After nearly one year of discussing the University’s new smoking policy, University spokeswoman Sue Davis said the policy’s details are finally set, but enforcing the policy will be “almost impossible.”

The new smoking policy, which will go into effect Aug. 23, will completely ban smoking in all residence halls and prohibit smoking within 25 feet of all University building entrances. The Student Center will also cease its sale of tobacco products.

According to Davis, the policy was originally approved in October 1987 and was amended in 1996 and then again in 2002 to adapt to societal and University changes. The policy was originally intended to be slowly phased in, but after a request from the Public Policy Institute, the process was sped up.

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The question of how the University would enforce the policy’s 25-foot rule is still hazy as Davis recently said the policy’s outdoor smoking distance regulation would be “very difficult” to enforce.

Davis said the University is not planning on putting lines or marks around campus to distinguish the regulated smoking distance and also said in no way would SIUC Police patrol the campus with tape measures.

“Nobody is going to walk around and enforce it,” Davis said. “We’re in a community where people are educated on the dangers of smoking, and I think that everybody will voluntarily try to cooperate.”

Davis said it is her understanding that the policy will be enforced on “interpersonal interaction,” where students and faculty have the right to approach violators of the policy. She also said any complaints regarding the policy would be referred to Paul Restivo, the director for the Center for Environmental Health and Safety.

Restivo said his department would only cover issues regarding the air quality of University buildings and complaints made about students or faculty would be referred to either Human Relations and Support or the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Larry Dietz.

Even though the enforcement of outdoor smoking will not be patrolled, the rules and regulations of the new policy have been set up at the residence halls.

Beth Scally, assistant director of University Housing and residence life, said she does not plan on having employees police the area, but believes violators will be “pretty easy to catch” in the dormitories.

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Scally said the Residence Hall Association, which has been working for the past six months on the policy, believes discipline should be educational, not punitive. She said instead of ticketing students, they are discussing the idea of making violators watch anti-smoking videos or clean up tobacco-related debris to learn a lesson.

She also said they are planning on building a “creative sanction” for students to smoke in since it will not be allowed in the residence halls. Scally said the Residence Hall Association is planning on watching where students congregate during the fall semester and to later build gazebos or smoking huts to provide smokers a covered area to smoke.

However, Davis said there has been no mention of providing such areas in other areas of the campus, but said ashtrays would be moved in order to follow the 25-foot rule.

Scott Pike, superintendent of building maintenance, said the Physical Plant has not received any information on the re-location of ashtrays, but said they would be moved away from building entrances.

“As soon as we get direction, we will move the smoking receptacles,” Pike said. “I am not sure exactly where they will go, but [ashtrays] will be moved.”

Davis said even though the policy was initially implemented to remain consistent with the Open Flame policy, which prohibits candles in residence halls, there were other factors taken into consideration.

“[The smoking policy] will reduce clean-up costs, provide a healthier environment in residence halls and those who wish to smoke can go outside,” Davis said. “[Just] 25 feet away.”

According to Pike, the estimated clean-up cost of tobacco-related debris is $85,000, and even with the new smoking policy, there will not be a significant change.

“There will still be a significant clean-up cost,” Pike said. “If anything, it might be more. We’ll find out.”

In addition to the amount spent on clean up cost, the Student Center’s $52,000 annual revenue generated from the sale of tobacco products will be lost.

Student Center Director T.J. Rutherford said the original plan of raising the Student Center fee by $1.50 to make up for lost revenue will not be implemented.

“We are no longer going to do that,” Rutherford said. “We are not going to hit students with another fee. We’re going to have to look for other ways to make up the loss.”