Smoking restricted in state buildings
Non-smokers rejoice; smokers say ‘quit hassling us’
By LESLIE RATLEY
Of the Emerald
While some think House Bill
2423 is a blessing, others con
sider it just one more bureaucratic
hassle. Either way, the Personnel
Division of the State of Oregon is
now required to adopt rules re
stricting smoking in places of em
ployment operated by the state.
This policy charges agency
administrators as of Jan. 1 with
the responsibility of removing
health hazards from the work en
vironment. The action was sanc
tioned by recognized medical au
thorities who believe smoking is
hazardous to the health and
should therefore be “controlled
and/or eliminated.”
The legislation stipulates that
non-smokers employed by the
state no longer may be forced to
work in a smokey area, and re
quires a smoke-free lounge area
at specified times during the day
for non-smoking employees.
Assistant Registrar Wanda
Johnson, who is in charge of pol
icy coordination, says the legisla
tion is addressed to non-smokers.
She stresses that at Oregon Hall
smoker’s rights are given equal
consideration. Both groups have
definite rights she says, as she
attempts to accommodate
everyone in policy formation.
However, at times this is difficult
to accomplish given the “very
emotional" issue of rights, John
son says, the dilemma of only one
lounge was temporarily solved by
establishing an alternating
smoking/non-smoking schedule
for breaks and lunch.
Johnson emphasizes that no
one should be forced to breathe
smoke-filled air in a working
space.
Journalism Prof. Jack Hart, a
smoker, observes that “activist
non-smokers who pass legislation
of this sort” are not really helping
the smokers. He views smoking
as an addiction that should be
treated like an addiction to any
other drug; that is, the government
should fund programs to cure
smokers.
“Why doesn’t the government
quit hassling us and start helping
us? Hart asks. "The bill is just
more bureaucratic hassle for of
fices, especially small ones with
only a few rooms and both smok
ers and non-smokers. Take for in
stance the front office here (jour
nalism school) with only two desks
— what are they going to do if one
person wants to smoke? Put up a
fence?”
When this query was put to Ray
Hawk, vice president of administ
ration and finance at the University,
he responded “that in a situation
like that, the smoker would have to
wait until break time and then go
somewhere else where it would
not be offensive to anyone.”
Many people have argued it is a
smoker’s right to smoke anywhere
at any time, but the position of this
bill and the University administra
tion, according to Hawk, is “You
can do whatever you want to
yourself, but you have no right to
do it to others. There is undeniable
evidence handed down by the
surgeon general that smoking is
alien to good health, both for the
smoker and the non-smoker who
must breathe the air. Therefore, a
smoker would have to smoke in a
place where it would not be offen
sive to non-smokers.”
Private offices, Hawk feels,
complicate the problem if the oc
cupant smokes. Smoking is al
lowed in private offices, but what
happens when someone comes in
who is offended by the fumes?
Under this legislation, non
smokers no longer have to toler
ate smoke, even in a private of
fice. This is the aspect Hawk be
lieves will be challenged in court.
The way Hawk has dealt with
this legislation was not to hand
down “blanket regulations.” The
department heads and deans
were informed of the general regu
lations and the matter was left up
to them to handle, according to the
requirements of each area.
In most areas, there is only one
lounge that must be shared by
groups of smokers and non
smokers. Hawk says it was more
reasonable for individual directors
to coordinate specific policy for
their department than to force con
formity to one plan. While this pol
icy of “grass roots delegation”
won’t produce a uniform Univer
sity system, Hawk says, it will ac
complish the goal of providing
smoke free spaces in an equitable
manner. He says the administra
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tion is not “trying to codify rules,”
all they are attempting to do is
“develop behavior patterns so
people become more sensitive.”
Non-smoking student Marietta
Bajer says, “Smoking makes my
eyes run and my throat hurt. It’s
not fair for people who don’t
smoke to forced to be in a smoke
filled room. I think this bill is good.”
Smoking also annoys John
Henly, another student who feels
this piece of legislation is “a good
thing.” In his opinion, “Smokers
don’t think of others who may be
offended by them smoking. I know
that I wouldn’t want a smoker by
me in a working situation.”
Lynn Ann Fitch, a smoker,
thinks the bill is fair to the point that
if people are offended by or aller
gic to smoke, they aren't forced to
be in the same area, but she feels
smokers have just as many rights
as non-smokers. She thinks it is a
good idea to have separate
lounges, because the smokers
Emerald graphic
wouldn’t be annoyed by the non
smokers “coughing and complain
ing.”
The buildings on campus that
this legislation affects most are
Johnson and Oregon Halls. All
others come under the 1974
smoking restrictions enacted by
former University Pres. Robert
Clark, that banned smoking in
classrooms, public gatherings on
campus and all but a few desig
nated areas in the EMU.
Hawk thinks Oregon Hall is the
greatest challenge in which to ar
range a satisfactory system due to
the large number of people em
ployed there. The general public
and the periodic auditors must
also be accommodated, he says,
since they have to breathe that air
while conducting their business
Johnson says the most impor
tant aspect of requiring smoke
free work areas “is that it is con
ducive to healthy working rela
tionships and good morale."
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