College Administration debates E-Cigarette Policy
Benjamin Synder
Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: News
A policy for electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, will potentially be devised in the near future by the College Council after a survey was sent out by Kate Pipkin, the Executive Director of Communications, to the Goucher community calling for the opinions of students, staff, and faculty about whether the use of e-cigarettes should be covered by the college smoking policy via e-mail on October 23. As of now, it is unclear what the role of the survey will be in helping the College Council, whose role is to advise President Sanford Ungar, or what the final policy about e-cigarettes will entail, if it is agreed that there should be one.
According to the Campus Handbook, the College Council is comprised of the Provost, the Vice President and Dean of Students, the Associate Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, the Executive Director of Communications, the Vice President for Development and Alumnae/I Affairs, the Vice President for Finance, the Vice President for Enrollment Management, the Vice President for Technology and Planning, the Special Assistant to the President, the General Counsel, two faculty members, two students, and two administrative staff members.
Laurie Burton-Graham, Goucher's General Counsel, played an integral role in the possible creation of policy regarding e-cigarette usage. "A student sent me an email last spring asking if e-cigarettes were covered by the campus smoking policy. I brought the question to College Council, whose members agreed that a campus-wide survey would be advisable before any decision is made," she said.
Ms. Burton-Graham continued, "To be honest, I'd never heard of e-cigarettes until receiving that e-mail last spring. However, if a question is raised by a member of the college community, we should address it; also, if/as e-cigarettes become more commonly used, it would be helpful for smokers and non-smokers alike to have some clarity about their permitted use on campus.
According to the Campus Handbook, the College Council is comprised of the Provost, the Vice President and Dean of Students, the Associate Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, the Executive Director of Communications, the Vice President for Development and Alumnae/I Affairs, the Vice President for Finance, the Vice President for Enrollment Management, the Vice President for Technology and Planning, the Special Assistant to the President, the General Counsel, two faculty members, two students, and two administrative staff members.
Laurie Burton-Graham, Goucher's General Counsel, played an integral role in the possible creation of policy regarding e-cigarette usage. "A student sent me an email last spring asking if e-cigarettes were covered by the campus smoking policy. I brought the question to College Council, whose members agreed that a campus-wide survey would be advisable before any decision is made," she said.
Ms. Burton-Graham continued, "To be honest, I'd never heard of e-cigarettes until receiving that e-mail last spring. However, if a question is raised by a member of the college community, we should address it; also, if/as e-cigarettes become more commonly used, it would be helpful for smokers and non-smokers alike to have some clarity about their permitted use on campus.
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