By Chris Cunningham
and Brian Ruth
The Scene staff
Electronic cigarettes will no longer be allowed on St. Louis Community College campuses following a decision Aug. 14 by the Board of Trustees to amend the districtwide tobacco ban to include the smoking devices.
The change is already in effect.
“This ban is not new, but e-cigarettes are a new portion of it,” said Forest Park Police Chief Richard Banahan said.
The Trustees unanimously passed the revised version of Board Policy B.23 to include the words “illegal substances, and all forms of electronic smoking devices.”
The revision states that there are no designated smoking areas within the property boundaries of any STLCC campus and that violators are subject to disciplinary action, including fines.
Minutes of the board meeting describe how the ban will be enforced, saying, “A citation will be issued by St. Louis Community College police and a fee of $15 will be assessed.”
“Our officers will issue a warning or a citation, depending on the circumstance,” Banahan said. “Most of the time, people will be getting a citation.”
Also, student transcripts will not be released, and registration for subsequent semesters will not be permitted until all violations and related fees have been cleared.
Student Bobbie Linnen, 60, a building inspection and code enforcement technology major, said he agrees with the revised policy.
“E-cigs should be banned,” he said. “From a distance, they might think it’s something you are smoking other than an e-cig.”
International business student Wang Ham, 23, disagrees with banning e-cigarettes.
“I don’t think it should be banned because some people quit (tobacco) cigarettes and substitute them with e-cigarettes,” he said. “There’s nothing bad in it, and you can enjoy smoking without harming yourself.”
Visitors to STLCC campuses cannot be issued citations, so it will be up to police to let them know about the policy.
Banahan said officers are not being expected to “ramp up” with aggressive enforcement of the smoking ban.
“We don’t increase or decrease enforcement based on things like this,” he said. “We always conduct a measured response to anything that comes up.”