SGB applies for grant to educate students and make Pitt smoke-free

For the second time, Student Government Board is trying to initiate a tobacco-free and smoke-free campus through the American Cancer Society and CVS Health.

The American Cancer Society and CVS Health introduced a Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative in November that grants universities $10,000 to $20,000 to support education, advocacy and smoking cessation with the goal of creating a smoke-free or tobacco-free campus policy.

SBG is applying for the $20,000 grant, since the award amount depends on the size of the university. Since November, 20 universities received grants from the American Cancer Society and CVS Health Foundation, including the University of Pennsylvania and Penn State University.

Malcolm Juring, SGB’s wellness chair, introduced the resolution at Tuesday’s meeting, which they will vote on at their Jan. 31 meeting. Juring said SGB became aware of the grant through research on different wellness initiatives at other universities before stumbling upon the grant offered by the American Cancer Society.

“The grant will be awarded in May, and it will be a one year plan that will include education about the effects of tobacco and smoke use as well as advocacy for these policies and resources to provide the education,” Juring said.

If they get the grant, SGB plans to host events and create marketing materials to raise awareness with the help of Student Health Center and Graduate Student Board. The board has not yet set a date for these events.

Natalie Dall, president of Student Government Board, said the resolution’s biggest push is smoking and tobacco use education. She said the initiative will hopefully show students the negative effects of tobacco and how to stop using it.

Last year, Jack Heidecker, former Student Government Board member, introduced a resolution to ban tobacco use on Pitt’s campus. In his resolution, he included banning chewing tobacco, cigarettes, cigarillos, hookah products and electronic cigarettes. However, the proposal did not suggest banning the possession of tobacco. After the student vote ended up being close to a perfect split in favor of the bill versus against the bill, the board decided last April to abstain from implementing the tobacco ban.

If the resolution passes, the grant will be awarded in May with a one-year plan for implementation.

Allocations

Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers requested $3,800 for a networking and training conference. The Board denied the request in full.

The Club Powerlifting Team requested $3,000 for their upcoming competitions. The Board approved the request in full.

The Women’s Club Ultimate Frisbee requested $1,539.30 and $2,031.20 for two upcoming spring competitions. The Board approved the request in full.

The Muslim Student Association requested $2,853.57 for their annual Fast-A-Thon. The Board approved $2,265.37 and denied $588.20.

HOSA requested $2,751.95 for competition. The Board approved in full.

Active Minds requested $4,000 to bring in speaker Stacy Pershall. The Board approved in full.

The Ski and Snowboard Club requested $9,325 for transportation costs to Seven Springs. The Board approved in full.

Editor’s Note: In a previous version of this story, the headline incorrectly implied that SGB was proposing to ban tobacco from campus. SGB is actually proposing to pass a resolution that would give them the funds to educate Pitt’s community about tobacco use and to encourage students to quit smoking. The headline has been updated to reflect the correct information. The Pitt News regrets this error.