The long debated question of whether or not Erb Essentials should sell tobacco products was finally settled Wednesday when the EMU Board voted to ban tobacco sales in the EMU.
Officially, the EMU Board’s vote is only a recommendation to EMU Director Dusty Miller. But Miller said after the meeting that he will follow through with the recommendation.
“We will open fall term not selling cigarettes,” he said.
The Campus Advisory Board, a University Health Center group that works to educate students about smoking, launched its campaign April 19 to ban tobacco sales on campus when it presented to both the EMU Board and the ASUO Senate its proposal to end tobacco sales in the EMU.
The presentations inspired a fiery debate, with some calling the plan “paternalistic.”
EMU Food Service Director John Costello, who was present at the meeting Wednesday, explained the potential financial impact of the ban. He said tobacco sales won’t be the only revenue lost, but also “secondary sales,” or purchases made by customers in addition to tobacco products.
“We’re looking theoretically at $100,000 in lost sales,” he said, which would result in about $25,000 in lost revenue.
Costello added that he has been doing research — via student surveys and looking at how other universities have dealt with similar bans — to find products that could replace the tobacco revenue. Sushi was one of the proposed replacement products.
Some of the board members expressed concerns about the financial well-being of the store, but EMU Board Chairwoman Christa Shively said that this should not be a concern.
“I trust (John Costello’s) entrepreneurial skill,” she said.
Board member Slade Leeson felt it was the board’s obligation to provide services the students want.
“I feel like that by selling tobacco we provide a service students want,” he said. “Why have this student building when we can’t give them the services they want?”
Despite the objections, the decision passed 8-4 to the jubilant applause of supporters.
Board member Ethan Firpo said he felt the board’s decision set a bad precedent.
“We have to be careful when we try to protect other people’s health because you have to ask when do we overstep the bounds of personal freedoms,” he said after the meeting.
Board member Brandon Rhodes, who voted in favor of the ban, was pleased with the result.
“I think it’s an excellent step toward a smoke-free campus and therefore the freedom from second-hand smoke in public areas,” he said.