Tobacco committee may be assembled as soon as next week

The tobacco committee to determine the guidelines of a potential smoking ban next semester may be assembled next week, a university spokesman said.

President David Boren is assembling the committee and plans to have the committee finished by next week, university spokesman Michael Nash said.

“There is still more consultation necessary to gather the students, faculty and staff that will make up the committee,” Nash said.

Emails to staff members to volunteer for the committee were sent out Thursday afternoon by Staff Senate chairwoman Fran Stephens. The emails asked for staff members to submit their intent to volunteer by mid-day Friday and asked for smokers to come forward.

The committee was created by Boren after his State of the University address to the Faculty Senate on Monday.

Boren’s said he reasons behind creating the committee were to save money from picking up discarded cigarette butts and cleaning damaged benches and trash cans. Boren also cited health reasons as a factor driving his decision to create the tobacco committee.

The administration will have more information once the committee is complete, Nash said.

BY THE NUMBERS: Cigarette butts add up

3.25 — Hours per week spent picking up litter on the Norman campus

1 to 2 — Hours per week spent picking up cigarette butts on campus

33 — Gardeners working in the university's landscape department

$28.10 — Dollars per hour OU pays each gardener, including benefits

$927 — Dollars per week if each gardener spends one hour picking up cigarette butts each week

Source: Allen King, OU Landscaping director

Chase Cook

Chase is a former staff member of The Oklahoma Daily who worked as Staff Writer, Managing Editor, Editor in Chief, Managing Editor and Assistant Campus Editor.