A Wisconsin Senate Committee held a public hearing Wednesday on a bill prohibiting smoking in or within 25 feet of University of Wisconsin system housing and imposing a fine of $10 on those who defy the ban.
The bill’s presenter, Brad Hub, an executive assistant to one of the bill’s sponsors, Robin Kreibich, R-Eau Claire, said the legislation would take student government out of the decision-making process. Currently, campus student governments decide whether or not to adopt policies allowing smoking in residence halls. Hub said he believes this is a safety issue for which it would be worth going over students’ heads.
“Student senates change over every so often,” Hub said. “This is a way to set a policy [that is not easily reversed].”
Hub said fire safety was a top reason the bill should be granted passage, because students could start fires with lit cigarette butts from their trash or fall asleep with lit cigarettes. He also said the bill was inspired as a result of some residence halls getting sprinkler systems.
Hub said smoking gives the state an economic drag by damaging rooms and mattresses and requiring unnecessary painting to dorm rooms. Hub accused dorm-room smokers of using cigarette smoke to “disguise marijuana smell.”
A UW-Oshkosh administrator was the only other person testifying concerning the proposed legislation, speaking in favor of the smoking ban because secondhand smoke and peer smoking pose health risks. The administrator pointed to a Harvard study that found teens are 44 percent less likely to smoke if residence halls do not permit lighting up in the dorms.
Currently, Madison is one out of 11 of the 13 UW-system schools that does not allow smoking in the rooms. All of the Madison campus residence halls already prohibit smoking within 25 feet of entrances, except for the southeast entrance of Slichter Hall, where a sign posted to the door blatantly states, “Smoking Permitted Outside this Entrance.”
Coincidentally, the UW housing offices are in the basement of Slichter, where many full-time UW staff work.
Hub said the only state law concerning smoking in the dorms leaves it up to the individual student government on each campus to decide whether or not to allow the act.
Hub added that smoking is unappealing and unhealthy.
“It’s just courtesy [not to smoke in the entrances].”
However, some students did not feel the current 25-foot rule is enforced or would be followed. Gina Farmstead, a UW student attending the short courses for farmers, said no one has ever approached her while she smoked under an overhang at Humphrey Hall, one of the Kronshage dorms.
“We have never run into problems,” Farmstead said as she took a smoking break outside the doorway with fellow dorm mates.
Farmstead said she does believe smoking in rooms would pose a fire hazard.
Sean Lynch, a fellow smoker and short-course student, opined non-smokers complain too much for a non-issue like smoking in the doorway when the sky dumps rain, and 25 feet from the hall muddy ponds often form.
“Non-smokers get irritated if you’re … 50 feet away from the building,” Lynch said as he took another drag and huddled under the overhang to avoid the cold rain sprinkling the Madison campus Wednesday night.
