Legislators debate enforcement of current smoking regulations on the campus
Jump to full article: The Diamondback (UMD-College Park), 2009-11-19
Author: Emilie Openchowski
Intro: Freshman legislator Zach Cohen, far right, sponsored the smoking bill the SGA voted down last night.
The SGA rejected a resolution that would have increased the distance people must stand from buildings while smoking at a meeting last night.
This bill comes at a time when the University Senate is reviewing a campus-wide smoking ban, which would completely eliminate the need for a non-smoking radius.
The nearly 30-minute debate surrounding the issue turned to ways to improve enforcement of the existing 15-foot policy before increasing the no-smoke zone to 25 feet around building entrances and windows. The issue culminated in a 19-11 vote in which Student Government Association legislators showed a sweeping preference for focusing on the policy at hand before recommending an amendment.
“People aren’t following the policy that exists,” South Hill legislator Kevin Ford said. “What I’m wondering is, why should we expand the provisions of a failing policy? It’s like promoting someone who isn’t doing their job.”
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