BILL#: SEN-10-18

TITLE: Keep Smokers Safe Act

SPONSOR: Robert Tank, East Area (rtank@vols.utk.edu)

COSPONSORS: Grant Peterson, College of Business (gpeter11@vols.utk.edu)

Kathleen Spight, East Area (kspight@vols.utk.edu)

Ronald Young, Central Area (ryoung45@vols.utk.edu)

Ovi Kabir, College of Arts and Sciences (okabir@vols.utk.edu)

Davis Crocker, Off- Campus (dcrocke6@vols.utk.edu)

Owen Flomberg, College of Arts and Sciences (oflomber@vols.utk.edu)

Spencer Ammen, College of Business (sammen@vols.utk.edu)

Spencer Moore, West Area (gmoore13@vols.utk.edu)

DATE: 19 February 2018

Whereas, the University has established a task force with the purpose of reviewing the campus’ smoking and tobacco policy, and

Whereas, in the Fall of 2017, only 32 students were under the age of 18[1] and restricted from buying cigarettes by the federal government, and

Whereas, the University has established a task force with the purpose of reviewing the campus’ alcohol policy, and

Whereas, in the Fall of 2017, only 57%[1] of the student body was eligible to buy and consume alcohol, and

Whereas, according to a task-force representative, the student body has been represented in the decision to restrict their access to tobacco through two student representatives to the task-force, Daily Beacon op-eds, Torchlight pieces, and a 2016 SGA Senate bill,

Whereas, the original student senate bill was vetoed by then Student-Body President, and

Whereas, a search of the Volunteer Torchlight’s YouTube channel yielded no pieces with “smoking,” or “tobacco,” in the title, and

Whereas, a search of all Daily Beacon op-eds in the last ten years containing “smoking,” or “tobacco,” yielded only three articles by two authors calling for the implementation of a campus smoking ban, and

Whereas, the original SGA bill was sponsored solely by the current student body president, and

Whereas, the two student representatives to the task-force are the current student body president and the author of the two of the three previously mentioned op-eds supporting a smoking ban, and

Whereas, the names and contact of task-force representatives are not available online, and

Whereas, the 2017-2018 Undergraduate Student Senate was promised a town hall dedicated to this matter,

Whereas, the task-force has published a survey in lieu of a town hall,

Whereas, the task-force’s survey asks students how they would like a smoking ban to be implemented rather than whether they would like a smoking ban implemented, and

Whereas, a member of the task force, when asked whether the task-force has made any steps, other than the survey and two representatives, to reach out to students, answered “No,” and

Whereas, a member of the task-force has indicated the task-force has no intent to include designated smoking areas for students, faculty, or campus residents in it’s policy change recommendation to the Chancellor, and

Whereas, an absence of designated smoking areas will force students and campus residents to Cumberland Avenue and to other less than ideal locations, and

Whereas, forcing students off campus into unsafe or less monitored areas is not in the best interest of students, or the body’s reputation, and

Whereas, the Student Senate has always been a voice to advocate for safer conditions on and especially off campus regarding proper lighting, sidewalks and crosswalks, criminal Forts Sanders/Strip activity, and

Whereas, the Student Senate should remain a constant voice in calling for the safety of our peers and constituent, and

Whereas, the Student Government Association was established, in part, to, “provide a means for responsible and effective student participation in the organization and in the operation of student affairs.”

Be it hereby resolved, the University of Tennessee 2017-2018 Undergraduate Student Senate requests that no policy be recommend to the Chancellor by the task-force that does not include designated smoking zones until student support for a total ban without designated smoking zones has been proven to the satisfaction of the Undergraduate Student Senate.

Be it hereby resolved, the University of Tennessee 2017-2018 Undergraduate Student Senate requests that the Chancellor not approve any tobacco restrictive policy that does not include designated smoking zones until student support for a total ban without designated smoking zones has been proven to the satisfaction of the Undergraduate Student Senate.

[1] Office of Institutional Research and Assessment https://oira.utk.edu/factbook/enrollment