Webster’s Student Government Association approved a proposal to include a possible smoking ban on the spring SGA ballot.
The Journal’s Editorial Staff is torn on whether Webster University should be a smoke-free campus. What is clear is that the decision to put the policy to a vote, allowing students to have the final say, was a well-thought-out idea from Student Life and the Student Government Association, and they should be commended for that.
Webster is part of a small portion of campuses in Missouri that still allow smoking at all. This being the case, letting students decide the fate of on-campus smoking seems like a fair compromise. On most campuses, students would not get a chance to be part of the decision-making process. Being a part of that process is one of the great things about Webster; students get to have a say in policies that affect students.
Some students will more than likely be angered by the idea of smoking being possibly banned at Webster. If that is the case, when the spring ballot is made available online, vote to defend smoking on campus. Too often, we as students are complacent when voting time comes, only to complain when the time allotted to do something about it has passed. This is a decision we as a community must make together, and every student is part of that community.
Smoking has been brought up several times at Delegates’ Agenda in the past, so it is obviously a point of contention for the campus community that needs to be addressed.
Furthermore, it is good to see SGA putting hot-button topics students may be divided on to a vote. The Journal believes SGA should put more topics to votes. Voting for a president, senators, etc. is important because it makes students feel even more involved when they can vote on concrete issues.
Smoking seems like a small issue for some, but it is The Journal’s belief that this topic being put to a vote on the spring ballot is another move toward students being more involved in decision making on campus.
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