Vaping at Ringling College

[McVapor]

So the other day my friend, a fellow vapor using the blu e-cig, was halted by our RA. She wasn't too happy about the e-cig being vaped in the common area and declared that vaping in the common area is not allowed nor in our own rooms for that matter. Now I have been vaping in my previous common room all year last year and had never had a complaint from anyone and I was quiet frustrated at her unjust declaration of this rule. So of course this is where I step in. I try to tell her what it is and that it makes no carcinogens/smoke and all that good stuff, but she felt that this is out of her hands so she was banning it for that reason (she didn't want to get in trouble by allowing "a smoking like device"). This is when I said that I will take it to resident's life to set this straight. (being able to vape in my own living space is what made quiting so easy for me)

So right now I am heading down to Resident's Life to set things straight on Ringling's point of view on e-cigs. Honestly I didn't want it to go this route as Ringling was attempting to ban smoking on campus completely last year. If they banned smoking they could possibly ban e-cigs just as easily. So now I have the opportunity to show the e-cig in the right light rather than Ringling seeing this device for their own interpretation. No matter how this goes I am going to continue to vape in my own dorm but this will settle the decision once and for all.

~Wish me luck

 

[WillieB69]

Good luck.
I have no idea what Resident's Life is but I hope the powers that be are more understanding thant your RA was.

 

[Garrell6888]

I have had a problem with vaping at the dorms of the college I attend. I forgot (as I usually stealth vape) and I blew a cloud of vapor in a halway. She asked me if I was smoking, and I said no.

I was however with a few people who were smokers, so I was at the smoking area for about 20 mins. Someone sat down and told me that security was looking for someone wearing the same hoodie I was.

Upon returning to the hallway (my friend's friend was trying to get people to come to a party in town) security asked to talk to me outside.

He and the RA asked if I was smoking. I said no, and showed him my pockets (my PV stays in that small pocket above the right one) and proved I didn't have cigarettes or a lighter. The the RA said she saw me "blowing smoke" so I showed them my PV. Told me I probably can't use that here, after I told them it was just vapor. I responded with "Actually I can legally use it anywhere until someone asks me to stop, which I am obviously going to do right now." He got a little ...... and said I was soliciting a party (Friend of a friend, both dorm residents...) and told me if I did not leave he would have an CHP come escort me off campus, even though I was a student at the school. Luckily my friend and her friend walked by right then and were heading for the car.

I continued to go back to the dorm, and continued to vape there. Nothing happened.

 

[Steel]

RA's are generally not known to using logic or having sympathy. Your best bet is to keep it on the DL. They'd never be able to prove that you were vaping in your room anyhow.

 

[Daedalus]

Well for what it's worth I'll give you my account of dealing with almost the EXACT situation last year in the dorms at Cal Poly Pomona. Our hall coordinator (not student) was aware of the devices and was approving, he actually said he wished all the smokers would start using them so it wouldn't smell like smoke any more around the building. People would smoke near the front entrance, rear, sides...if you weren't a smoker you were gonna smell it coming in or out.

I'm using it, in our common area just like your friend, and an RA tells me "you can't smoke that in here" and on and on. She of course goes and tries to tell the coordinator I was smoking. I didn't get in trouble because he knew what it was already, but then he had to bring it up with the housing office for a final word.

I sent him an email with a lot of articles, I'm sure it got forwarded to someone and probably never read. I don't know if they failed to recognize it as not actually being smoke or are just still not allowing it regardless due to its pending FDA status. I'd imagine it'll be hard to convince a school official it doesn't fall under some "drug paraphernalia" rule while at the same time not being a "tobacco product". I was told that they were going to treat it as a breach of indoor-smoking policy in the future.

Don't think it's worth the effort. Just keep vaping in your room, like I did, and go outside and make some friends with the smokers when you're not in the privacy of your own space. Got a lot of people started vaping that way around here.

 

[McVapor]

Very interesting stories guys. I hate having confrontations about my vape because it is so integrated in my daily activities. It is second nature for me to vape and when someone has an issue with that I am surprised.


Anyways I went to Student Life. The first thing I did upon greeting the head was give him my V4L card which gives a little information on e-cigs. He read the card but slightly angrily told me he didn't care what the card says that they still reserve the right to ban the product from campus. He gave me this talk and comparison to hookahs on campus (which are illegal from campus due to illicit drug possibilities) and I shortly after told him about my success and how it is not smoke or harmful. Might I add this is not a casual conversation, but after a while I was able to see that he is able to meet me halfway with this. He mentioned how he has never been presented with something like this before and he said he wouldn't want me to go down to the smoking section to 'vape' as this would defeat the purpose. He told em to use it discretely and that I can use it in my room but when I'm in the common room and other various places to do it at my own discretion (essentially 'zero' my vapes/stealth). Apparently if someone saw me vaping it could come back to me and cause people to smoke inside (as it has been an issue in the past). The final word was relayed to my RA and I am now able to vape freely in the common room.

I feel like I won the battle even though we made a truce. I get less flavor and satisfaction of vaping by zeroing but I can vape anywhere.

 

[tardcore]

when i was at slippery rock university (western PA), my roommate(s) always asked what it was, said 'huh. cool.' once i explained, and there was never any problem with it. i didn't really hang out in the common areas, so no idea if i'd have been allowed to vape there, but if i was vaping in my room, and i'm heading outside, i can usually wait the minute or so it takes to get out

 

[Garrell6888]

Good for you. I would have done something about it if I was a resident, but I wasn't there too much.