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Following a survey conducted by the Langara Smoke-Free Committee, which saw 74 per cent of students and staff strongly supporting becoming a smoke-free
campus, the college announced that the campus will officially be a smoke-free environment as of May 1. Nik/THA MARTINS PHOTO

Smokers told to butt out

Langara campus to become smoke and vape-free on May 7

By NIKITHA MARTINS

angara College will be-

come a smoke-free cam-

pus as of May 1, following

two years of open consul-
tation and support from a majority
of students and faculty.

A smoke-free committee, made
up of Langara faculty and nursing
students, was formed in 2016 to ex-
plore how to regulate smoking on
campus. In the spring of 2017, the
committee conducted a survey of
staff and students, which found that
74 per cent of respondents strongly
supported making the move to a
smoke-free campus.

Dawn Palmer, the committee’s
vice president, said their decision
was intended to eliminate exposure
to second-hand smoke and make
Langara a healthier campus.

“Some institutions that we
talked to took a more
punitive approach
in terms of com-

smokers... obviously they
want this to be re-
moved from the

college because

pliance. We are they don't
not doing smoke
that,” Palm- them-
er said. selves,”
“This is Sharma
not about said.
people “Hav-
needing ing at-
to quit tended
smoking, regular
this is a six hours
health pro- of classes
motion ini- kind of
tiative.” stresses me

Max Sharma, out, so it’s

better to take a
break and have a

smoke.”
Patricia Woods, Langara’s nurse

an _ international
student, said the poli-
cy is unfair to smokers.
“It’s okay for people who are not

educator, said the age group of
Langara students is critical when
it comes to smoking habits, as 17
to 19 year olds are in transitional
periods, potentially giving them
a higher opportunity to adapt a
smoking habit.

“That second window re-repre-
sents itself for most people when
they leave secondary school. What
we know about people who smoke
is a majority of smokers when sur-
veyed say they would like to quit
smoking,” Woods said. “We also
know from research that the sight
and smell of people smoking is a re-
ally huge trigger for them.”

Palmer says that the committee
will provide resources and tools for
smokers, such as smoke-free classes
and information for a potential 12-
week free nicotine replacement-

therapy.

Solar power coming to Langara

Panels to be installed
on T Building roof
after two-year delay

By WILLIAM CROSBY

Fens a two-year delay due
to a lack of funding, installa-
tion of solar panels on the T
Building is expected to begin later
this year.

‘The Langara Business Asso-
ciation has worked to raise the ap-
proximate $25,000 it will cost to
have these solar panels installed,
with the support of the school’s fa-
cilities department.

“The school has matched all
funds raised, a member of the busi-
ness faculty has donated a large sum
of his own money, and the Langara
school of management has helped
give us base funds to put on small
events,” Sterling Keful, president of
the Langara Business Association,
said.

Langara

facilities director

Dwayne Doornbosch said the T
Building’s original design, which
was given an award for its sustain-
able and energy efficient initiatives,
intended to include solar panels
back in 2016.

“When the Science Building
was built, the solar panels were not
able to make the final budget, but
all infrastructure was included at
the time to minimize future costs,”
Doornbosch said. “We plan to
move ahead with the installation in
2018.”

Doornbosch said the panels will
provide the school with clean, green
energy for general use, while also
reducing the overall power demand
for the school.

Keful said the association is look-
ing to have various types of solar
panels installed in an accessible area
on the roof, giving science students
an opportunity to study them.

Csilla Tamas, an applied science
for engineering instructor, says that
a prospective solar energy program
at Langara could be introduced in
the future.

“It is a possibility down the line
- when I am not sure,” Tamas said.
“If such a program would be cre-

ated, it would probably involve the
environmental studies department
as well.”

Roof curbs on the T Building were installed back in 2016. The solar panels
will be attached to the curbs later this year. wayne DOORNBOSCH PHOTO

Clubs
cant find
Space to
meet

Some Langara clubs
are experiencing
issues when booking
rooms on campus

By AGAZY MENGESHA

s the student population at

A Langara grows, some clubs

are complaining of being
unable to find space for club meet-
ings and events.

Clubs have reported that a lack
of meeting spaces at Langara, along
with communication issues, has
caused them to move off-campus
or even shut down entirely.

Rosi Hunter was the head of
the Langara Yoga Club, which she
founded in 2015, but was forced
to disband it last term because she
couldn't find any places to meet.

“I spent days wandering around
campus looking for suitable rooms
and asking the [Office of Student
Engagement] if we could book
them,” Hunter said in an email
to The Voice. “Most of the time
they weren't even booked - we just
werent allowed to hold yoga classes
there."

Ahmed Elsayed, president of the
Langara Muslim Students Associa-
tion, said a lack of communication
was the biggest issue the club faced
when trying to book space for an
event.

“They just kept
procrastinat-
ing the email,”

Elsayed said.

“They could've

been a little more
comprehensive

with their re- Reba Noel
plies, rather than STENT PROGRAMS
simply replying COORDINATOR,
we'll get into it! ,4yg4ra COLLEGE

or 'we'll look into
it.”

Elsayed said that going in person
to book a room simplified the pro-
cess.

Reba Noel, coordinator of Stu-
dent Engagement Programs, says
she realizes the booking process can
be frustrating.

“You get a lot of calls, and a lot of
emails, and we're all trying our best
to respond to them, but sometimes
there is certainly a definite ben-
efit to coming in, ” Noel said. “We
don't have a lot of available space.
Instruction takes priority, when it
comes to the classroom space, and
many of the other spaces, it’s a little
bit like first-come first-served.

There are 10 meeting rooms on
campus that can be booked.

Largest room holds up to 30
people, smallest holds up to 10.

Fill out a room request form at the
VOLT office.

SOURCE: REBA NOEL, STUDENT ENGAGE-
MENT PROGRAMS COORDINATOR