News

Smokers upset over lost kiosks; administrators unfazed
By Ron Rambo

Removal of the smoking kiosks in the Main Mall last week has created confusion, resentment and skepticism among some on campus — and questions still remain.

Those who used the kiosks on a regular basis say the announcement and reasoning behind the move are both puzzling and agitating. MHCC administrators sent an e-mail message April 24 to all staff indicating why the kiosks were removed, but most students were on their own to discover what had happened and why.

The e-mail, from Richard Byers, MHCC director of facilities management, read as follows:

“The two smoking kiosks located in the mall area west of the book store have been removed for repair. If they can be repaired they will be relocated to another area on campus. The college has several events scheduled in the mall area that require a smoke-free venue so these kiosks will not be returned to the mall.”

Not only has this left students who smoke with multiple questions, it has led to an annoyance heavy enough to lead to complaints — if only students knew who to complain to.

“I don’t smoke personally, but everyone in here that does is pretty angry about it,” said cosmetology student Shannon McDiarmid, not sure of where her fellow students would go to find another kiosk. In days prior to the removal, this was the preferred location of those students. But where do they turn now?

“As far as I know, a lot of the students simply sit out in the same area and smoke despite the fact that there are no kiosks out there.”

That raises the question of where the cigarette butts go. If they simply are thrown to the ground, this creates an even bigger and less aesthetically pleasing mess to clean up. If they are thrown in the nearby garbage can, this creates a clear and dangerous fire hazard. Why don’t they complain?

“I’m sure they’d complain if they knew where to go and who to turn to,” McDiarmid said.

Where to go and who to turn to are two things that Mike Wolfe, the chief operating officer at MHCC, is glad to help students out with.

“I haven’t had any complaints so far,” said Wolfe, “and I’m not exactly a hard person to find. I’m easy to get a hold of and have no qualms about talking to people. I don’t have just an open door policy, I have an open life policy. If anyone needs to find me, they can, and I’ll be more than happy to talk to them about things.”

Wolfe said multiple upcoming activities at MHCC were the main reason the kiosks were removed from the Main Mall.

“We’re looking at having a lot of student activities which will require a smoke-free venue to perform them in, including Rites of Spring, the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival and other things,” said Wolfe. “The mall area is just a great amphitheater and the sound resonates really well. The main courtyard is really the epicenter of everything at Mt. Hood; it’ll just look a lot nicer without those things out of there.”

The college also says the kiosks have been removed to repair them, and to ensure the safety of the students.

“We have to ensure that these kiosks are structurally sound,” Wolfe said Wednesday. “After all, they’re essentially just old Tri-met bus stop covers that we’re using. The kiosks are being repaired in a shop on campus as we speak, and are currently getting looked at for being structurally sound.”

Byers said the same, stating, “The wood has rotted out of the support frames. We’re looking at replacing the wood and strengthening those frames.”

Wolfe said he didn’t know exactly where the kiosks were but asked, with a chuckle, “What, does someone miss them? Do they want to go and find them and visit them or something?”

One student pointed out that there are several other kiosks on campus that seemed to need repair more than the ones in the Main Mall.

“There is definitely something going on here,” said Natural Resources student Dennis West, who regularly visits kiosks in the fisheries area that are in much worse shape than the ones in the Main Mall. “Why would they remove ones in the Main Mall that are perfectly fine, when there are kiosks around the horticulture and fisheries areas that are missing the glass panes and have wood that is rotting off the sides of the structure? Why wouldn’t they attempt to repair those first? Doesn’t make sense to me.”

While Byers agreed that many kiosks are in need of repair, there was no mention of why the Main Mall kiosks, which appear to be in better condition than many others kiosks on campus, are being repaired.

Students Wednesday at the kiosk between the 1300 and 1400 blocks said they were angered by the fact that the Main Mall kiosks were simply removed with no student input.

Another student Erika Forslund, said this was a “serious problem.”

“It would not have been hard to find a few smokers to ask, but this was not done. Instead, we were blindsided,” Forslund said. “There were many ways we could have been informed so that we could offer our opinion, but these were not done. Maybe it would not have changed the result, but at least we would have been given the opportunity.”

Three cosmetology students — Ashley Spangburg, Julie Bonaduce, and Jessie Minor — were all “regulars” of the Main Mall kiosks and all agreed: “We want our smoke boxes back!”

“This is messed-up,” said Bonaduce about the kiosk removal. “I can’t believe they wouldn’t even get some student input from us before doing something like that. It’s downright sneaky.”
But, said Wolfe, “This is not a decision that goes through a voting process. This was just an administrative decision.”

Several students wondered if a broader agenda was behind removal of the kiosks. Dennis West thinks so.
“It seems like these guys are pushing a totally smoke-free campus agenda,” he said, shaking his head.

Amy Vogel, a smoker, said, “I heard from an ASG person that by May 9 we are supposed to be a smoke-free campus.”

While Byers has admitted that there have been more and more requests for smoke-free events at MHCC, he would not elaborate on any particular intention to create a smoke-free environment at the college.

“I don’t know anything about that,” Byers said. “I’m not involved in anything having to do with making MHCC totally smoke-free.”

Wolfe offered a different perspective.

“This college walks a fine line between being smoke-free and allowing smoking on campus,” said Wolfe. “There really is no rhyme or reason for the location of these kiosks throughout the campus. It really is difficult to walk around without experiencing some second-hand smoke, yet we must provide the smokers shelter from the weather. If you ask me, the spine of the college would simply look much better without those kiosks.”

Wolfe said he wasn’t sure where on campus the kiosks were and Byers seemed unsure. But they were found behind the tennis court area, sitting next to four other kiosks that are in worse shape. Next to those others, the

Main Mall kiosks appeared likely candidates for repair.

“Those aren’t the kiosks from the Main Mall,” said Byers.

“Those are them, all right,” said a custodian who did not give his name. “Those are definitely the kiosks from the mall, and I don’t think they’re going to be put back.”

As stated in the staff e-mail sent out April 24, those kiosks will not be returned to the Main Mall. So what will be done with them?

“More convenient locations are trying to be found once they’re repaired,” said Wolfe. “The most likely spot is going to be the north end of the transition circle outside the Visual Arts Center. They’re old and rickety and nasty-looking already; hopefully we can end up making this into a project for some students so they can be a little more aesthetically pleasing.”

Byers was able to confirm this, as well as Mary Girsch in the Visual Arts Center, but there has been no date set for the start of this project, or whether it would happen for sure. Wolfe was unable to say when the kiosks would be back in use, or if they will be repaired at all. But plans to repair and decorate the kiosks may quell student fears and concerns of creating a non-smoking campus, at least for now.

“Everything is done for a reason,” said Wolfe. “This is a master puzzle we’re trying to put together, and we’re all working hard here to create a new and good experience for all students at MHCC.”