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The Board of Trustees deadlocked at a tie in voting on approval of a campus smoking policy change establishing designated smoking areas at PCC on July 1.With William Thomson absent on vacation, the motion to approve the new policy failed with three votes in favor and three votes opposing.

At the meeting Ellen Ligons, president of the campus Management Association, asked for the board to defer voting on the policy so it may reconsider the cost impact.

“The Management Association requested at the last College Coordinating Council [meeting] that this not go to the board until we have an opportunity to reconsider it because as it’s reading it’s going to be an additional cost to build those designated areas,” Ligons said.

“This policy calls for spending money to build designated smoking areas and management wanted to reconsider spending a lot of money or a little money considering where we are. Is that what we should be doing at this time?”

PCC President Paulette Perfumo spoke on behalf of the College Coordinating Council.

“The College Coordinating Council did approve the policy as it is presented here and we had talked about going to the next level which would be going completely 100 percent smoke free,” said Perfumo.

The majority of board members at the meeting favored the idea of a smoke-free campus.

Board members Consuelo Rey Castro, Beth Wells-Miller and Jeannette Mann voted against reforming the policy, while Geoff Baum, John Martin and Hilary Bradbury-Huang voted for the policy.

Martin said he would be in favor of a smoke-free campus but wished to address the immediacy of reforming the policy for sake of the health of those on campus.

Rey Castro and Mann both wished to follow procedure and allow for the Management Association to revisit the policy change and its monetary impact.

“I don’t think we have to go through this process,” said Mann in a later interview.

She had pressed for the board to follow the city of Pasadena in banning smoking in most public areas.

The Health and Safety Committee reported that there has been no opposition from campus constituent groups such as the
Academic Senate, Classified Senate and the CCC.

The only exception is the Management Association suggesting a 100 percent smoke-free campus.

Four designated smoking areas, known as “the four corners,” were under consideration, as proposed by the Health and Safety Committee.

A designated smoking area is also up for consideration at PCC’s sister campus, the Community Education Center.

“Although nothing is set in concrete, four areas are under consideration,” said Jo Buzcko, coordinator of student health services.

“It may take some time to sort out the best places since we want accessible places for smokers while at the same time smoke-free pathways for those who do not want exposure to secondhand smoke and the unsightly litter.”

The 2008-2009 Associated Students Executive Board approved a resolution on March 16 to change the policy that would make PCC smoke-free with designated smoking areas.

The current AS Executive Board has taken a stance in favor of a designated smoking area policy.

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