Faculty protest smoking

Two weeks ago, 41 faculty and staff members signed a letter to the Dean's office venting their frustration over the lack of student compliance of the no smoking policy outside of King. Today there's no clean air in sight.

"It comes directly into my office. I can tell without a watch when classes are out," Professor of Classics James Helm said about the smoke that infiltrates his office each hour. "I know other faculty members who don't spend much time in their offices because it's so irritating," he said.

Complaints such as these have been surfacing for four years, ever since the College instituted a policy barring smoking indoors. In an attempt to ameliorate the situation, the physical plant installed large six foot by eight foot filters on the ventilation system. According to Professor of Anthropology Jack Glazier, they haven't helped.

"With the filters there is no reduction at all. The only thing that will correct this problem is for smokers to move away from the building," Glazier said.

The filters remove particulates from the air. The odor of smoke, however, is caused by the organic gases that cannot be removed by the traditional filtration devices. Associate Dean of the College Bruce Richards said an activated charcoal filter might solve the problem, but at this point, the service building feels it has exhausted its possibilities.

Former Physical Plant Director Gene Matthews said the problem is not the filter. According to Matthews, the smoke wafts up to the open windows above.

The Dean's office does not have a specific tactic planned to enforce the no smoking policy. Richards said normally the judicial board handles cases of policy offenses, but the judicial board does not send out enforcers.

"They depend on offended people getting the names of students smoking there," Matthews said.

The smoke that is drawn into the building is distributed first to the third floor, and then drops down to the lower floors. Faculty and students alike complain about the smoke there.

"In terms of the number of faculty who experience smoke in their offices, the percentage is small. But a number feel they shouldn't have to walk the gauntlet everytime they walk into the building," Helm said. "Potentially it's an issue for anyone going in the building."

At the beginning of the semester, Helm invented the Scofflaw Award, a slip of paper reminding smokers of the faculty members suffering inside.

The Award states, "This award recognizes your conspicuous failure to observe the rules of common decency by respecting the rights of human beings not to be harassed and endangered by offensive secondary smoke. The purpose of the sign which you are intentionally ignoring is to prevent smoke from entering the ventilation system of the King building and through that, the offices located within. We would appreciate you respecting this important health request."

This reminder of respect for rules was echoed by Glazier. "Civility and self-regulation are not working," Glazier said. "The next thing is really a sanction."

Richards said he does not know of any specific plans to actively enforce the rule.

The College may construct a kiosk for smokers to stand under between classes. "Especially on a bad day, people congregate. If you have an office hour, it's terrible," Glazier said.

No butts about it: Professors are putting their feet down on students' smoking outside of King. (photo by Ned Basbaum)