College trustees hear smoking complaint

At its regular May meeting on Monday, the Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees raised the age for the senior tuition benefit to 65 and heard a student complaint about the campus smoking policy. During citizen comments, Jackson Hokanson advocated making the campus tobacco-free. The college now only allows smoking in designated areas.

He offered statistics during his presentation, including that tobacco is a public health crisis that killed more Americans than terrorism, World War II, cocaine, heroine, alcohol, vehicular accidents, homicide or suicide combined. “As an educational institute, we have the responsibility to not only educate our students, but also protect them as well as faculty, staff and visitors from health hazards on campus,” Hokanson said.

He said secondhand smoke kills 50,000 people each year, and that about four Montanans die every day of a tobacco-related disease with a related cost exceeding $305 million. “Our poorly placed designated smoking area is a commonly traveled route between the childhood center and the rest of campus,” he said. Hokanson pointed out that the new nursing/health building is adjacent to this site as well. He alleged that there have been no efforts to make sure people smoking on campus are of legal age. Trustees don’t act on items brought up under citizens’ comments.

However, trustee Tom Harding asked Hokanson to provide copies of his research to the board, and trustee Mark Holston said he would like so see the issue revisited as a future agenda item. The board has considered making the campus tobacco-free but decided that policy might prevent some displaced workers from taking retraining for new careers.