The first request for an exemption from the smoking ban has been denied, causing the Ball State University Hillel to move its annual hookah night to Moe's Tavern on Tuesday night.
Co-president Lindsay Gross said Hillel, the Jewish organization on campus, knew the smoking ban would be a problem for its hookah night fundraiser. However, Gross said she thought the group would be given an exemption.
"I don't think it's going to have as many people turn out because it's not on campus," she said, "but I still think we'll have a good turnout of people, and we can probably get more Muncie-ites than normal."
Kay Bales, vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, said the administration invited Hillel to write a proposal to request an exemption even though there was not a specified appeals process written into the ban to receive an exemption.
"Their request was that they estimated a few hundred students would participate in a smoking event, and we felt given the spirit of the policy that we would not grant the exemption based on the description of the event," she said. "The policy is to provide a place for individuals who wish to smoke, it is not designed to support large group events."
Criteria to gauge the validity of an exemption proposal does not exist, Bales said.
Two scenarios are exempt from the smoking ban, one being theatrical productions involving scenes with smoking, Bales said. The second exemption is at Scheidler Apartments where a few of the buildings are designated smoking areas, she said.
"The policy was never designed to grant exemptions other than the ones we identified," Bales said. "That doesn't mean that at some point there might be a very good reason to grant an exemption."
President Jo Ann Gora placed Bales in charge of receiving and processing exemption requests, Bales said. In the case of Hillel, Bales said, she spoke with the administrative cabinet to decide the proper course of action even though she is not obligated to do so.
In the planning stages of the ban, the smoking task force discussed the language of the ban and worded it so it was not only banning cigarette smoke, but also hookah, cigar and various other kinds of smoking as well, Bales said.
Gross said trying to get the exemption was a long process that recently ended. Hillel first went to Gora's office and was sent to Bales, Gross said. From there, Bales denied the request, but the group tried talking with Gora about it again and were sent back to Bales and denied a second time.
"I got the impression they didn't care too much," Gross said.
Hookah night
- at Moe's Tavern 6-10 p.m.
- for people 18 and older
- alcohol available for 21 and older
- IDs checked at the door
- $1 for tips at the hose
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