Smokers relocate, policy succeeds

Maybe unless you’re a smoker, the transition into a tobacco-free campus has been smooth sailing. The smoking shack outside of Whitehorse is gone; a red picnic table now perched upon the concrete square. Signs about the policy are rampant around campus, and security has an eye out for any offenders. On Sept. 21, EvCC officially became a tobacco free campus, making it the fourth community technical college in the state. KOMO news did a story on it over the summer. EvCC was awarded the Healthy Workplace Award by the Snohomish Health District on Sept. 18, an award given when businesses, agencies and other organizations surpass the legal minimum with a written policy protecting the health of students, faculty and the like from secondhand smoke. Sisneros said the overall, the transition has been smooth.

The first weeks of the quarter were a grace period, during which people were given verbal warnings about the policy. On Oct. 1, security was given the go-ahead to start handing out citations when necessary. “A citation would be handled just like a parking ticket,” said Sisneros. A citation of 20 dollars would be given to an offender, and if multiple citations had to be given, the issue would be handled by way of the student code of conduct. According to Sisneros, only one citation has been given out, and it wasn’t until the third week of the quarter.

 The citation was given near Olympus hall. The college has put out cigarette butt receptacles around the main areas where people have gone to smoke, mainly along Wetmore. Campus groundskeepers have been cleaning up cigarette butts around the edge of campus in an effort to help keep the surrounding neighborhood clean and as unaffected by this policy as possible. “The biggest challenge right now is to minimize the impact on the neighborhood,” said Pat Sisneros, vice president of college services. Despite the effort, the college has received two complaints from the neighborhood, he said, adding that the word needs to get out that smokers need to remember their manners and move aside when someone walks by on the sidewalk.

Don’t blow smoke toward people. How is the change affecting campus life? Non-smoking student Forrest Slechta said the policy doesn’t really affect him. “I like it, I guess. It’s nice to not have everyone standing around smoking.” Student Gabe Weibewright said he remembers the smoking shack. “I thought it was disrespectfully placed.” Welding student Ben Kalata said in regards to the policy, “It’s alright, but I think we should have a place to smoke.” Kalata said the fumes from welding he breathes in are far worse than cigarette smoke. “I don’t care if people smoke,” said non-smoking student Don Lancaster. He said just because he doesn’t smoke, or advocate smoking in any way, that doesn’t mean he’d burden smokers by taking it away from them. With only one citation out thus far, Sisneros said he doesn’t anticipate a problem, but says to wait and see when the weather changes.