By Josh Gallo / Staff writer

Students, SGA members and faculty convened on Nov. 7th at Fireside Lounge to discuss the new smoking policy implemented by the Oakland campus. The policy prohibits smoking within 15 feet of primary building entrances and air-intake vents and is effective immediately throughout the entire University of Pittsburgh system.

Rick Fogle, dean of student services, said the issue started at Pitt-Greensburg because of complaints voiced by nonsmokers who had to walk through “a cloud of smoke” to get to classes in buildings such as Powers Hall or Smith Hall.

Because of such complaints, a referendum was passed by the SGA last year to move smokers away from building entrances at Smith, McKenna, Chambers, and Powers Hall.

Although benches were ordered to put in front of Chambers Hall this past September as a result of the referendum, the Oakland procedure came as a total surprise, said Fogle.

Fogle said the 15 feet came from a city of Pittsburgh ordinance implemented a few years ago. However, it was later overturned because of complaints.

Students voiced their opinions about the new policy and offered suggestions on how to deal with the policy in residence halls.

Karen Dexheimer, a sophomore at Pitt-Greensburg, said she “has a problem with the new policy” because smokers need a covered area to go to when it rains. She said smokers only gather outside of building entrances because there is an overhang there to protect them when it rains.

Jessica Stanton, a nonsmoker and IAV president, said smoking doesn’t bother her, but that it is an issue of courtesy not to blow smoke in people’s pathways. Stanton said residence halls are individual communities, so each community should be able to vote on whether or not to allow smoking in their entrance ways.

Warren Lewis, a junior and College Hall resident, said it may be more difficult to vote on such a policy at College Hall, as opposed to the academic villages, because there are approximately 130 students living in College Hall and only 25 to 30 living in each academic village.

“This is going to be a community agreement,” said Brian Root, resident director. Root said other campuses have these policies and the general consensus usually is no rain, no problem.

Fogle said he is open to having each individual community set their own rules, as long as those rules are within reason.