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HOLLAND
COLLEGE • March 5, 2002
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COLLEGE
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| {Students
must puff off school grounds next year: Morrison Kyle Bent xkbent@hollandc.pe.ca Frank Morrison hopes to have smoking eliminated from college grounds by the end of the school year, making Holland College the first Maritime community college to go non-smoking. The head of student services at Charlottetown Centre is chairing a committee of five Holland College students who will be assessing what problems the school will face if the changeover happens. The committee originally began as a way to help implement the provincial government's plan to ban smoking in public areas. "But they put that on the backburner," Morrison said. However, it's still the college's goal to go no smoking. One aim of the committee is to help find proper cessation programs for students. Through student consultation by the committee, Morrison hopes to have enough information to present to the college's board of directors by March break. "The problem now is our smoking areas are in contradiction to our smoking policy," he said. Designated smoking areas are not to be in places where non-smokers are effected. 
The area near the Photography class is a major source of complaints because the smoke comes in through the windows and doors, said Morrison. Another problem is it's not clear where the smoking areas are, so people tend to step outside the closest exit. "It's very difficult to find a smoking area that doesn't inconvenience people in the school," Morrison said. "We have a lot of building, but not enough land." The original plan was to have the committee set up by Christmas so a presentation could be made to the directors in January, but establishment of the committee was delayed. Committee member Darrin Foulkes said he doesn't know what the plans are for student consultation because there hasn't been a committee meeting yet. One thing's for certain, he doesn't think any new smoking rules should come in until next year. It would be too much of an adjustment to students, the Interactive Media student said. Next year's students would have an easier time conforming because it will already be an established rule, he said. "If that's what policy is when they come, that's the policy." } |
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