Nearly six months after a proposal was made by Residential Services to the Student Government Association to prohibit smoking of tobacco in residence halls to be included in the Code of Student Conduct, there has been no activity with the proposal this semester, according to SGA president Jaret Hubbell. Hubbell said no one in the SGA is currently involved in the smoking policy proposal, and he has heard nothing about the proposal this semester. The two SGA senators “who were really looking at the issue,” according to Hubbell, were Heba Algazzar, marketing sophomore from Thibodaux, and Laurie Domangue, biology senior from Thibodaux, who have both resigned from their positions as senators for work and school-related reasons.

Hollie Garrison, SGA director of public relations, said she also has heard nothing this semester about the smoking policy proposal and described it as “a dead issue.”

A Residential Life’s Residence Hall Smoking Policy Survey was distributed to students who were to live in residence halls before the spring semester began. According to Gray Bekurs, although every student should have been offered the opportunity to participate in the three-question survey, not every student participated, and not every student who participated in the survey answered every question.

According to the survey, when students were asked if they smoke, 36 said yes and 257 said no; 54 students said they had been negatively impacted by smoking in residence halls and 256 said they were not; 148 students were in favor or completely banning smoking in all residence halls and 144 were not.

Hubbell said he has no idea if the proposed policy change will occur soon.

“As for the beginning of next fall, contracts have not yet been signed, so it’s feasible (that a change could occur),” Hubbell said. “In my opinion, the administration has had a whole year to think about (the proposal), and I think they need to make a decision one way or the other.”

For students who would like to voice their opinion on the issue, Hubbell said, “The SGA’s doors are always open and the (residence hall assistants) are always there to assist students. (Students) can go to Louis Gardner, our director of rights and grievances, if somebody wants to do a formal grievance. (Students may also go to) my door (and) Jana Stewart’s door.