Editorial: Administration ignores students

Students did not, in fact, support the smoking ban.

Published May 7, 2009

Going directly against students’ wishes to put into motion a three-step smoking ban on campus is one thing. Citing student support for the ban after it was voted against by MU’s two most prominent student governments is a whole other kind of slap in the face.

In fact, the Missouri Students Association voted down legislation proposing a smoking ban and the Residence Halls Association even passed a resolution in favor of smokers' rights, stating students could smoke on residence halls balconies if the students sharing that floor agreed merely a week before the ban was announced.

The administration, namely Chancellor Brady Deaton who personally pushed for the smoking ban, apparently somehow interpreted this as an act of approval on behalf of students.

The ban, which will turn MU into a completely smoke-free campus by 2014, is a drastic move that should have taken into account student opinion, not twisted to make it seem like we supported the idea.

As students, we know it’s no rare circumstance for the administration to act without our approval, we’d just rather they not lie to us about ignoring us.