Faculty Senate raises issues with Idaho Tobacco Compromise’s presentation
Multiple members of the University of Idaho Faculty Senate voiced concerns about a presentation made by the Idaho Tobacco Compromise Tuesday.
The Idaho Tobacco Compromise, a group opposed to a tobacco ban on the UI campus, urged senators to support the idea of issuing a ballot measure to students, staff and faculty that includes proposals from both the Idaho Tobacco Compromise and the Tobacco Task Force.
Jackson Flynn | Argonaut
The Idaho Tobacco Compromise gave a presentation Tuesday evening during a Faculty-Staff Senate meeting int Brink Hall.
The Idaho Tobacco Compromise’s plan is to create designated smoking areas on campus away from buildings, while the policy proposed by the Tobacco Task Force would prohibit the use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, pipes, hookah, cigars and all other tobacco products on UI property.
While many senators showed support for a ballot measure, some said the Idaho Tobacco Compromise’s arguement made them skeptical.
Steven Peterson, economics professor and member of the Idaho Tobacco Compromise, said the purpose of the presentation was to inform the senate about an alternative to a full tobacco ban. He said he was under the impression the senate had endorsed the task force’s policy, but said the senate had only heard one side of the issue.
Joseph Cook, Idaho Tobacco Compromise member, said he believes most students are not thoroughly educated about the forthcoming proposals to alter UI’s tobacco policy. He said he believes that if a mild change to the tobacco policy were voted for alongside the task force’s proposed ban, it would receive the majority’s favor.
When Peterson spoke to the senators, he repeatedly made use of an analogy comparing the proposed tobacco ban to America’s “war on drugs.” His analogy sparked many objections from senators who thought the comparison was not reasonable or accurate.
Sen. James Foster said he thought Peterson’s analogy was an “incredible stretch.” Foster criticized several other arguments against the ban made by the Idaho Tobacco Compromise, including the argument that secondhand smoke wasn’t a serious health risk. He said if the Idaho Tobacco Compromise’s presentation were one of his student’s assignments, he would give it a poor grade.
“This is an incredibly bad argument,” Foster said. “Presenting this argument should be embarrassing to your cause.”
Peterson defended his use of the war on drugs analogy. He said the point of the analogy was to illustrate how previous drug prohibitions weren’t effective in reducing the use of those drugs, so the task force’s policy most likely wouldn’t reduce tobacco use at UI.
Sen. Mark Miller had qualms about the comparison as well. In fact, he said there were multiple points in the presentation he doubted.
“I think some of this is scare tactic,” Miller said.
Miller said he thought Peterson’s prediction that UI classified staff would be fired for going off campus to take a smoke break during work hours served only to scare people.
Miller also discredited a comment from Peterson, who said UI personnel would have to walk one to two miles to reach off campus property. Miller said the UI campus is not that large and there would definitely not be a situation where someone would need to walk over a mile to get off campus.
Several other senators asked for staff representation in the Idaho Tobacco Compromise’s proposed ballot initiative idea. In the initial presentation — before the question and answer period — the Idaho Tobacco Compromise described how a vote through ASUI and UI faculty would work, but did not include a mention of staff. Peterson said Idaho Tobacco Compromise is interested in involving staff in the vote, but had not yet figured out a concrete plan to do so.
Sen. SeAnne Safaii, of the Coeur d’ Alene campus, said she believed a tobacco ban would set a good example to elementary, middle and high school students who are already subject to smoke free policies.
Safaii said UI has a responsibility to the community to set a healthy example, a point many senators agreed with.
“We have elementary schools, middle schools and high schools who are all smoke free,” Safaii said. “We don’t see our teachers out smoking usually, and that’s because we’re modeling our behavior for the future generations.”
Despite objections to points in the Idaho Tobacco Compromise’s presentation, many senators expressed support for the group’s proposal to cast a vote between the two opposing policy ideas.
Peterson said he was pleased with Faculty Senate’s receptiveness of an alternate idea, and said the Idaho Tobacco Compromise will move forward by figuring out how to run a ballot initiative for students, staff and faculty.
According to Cook, a vote would not definitively decide the fate of UI’s tobacco policy, but instead give UI President Chuck Staben a better look at how the UI community feels about a tobacco ban. Currently, Staben holds the final authority to approve any change to the policy, Cook said.
“Ultimately, all the action comes down to Staben,” Cook said. “So we’re trying to just kind of sway the constituents around, maybe get them on our side in order to maybe influence Staben.”
Reporting contributed by Amber Emery.
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected]