Hookahs still legal

August 24, 2007 —

Some students have asked whether or not the school had taken action to ban hookahs, and officials in charge of enacting a new rule on how they are lit say that there is no such ban.

ResLife director Merry Jo Brandimore clarified that the only concern regarding the use of hookahs was the method in which students were lighting coals.

"What we discovered was that students were using stoves to light coals," Brandimore said. "They would then walk across the carpet in order to use the coals outside. While it was perfectly fine for them to be smoking outside, often times what would happen is that they would burn the carpet. We realized we essentially had an open and uncontrolled flame within a living unit, which is a dangerous and quite a safety hazard."

Hookahs can still be used on campus. The school wants students to find alternative ways to light their coals.

"There is not a ban on the hookah pipe," Brandimore said. "Hookahs may still be smoked near the benches designated for smokers."

Some students say that the new rule will do little to affect their use of hookahs on campus.

Junior Bryn Thomas is a frequent hookah user and has often used his stove to light coals.

"I find that the simple use of quick spark coals works fine, although they tend to ruin the flavor of the tobacco," he said. "I have also used a grill or prolonged light exposure, it's kind of a pain, but it can still be done."

Sophomore Erinn Holm has never tried the hookah, but has seen them used before.

"It sounds dangerous to light coals inside. I think that if people want to keep their privileges to smoke on campus, they should follow safety precautions and not complain about it."