E-cigarettes spark UCC smoking policy reform
The beginning stages of revising the UCC smoking and tobacco policies are currently underway.
The College Council will be updating the campus smoking policy to include e-cigarettes. Inconsistencies within the tobacco free campus administrative procedure and UCC’s smoke- free campus board policies will be addressed as well.
The College Council discussed the response from questions regarding e- cigarettes sent out to faculty and staff earlier in the term, as well as student feedback gathered from ASUCC student leadership representatives on May 13. As of press time, a deadline for the final decision is unclear.
Currently, UCC’s smoking policy allows students to smoke in designated areas on the perimeter of campus. Students can be given a $25 citation from campus security for not following the procedure, according to Security Director Steve Buchko.
The increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes led to a realization by many institutions, including UCC, that smoking and tobacco policies needed to be updated partly because of the unique nature of the e-cigarette.
E-cigerettes do not fall under the criteria for either a tobacco policy or a smoking policy. E-cigarettes are battery powered devices that converts liquid nicotine into a vapor. They are flameless and release a vapor, rather than secondhand smoke from a traditional cigarette.
The FDA and CDC have both released statements about the potential dangers. Both agencies are continuing to research the product, despite the court ruling e- cigarettes as a tobacco product, rather than a smoking aid or drug.
Summer Clark, English major, has concerns the e-cigarettes are not safe and would prefer not to be exposed to the second hand vapor while on campus. “I don’t trust those things. I want to see more research and evidence. They should be allowed in the smoking area, only for sure.”
According to Buchko, campus security guards are not allowing e-cigarettes to be used indoors, but since UCC has no policy regarding e-cigarettes, they are limited by what they can enforce while a student is outdoors on campus smoking an e-cigarette.
“It’s a gray area. I don’t want to allow it, but at the same time, I can’t stop it,” Buchko said. “There is no policy.”
Buchko is confident the policy will be updated to e-cigarettes not being allowed indoors. The policy regarding e- cigarette use outdoors is to be decided by the College Council.
Despite controversy, other institutions have successfully passed policies regarding e- cigarettes. Lane Community College updated their policy in September 2010 to ban e-cigarettes on campus, according to the Lane Community College website.