The Community Council meetings held over the last two weeks focused on the environmental impact of the College and the possibility of a new policy for smoking on campus.
Director of Sustainability Integration Jack Byrne and a number of student members of the Environmental Council attended the Community Council meeting held Mar. 2 to present the College’s environmental assessment, which occurs every two years.
“How are we doing? What is the sustainability story that we want to tell about our future?” were two questions Byrne posed to the council. According to Byrne, the College has a strong environmental reputation among higher education institutions. The College’s environmental impact and sustainability level is evaluated using a nationwide system, the star system. The College is at the gold star level, which is one step below the platinum star level. No college, however, has ever reached this level.
“The strategic narrative is to educate the students and youth of today to work hard and innovate for sustainability,” Byrne said. “How do we equip ourselves and our community with the types of things they (youth) need to sustain the prosperity, the liberty, and the freedom of today’s society and to do the stewarding of the resources we need to fuel that?” The assessment will be available online and open to comments until Apr. 30. Discussion will begin May 1 in order to generate a second draft to be reviewed between Aug. 1 and next Oct. 31.
The council then discussed the possibility of “moving the current policy [on tobacco use] to a policy that bans tobacco use on campus,” Associate Dean of Students for Residential and Student Life Doug Adams said. “This is not something you go into quickly…it would be a gradual policy.” Many colleges have already started the process toward tobacco-free campuses, according to Adams.
“If we banned smoking, we would lose a lot of staff and faculty (of language schools) in the summer because many are coming from other places where smoking is viewed much differently,” said Associate Director of Marketing, Recruiting and Admissions for the Language Schools Brook Escobedo.
Blake Shapskinsky ’15 added: “It could dramatically impact the shape of the student body and diversity on campus… some internationally students may be more prone to smoke.”
The council members agreed that most smokers on campus are not aware of the current policy, which prohibits smoking within 25 feet of any entrance to a building and that Public Safety does not necessarily enforce the policy. There is a “lack of signage,” Adams said, even though the policy requires signs in areas where there is a high probability people will smoke.
At the following Community Council meeting on Mar. 9, Adams presented a hard copy of the smoking policy recommendation to the council for discussion. It recommends that the policy of 25 feet be changed to 30 feet from a building, the idea being that 30 feet, or 10 paces, is an easier concept.
After some discussion, the suggestion that Public Safety enforces the new policy was added. In addition, a task force would be implemented in coming years to address enforcement. There is also an education component that would suggest the policy be reviewed during orientation and in other ways to make students and staff aware of
the policy.
Horticulturalist Tim Parsons also presented a map indicating the busiest doors on campus. The idea would be to install signs at these approximately 150 entrances, estimating $50 per sign.
The council passed the recommendation, which will be given to the President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz, Dean of the College Katy Smith Abbott and the Commons Deans.
