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(12/03/13 2:02am)
A tobacco-free policy instituted this semester has prompted student smokers to start moving to the outskirts of campus. Physics student Dsai Chang said he has no choice but to seclude himself whenever he feels the urge to smoke.“What I do is just find a corner far from the people to smoke, because currently I cannot live without tobacco,” Chang said. He said he has attempted to quit smoking on multiple occasions but has not been able to accomplish that goal, Chang said. “I am not a strong enough person to quit,” Chang said. “I have already tried to quit it like 30 times.” The policy, implemented in August, bans smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco products on all ASU campuses and associated properties, but it excludes privately owned vehicles and leased University residences that are designated smoking areas, according to a policy document.The policy was adopted to protect the health and interests of people who do not smoke or use tobacco, said Justin Zeien, president of the Health and Counseling Student Action Committee.“We recognize that there is a far greater amount of people who do not smoke and do not use tobacco than people that do,” Zeien said.According to the ASU Tobacco-free Initiative website, 86.4 percent of ASU students do not smoke cigarettes. Chang said he realizes that his habit offends people and tries to be courteous to other students by moving away from them when he smokes. “A lot of people don’t like smoking, and because I’m a smoker, I understand people do not like me when I’m smoking,” Chang said. Colleges around the nation have found that community enforcement is more effective than giving out fines, Zeien said.“With fines, people are more inclined to rebel, because they feel like you are attacking (and) taking away their rights, so they are more inclined to do the behavior that is not allowed,” Zeien said.There is no federal or state law that protects “the right to smoke,” and ASU has the power to regulate its property, according to the ASU Tobacco-free Initiative website.Health sciences major Christian Martinez said he understands the merits of the policy but isn’t strongly against people smoking. “It doesn’t bother me too much," he said. "I mean, I understand people want to smoke. That’s fine."The Health and Counseling Student Action Committee is working on creating cessation classes and groups to help students quit but guides them to other programs as well, Zeien said.“There is a lot of entities involved in helping students quit and offering resources,” Zeien said. “We’re part of it but not everything.”Zeien said he has already noticed a considerable difference within the campus but that there is still some more work to be done with students who decide to ignore the policy. Chang said he does not fully abide by the policy but instead keeps to the outskirts of campus to avoid any issues.“Sometimes I really need it, so I have no choice,” Chang said. Reach the reporter at ldelato2@asu.edu
(12/03/13 1:04am)
An ASU organization has adopted a new system in an effort to receive a larger budget after a $100,000 decrease in its funding over the past two years.Sun Devil Sports Association, the organization in charge of allocating funding to the 36 sport clubs on campus, received a budget of $100,000 this year from the Undergraduate Student Government, a considerably lower amount than previous years, SDS President Adam Sandstrom said. “It’s been cut in half over the last two years,” Sandstrom said. “Now we are basically struggling to survive.” The organization received $200,000 in the fall of 2011, which then dropped to $180,000 for 2012.In response to the cuts, SDS has created a tier system that allows it to determine funding for each club sport through a series of requirements that Sandstrom said will help them gain more recognition. “It gives us structure to not only allocate funds but also gives us some leverage when we go to the University and ask for more money next year,” Sandstrom said. The teams are divided into four tiers depending on the number of activities they participate in and how well they fulfill the requirements. The higher the tier, the more money they can receive, Sandstrom said.All sport clubs are required to participate in and attend a certain number of charity and school events before they can qualify for certain tiers, Sandstrom said. The tier system was not only created to prove the club’s existence but also to be more transparent about how it distributes funds, he said.“The reason we did this was to be more black and white and transparent about (the process),” Sandstrom said.The system has not been implemented yet, but the clubs have been informed to start working toward the goals so that they can qualify for more money next year.So far, Sandstrom said there has been no opposition to the new system, but the decrease in funding has negatively affected many of the teams.Travis Dunn, a captain on the ASU Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team, said his team has had to increase its club dues and rely on fundraising to get them through this year. The team is taking donations and is actively pursuing sponsorships to help cover the costs for the season, ASU Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team treasurer and co-captain Danny Bellissimo said. “(Participants) may have to pay more out of pocket this year depending on the success of our fundraising efforts,” Bellissimo said. The club's funding dropped from $5,000 to $3,000, a 40 percent decrease in the last year, Dunn said. “It is ridiculous that the school governing bodies find it fit to cut funding to a student organization that caters to so many students,” Dunn said. Sandstrom said he doesn’t accept USG’s reasons for the cuts and doesn’t agree with the way it dispersed the funding. “None of them have been good reasons or excuses,” Sandstrom said. “I’ve seen what USG has been allocated, and they’ve gotten basically the same amount over the last three, four years.” Sandstrom said the goal for next year is to get back to where they were and prove that they are deserving of the money. “We’re not just hanging our heads and getting through this year,” Sandstrom said. “We are still doing all these things to try and prove ourselves.” USG's vice president of services had not responded to requests for an interview as of press time.Reach the reporter at ldelato2@asu.edu
(11/06/13 11:00pm)
Saint Paul's Outreach is run by Catholic college students nationally. The ASU chapter of the national organization performs community service out of the All Saints Catholic Newman Center. (Photo by Dominic Valente)
(11/03/13 5:30pm)
There's close to a year left before the Tempe City Council will next elect new members, but one Tempe resident is already campaigning.
(10/23/13 10:28pm)
Business and tourism sophomore Kendra Owusu shows some of her finished products. She redesigns old T-shirts to create dresses, bandeaus and tops. (Photo by Katie Dunphy)