SCSU students vote on proposal to ban tobacco on campus

St. Cloud State University students are voting this week on a proposal to make their campus tobacco-free by August 2012.

The proposal was crafted by a task force of students, administrators, health services workers and other St. Cloud State employees.

The students this week are voting to support or reject the proposal, which would phase in the change by first creating 17 designated tobacco use areas that would be in effect from Aug. 1, 2011, until July 31, 2012.

The campus would then become tobacco-free Aug. 1, 2012.

The student vote is one piece of information that would go to President Earl H. Potter III, who will make the final decision on whether to make the campus tobacco-free.

A similar survey is being taken of St. Cloud State employees and also will be forwarded to Potter before he decides.

Students will vote electronically through emails that were sent out this week. Students will vote until 3 p.m. Wednesday, and results of the vote will be announced Thursday night at the Student Government meeting.

Students this week also are voting for a new Student Government president and vice president as well as 18 senators-at-large.