Associated Students, Inc. board members J.J. Hurley and Luke Wood made the right decision when they backed off of their resolution to ban smoking on campus, but for the wrong reason.

At the Sept. 26 board meeting, Wood and Hurley amended their anti-smoking resolution, and an agreement was reached to simply support research on the effects cigarette smoke has on campus. The curious thing is that the reason for backing off was not because they felt that their first proposal was doomed. According to Hurley, the proposal would have passed without rewording. Why would Hurley and Wood change what they thought was best for students? Well, their motivation for the changes came from a place far removed from students. Hurley said one reason he and Wood watered down the resolution was to avoid offending the administration.

Explaining his comment, Hurley said that “President Donald Gerth makes decisions,” meaning that administration must approve of policy changes. The fact that any members of ASI are worried about offending the administration is ridiculous. ASI members are voted on by students and students only. They are who ASI should consider when formulating ideas.

Why shouldn?t our student government be worried about offending the administration? Do Republicans reconsider ideas if they think some Democrats may be offended? No. They are at odds on a lot of issues, and they work out their disagreements. ASI members should not attempt a policy change based on perceived reactions by administration.

They should not be worried about offending anyone but students. In regards to the administration, the student government should challenge them and bring the ideas they consider to be the best for the students of Sac State. That is what ASI is there for, to look out for students, not the administration.

As it turns out, there are plenty of reasons for Wood and Hurley to stop pushing the smoking ban; fear of offending the administration was not one of them.

Allowing smoking only in the parking areas, as originally planned, would make it very hard for some students to get to class on time. People addicted to cigarettes have virtually no choice but to smoke.

With 10 to 15 minutes between classes, some of these students routinely use this time to light up. If students had to go to the parking lots to smoke ? and many would ? while trying to get across campus to their next class, being on time would be difficult. It is unfair that an ASI policy would force some students to quit smoking or be late to class.

Hurley hopes new smoking research will turn up enough information to spur a new policy, one that will only allow smoking in the parking lots at Sac State. However, the problem of getting to class on time for the students who smoke between classes would still remain if Hurley?s wishes are ever put into action.

Finally, it is ironic that Wood and Hurley, after reviewing a survey from earlier this year about Sac State?s current smoking regulations not being enforced, took a large step in making the regulations much stronger. But if the few minor smoking rules that are already in place can?t be enforced, it doesn?t follow that harsher rules would be any more effective.

Russ Edmondson is a non-smoker, but he does know and associate with smokers. He can be reached at [email protected].