Smokers at Moorpark College are now banned to the parking lots, after a new policy change was implemented for the first time this semester, with other campuses soon to follow suit.
Ventura College is in the last phases of implementing a similar policy on campus that will prohibit smoking except in the parking lots. Oxnard College officials are in the early stages of making the change as well.
Sharon Manakas, a registered nurse and Moorpark College Health Center coordinator, believes the policy is the right thing to do for student health and has found students to be cooperative so far.
“We have a respectful group of students- respectful of the campus community,” said Manakas. .
Implementing the new policy comes after a five-year long battle. After facing heavy opposition, designated smoking areas were reduced from seven to four after Sharon Gibbs, Health Care Educator, joined the health center staff four years ago. Since then, she and Manakas have been busy at work trying to ban smokers to the parking lot completely. With Associated Students on board last semester, the policy proposal was brought to the college president and vice presidents for consideration. The decision was made to change the campus policy with very little student or faculty opposition, none of which was made formally.
Gibbs does spot checks of the campus on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; handing out brightly colored slips of paper with “friendly reminders” on them to those few she catches smoking on the campus proper.
While the policy may be successful from the watchful eye of the Health Center, and may have been an improvement from last semester, the campus is still covered in cigarette butts and many students to do not believe the policy is being effectively enforced.
“I think it’s a good policy, but I don’t think I’ll get in trouble for doing it,” said Moorpark College student and smoker, Amy Bond, as she enjoyed a cigarette in front of the Administration Building.
“We don’t want to be smoke police,” said Gibbs, “but students should remember that failure to abide by the new policy can and will result in disciplinary action,” she cautions.
The new policy proposal at Ventura College has only to be presented to the president and vice presidents for approval, and isexpected to be implemented by the coming spring semester. Ventura College students and smokers should be prepared to step out to the parking lot when they decide it’s time for a smoke.
In Oxnard, officials first moved to ban smoking a year ago and were told that such a change could not be made because the parking lots were lacking in sufficient lighting. Oxnard College Health Care Supervisor Mary Jones has put the idea of a policy change back on the table with the completion of a new brightly-lit parking lot.
“It’s a good move. I’m working on it over here,” said Jones of the policy change at Moorpark College.
Students and faculty across the district who would like to kick the habit can find help by calling 1-800-201-STOP
