The task force appointed to review smoking policies at West Virginia University continues gathering information as it works to evaluate possible changes in the current policy.
At its latest meeting on Thursday, March 3, the task force heard from representatives of the City of Morgantown as well as WVU residence halls about current issues.
“We learned a couple of things,” said task force chair C.B. Wilson. “City Manager Dan Boroff and Mayor Bill Byrne visited to discuss issues that relate to the use of tobacco and smoking as they may also affect the city.”
“The city already prohibits smoking in work places, except restaurants and bars,” he said. “And there are jurisdiction issues involved in city property vs. city right of way.
“You’re just not aware of these kinds of issues until you start having conversations that touch on them,” said Wilson, associate provost for academic personnel.
There will need to be further detailed research done to better understand campus boundaries and rights-of-way, he said.
The task force also heard from Corey Farris, WVU’s director of housing. Current University policy prohibits smoking in buildings, but allows for an exception for residence halls. However the University has not exercised that exception, instead providing designated outdoor smoking areas for people who live in the residence halls. Farris explained where those areas are to give the task force a better understanding of the current situation on campus.
The 11-member task force was formed by WVU President James P. Clements in early December to examine the University’s existing smoking policy, which was created in 1990, and discuss any recommended changes. It is to issue a status report by the end of the academic year.
The next meeting will be held in two weeks; Wilson said the task force will discuss four land grant institutions which have banned smoking on campus: University of Kentucky, Oklahoma State University, University of New Mexico and University of Florida.
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jb/03/05/10
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