Smoking survey to be released soon

By Kelsey Proud

Published May 4, 2007

Results of a campus-wide survey of students, staff and faculty members about possible changes to the MU smoking policy could be released by the end of the month said Jim Levin, co-chairman of the MU Campus Smoking Policy Task Force.

The task force, a group commissioned by MU administrators, was assigned to research the opinions of the university community regarding the campus smoking policy.

A portion of the task force's research came in the form of the survey sent out via mass e-mail to all MU students, faculty and staff in February. Nearly 9,000 responses from those who chose to participate represented "a pretty even spread ... proportionate to the ratios of students, faculty and staff, as they are represented on campus," Levin said.

Representation of all MU community members is vital to discussing smoking on campus, said Peers Against Secondhand Smoke President Traci Harr. PASS is a student group advocating changes to the smoking policy.

"The survey process is a great idea that gets an accurate random sample of students," Harr said. "In order for the best policy recommendation to be made, it is imperative to give students an opportunity to voice their opinions."

The other two-thirds of the community equation, faculty and staff, would also have to adhere to any changes in the smoking policy made as a result of the survey's findings.

"You can't overemphasize the importance of seeking out the opinions of not only students, but also of staff and faculty," Harr said.

When the data compilation process is complete, the task force will break down the survey results, analyze them and then provide a recommendation report based on their findings, Levin said. He also said each survey question will be individually summarized in the report, including percentages of participants who agreed with each response.

Percentages can be useful to fully understanding the campus climate surrounding the issue of smoking and might be indicative of what the survey results will reveal upon their release to the public.

"72 percent of our students don't smoke, so I would expect them to be supportive of a change," Harr said.

Harr said she believes this majority of non-smokers will send a clear message to the administration.

"If the chancellor sees a majority of student, staff and faculty opinion leaning toward change, that might sway him toward taking the final step to change the policy after a recommendation is made (by the task force)," Harr said.

Any changes to the policy could be in place by next fall, Levin said. In the case that changes are made, Harr said she expects PASS will make sure the policy is clearly and widely understood.

"PASS could serve a very influential role by educating students and staff on what the policy will be on campus and really promoting the services that the university already provides, such as free nicotine replacement therapy for students," Harr said.

The results of the survey, along with the task force's recommendation, will be sent to Administrative Services Vice Chancellor Jackie Jones, who will then present it to Chancellor Brady Deaton, Levin said.

"And in the end, it's really up to him," he said.