Student: Why St. Cloud's smoking referendum is a sham

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Student fuming

St. Cloud State University student Jack Lofgren states why he thinks a student referendum on campus smoking is bogus — and unfair:

The Administration said it won’t matter which way the students vote, according to SCSU’s own press release: “Regardless of student feedback, the (smoking) Task Force’s proposal will stay the same.”

The “referendum” only exists to give students the illusion of democracy. … And why is it that Potter and SCSU’s bureaucracy wants a smoking ban so badly as to disregard the will of the student body, many of whom smoke?

Money. SCSU will receive a grant from MNSCU if our campus becomes smoke-free. So Potter and the Administration care more about making money for the university than the quality of life for students.

About the blogger

Alex Friedrich

afriedrich@mpr.org

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.