Talk of smoking ban on campus sparks debates Tanner Hancock News Editor
Cigarette butts are constantly piling up outside campus buildings. Will there finally be an end to this mess? MaryKate Leitch • The Daily Beacon
Volume 131 Issue 46
Of the 14 schools that make up the South Eastern Conference, only two allow either smoking or tobacco use on their campuses: Texas A&M and the University of Tennessee. While some students consider smoking on campus a privilege and a right, others view its use as both a nuisance to students as well as a risk to their health. Last Tuesday, student senate arts and science senator Morgan Hartgrove presented a resolution calling for the ban of smoking and tobacco use on campus. The resolution — which narrowly survived a general vote and an amendment eliminating any reference to tobacco products — now awaits the signature of both
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the student body president and vice president before it becomes valid. The controversy surrounding it has continued unabated. “We’re behind the times,” Hartgrove said of the measure. “Other schools have taken on this initiative and I think it’s almost ridiculous that we still have smoking on this campus.” Across the SEC, eight schools outright ban both smoking and general tobacco use on campus, including in-state neighbor Vanderbilt and nearby Kentucky. Twelve of the 14 schools prohibit smoking use, but allow the use of smokeless tobacco products on campus. Will Freeman, president of the student body, recognized similar policies implemented on other SEC campuses, but said he has a lot to consider before he reaches a decision. See SMOKING on Page 5
Thursday, March 31, 2016