The Government of the Student Body and ISU Police are working to further enforce the no-smoking policy on campus. 

ISU Police said they work to enforce the Smoke Free Air Act by patrolling all areas of campus. They look for students, faculty and visitors violating the act and then issue a citation of $50.

“The majority of our enforcement comes from complaints that we receive across campus,” said Captain Carrie Jacobs of the ISU Police. “When we receive a complaint we go to the area, and if we find that person smoking, we confront them.” 

People familiar with the university, such as students, faculty, staff and contractors, are all given explicit instructions of the smoke-free policy when they come to campus, Jacobs said.

ISU Police patrols certain areas of campus more than others to find violators of the no-smoking policy.

“We do have ‘hot spots’ where certain staff members go to certain areas to smoke at specific times,” Jacobs said.

Behind campus buildings near the dumpster areas have become popular spots for violators.

“There is usually a fence around the dumpsters, and people use that to hide from officers and building managers,” Jacobs said.

Smoking on campus is a problem, Jacobs said, but it has decreased since the Smoke Free Air Act was initiated in 2008.

“When the policy was first enforced, there were a lot of complaints of people smoking on campus, but now we’ve started to see a drop in that,” Jacobs said.

Electronic cigarettes are beginning to raise questions with students and faculty on campus. The ISU community wonders what exactly they are, and if they are allowed on campus.

Electronic cigarettes are cigarette-shaped devices containing a nicotine-based liquid that is vaporized and inhaled, which is used to simulate the experience of smoking tobacco.

Currently, E-cigarettes are not banned on campus.

“The Iowa Department of Public Health does not address E-cigarettes,” Jacobs said. “However, even though the state of Iowa doesn’t make E-cigarettes part of the no-smoking policy, they are leaving it up to each institution or organization to make their own determination about them. At this time, Iowa State University does not ban them.” 

However, the Government of Student Body is working to change that.

Sen. Danielle Nygard, sophomore in event management serving her third term, is working to get E-cigarettes banned.

“We wrote a resolution trying to ban electronic nicotine delivery systems,” Nygard said. “We want electronic cigarettes included in the no-smoking policy, stating that students, faculty and all visitors cannot smoke anywhere on our campus.” 

The Government of Student Body, Faculty Senate and Professional and Scientific Council are the three councils that need to write a resolution to ban E-cigarettes before the university will consider it.

The policy may also have to go to the Board of Regents due to the resolution being campus-wide.

“It’s a lengthy process, but it’s something that we really want to get done and get the support of everyone involved,” Nygard said.

Whether E-cigarettes are allowed in the future or not, regular cigarettes are still completely banned on campus.

“Please follow our ISU policy,” Jacobs said. “It is put in place for a reason, and we want everyone’s visit here to Iowa State to be a happy and smoke-free one.”