EvCC prepares to be nonsmoking campus

Published 9:55 pm Sunday, May 16, 2010

EVERETT — Everett Community College could be a nonsmoking campus by mid-2012.

The issue first must go before EvCC Board of Trustees, said Patrick Sisneros, EvCC’s vice president of college services.

Hurdles ahead include complying with state codes and coming up with a strategy to keep clouds of secondhand cigarette smoke and debris from spilling over into the neighborhoods surrounding the college.

“That is high on our priority list,” Sisneros said.

EvCC’s push is based on public health concerns over secondhand smoke, Sisneros said.

The college surveyed faculty, staff and students earlier this year. The results show nearly 60 percent of the more than 800 respondents favor a smoking ban on campus. Students, at 61 percent, were the most in favor of a ban.

A student Senate subcommittee will recommend a policy that would stop short of a campus ban. The group, which includes five nonsmokers and two smokers, believes moving a designated smoking area from a busy part of campus would solve much of the secondhand smoke concerns. Smoking only is allowed in designated outdoor areas around campus.

Travis McCullough, a member of the student subcommittee, said smokers argued in open forums that they felt their rights were being infringed on if the entire campus was made smoke-free. Most smokers backed tougher enforcement for people who violate rules over an outright ban.

“This is an issue that has been dealt with off and on for years now,” McCullough said.

Clark County in southwest Washington went smoke-free in 2006, the first nonreligious college in the state to do so.

Smokers can be given a $20 fine for lighting up, but the college mainly relies on an information campaign and warnings for enforcement.

“Security has written very few tickets,” said Rebecca Wale, who works with environmental health and safety issues at Clark College.

Edmonds Community College students and administration have discussed smoking restrictions in the past, but have not taken action.

Julie Van Tosh, 48, an EdCC student, hopes her college will follow EvCC’s example some day. She smoked for 25 years before quitting. She recently organized a Kick Butts day, encouraging students and faculty to think about the health risks of smoking.

“It is becoming more and more probable,” she said, pointing to smoking bans at some parks and other public places.

Nearly 84 percent of Snohomish County adults do not use tobacco, according to statistics compiled by the Snohomish Health District.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.