Faculty Senate passed a recommendation on Oct. 17 that would make Eastern smoke-free by July 1, 2008.

The Student Government passed a resolution on Nov. 1 that did not support the campus-wide ban.

But Eastern’s administration doesn’t have to take one group’s opinion over another.

The administration takes both Faculty Senate and Student Government’s opinions seriously, said Kent Ohms, speaker for Student Government.

Both governing bodies are there to represent their respective constituents.

“If people are talking about it, there should be some action taken on it,” Ohms said.

The debate begs the question: will anything actually happen?

“Honestly, it’s anybody’s game,” he said.

But for now, the administration is still following rules under the current policy.

A committee will be formed toward the end of this semester or in January to look at the current policy and to try to find ways to change and improve the policy.

Ohms said the smokers on campus might have a better chance of keeping smoking areas if they smoked only in the designated smoking areas.

These areas can be found on Eastern’s Web site, as defined and approved in 1995.

If smoking was limited to those areas, and people followed the rules instead of smoking all over campus, the groups would find a compromise, Ohms said.

Illinois State Schools douse the flame

This summer, Governor Rod Blagojevich signed a law banning smoking in public and private college residence halls.

Smokers at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale must also stay 25 feet away from the building, and that doesn’t just mean the entrance, said Andy Morgan, Southern’s coordinator of student development.

If someone is seen breaking the rules, the department of public safety can be contacted, but that doesn’t usually happen, Morgan said.

Western Illinois University in Macomb has regulations that keep people 50 feet away from buildings while smoking. Smoking is even prohibited at some entrances on campus, said John Mcguire, Western’s assistant vice president for university relations.

Northern Illinois University in DeKalb permits people to smoke outside university buildings, but ashtrays are moved away from entrances and to lesser-traffic locations, said Tom Parisi, a public affairs specialist at Northern.

Illinois State University in Normal implements a rule allowing smoking at least 30 feet away from university buildings. Jay Groves, ISU spokesman, said that rule seems to be working on campus.

Who it would affect

There’s really no way to tell exactly how many people on campus smoke or how many a smoking ban would affect.

But of the 3,974 students surveyed in the most recent housing assignment survey for the residence halls and Greek court, 193 indicated that they smoke.

The majority, 3,667 students, said they didn’t smoke, while 114 students didn’t respond.

These numbers probably aren’t accurate, said Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining. Some students may not want to live with someone who smokes, regardless of their smoking preference.

Some students may also lie about smoking if they complete the survey at home and don’t want a parent or family member to find out, Hudson said.

Previous stories about the proposed smoking ban and current smoking policy have said that people must stand at least 50 feet away from university buildings to legally smoke.

But the 50 feet rule isn’t actually listed anywhere. It’s a number that came from somewhere outside of the university, said Gary Bulla, a member of the Tobacco Task Force.

The designated smoking areas are places located at least 50 feet away from university buildings, Bulla said.

Bulla presented the resolution to promote the health of students and staff at the Faculty Senate meeting on Oct. 17.

Bulla said the goal was to get a discussion going.

“That’s what we’re trying to get done,” he said.

He said that Tobacco Task Force doesn’t want to try to inhibit people’s rights, but is concerned for the health of people on campus.

(Fact Box)

Benefits over time of quitting smoking:

-20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.

-12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

-two weeks to three months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.

-one to nine months after quitting: coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.

-one year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

-five years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.

-10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker’s. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.

-15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s.

-The American Cancer Society

Nicotine Withdrawal

When smokers try to cut back or quit, the absence of nicotine leads to withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is both physical and mental. Physically, the body reacts to the absence of nicotine. Psychologically, the smoker is faced with giving up a habit, which requires a major change in behavior. Both must be addressed in order for the quitting process to work.

Withdrawal symptoms can include any of the following:

-dizziness (which may only last 1-2 days in the beginning)

-depression

-feelings of frustration and anger

-irritability

-sleep disturbances, including having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep and having bad dreams or even nightmares

-trouble concentrating

-restlessness

-headache

-tiredness

-increased appetite

These symptoms can lead the smoker to again start smoking cigarettes again to boost blood levels of nicotine back to a level where there are no symptoms.

If a person has smoked regularly for a few weeks or longer and abruptly stops using tobacco or greatly reduces the amount smoked, withdrawal symptoms will occur. Symptoms usually start within a few hours of the last cigarette and peak about two to three days later. Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to several weeks.

-The American Cancer Society

Put it out. Don’t light it up. Make the decision to stop. And don’t start again. People around the country will celebrate the 30th annual Great American Smokeout on Thursday, with more than 11 million participants. The idea, according to the American Cancer Society, is to encourage smokers to quit smoking for good by starting with just one day. But people aren’t as concerned with the issue of smoking on campus in general as they are with where and if smokers can light up.