what the school consists of.

“What does ‘allied professions’ mean? So, by saying School of Education Health and Society, I think they are trying to define what the allied professions are,” Snyder said.