SGA rejects possibility of campus-wide smoking ban
Reporting about the SGA, not a record of it: The Johns Hopkins News-Letter published this and the SGA did not write it, file it, or approve it. The archive holds it because the article itself uses the phrases “sga” and “student government”.
Summary
- This Johns Hopkins News-Letter article reports on an SGA resolution about campus smoking restrictions and the responses to it.
- The News-Letter reported that members of the SGA passed a resolution extending the smoking boundary from 10 feet to 30 feet from main buildings; 19 members voted for it and seven voted against it, and the SGA did not endorse a complete campus smoking ban.
- The paper reported that Hopkins Kicks Butts had proposed the measure and presented evidence that secondhand smoke could be detected 23 feet away; the original proposal included a $15 fine, but the amended resolution did not.
- The article says senior class senator Abby Duggan called the resolution a middle ground, while HKB president Sarah Durica said evidence supported a campus-wide ban but appreciated the step taken.
- The reporter writes that SGA members questioned whether a campus-wide ban could be enforced and stressed gradual steps toward a smoke-free campus.
- The article adds that the resolution was sent to deans Susan Boswell and Paula Burger, who would decide whether to put it into effect.
- The News-Letter reported mixed student reactions: Ariel Zhao supported the measure because of secondhand smoke, while Edmund Ruge questioned it on smokers’ rights grounds.