Hookah On Campus

[rhineholt]

So today, I decided to go around with my roommate to try to get hookah allowed on campus.
Some of you might remember, cigarettes are allowed in a smoking area, but hookah isn't allowed at all.
So we decided to start big. We went to the President of the University.
We found him walking and we asked him why hookah wasn't allowed on campus.
His response? "What's a hookah?"
After quickly informing him, he said "Well, I don't see why that's not allowed. Go talk to some more people" and he gave us names of people to talk to. He also said to go back to him if the reasons given to us were basically bullshit.
We ended up going to the head RA of our building. We asked her and she said "To be honest, I don't know. I don't understand it either. As long as you're far enough away from the building, I think it should be fine..."
She ended up giving us the name of the people who are in charge of making the rules. We went there. Their reason... It looks like a NHT device. It's just a bad look.
We went to security. They were dicks.

Now, I'm at a standstill. Is there anything you guys can suggest? I really would like to get this allowed on campus.

[OC4111]

Sounds like a BS reason to me. Go back to president and plead your case.

[PSU Smoker]

yeah thats complete BS...def go back to the president and tell him why they arent allowing it. Cause let be serious...if you put some NHT in the hookah some1 will be able to at least catch a wiff of it. If all else fails petition. Enough people signing a petition should grab the schools attention and lead them in the direction of change. After all [i]you[/i] are the ones paying their salary.

[ryno]

Open protest with a big hookah smoking party, or tell them its racial profiling, because it is a custom in some cultures.

[Skoozle]

Back track through your head RA and then to the pres. Informing them of the reasoning. Your pres. seemed receptive. How does a hookah look illegal but a roll your own cigarette doesn't? What about a regular pipe? What about a hand held hookah? What about a badass dragon pipe that's not a hookah? Where do you draw the like between looking NHT and not looking NHT? Is it ok to eat brownies outside? I think it would look better for your school if people were open minded and accepting of other cultures.

[PSU Smoker]

hell yeah pull the race card and threaten law suits!!!!!!

[Chreees]

Go back to your pres and plead your case and if that fails start a petition...

[rhineholt]

[quote name='ryno' date='18 March 2010 - 04:55 PM' timestamp='1268949355' post='458006']
Open protest with a big hookah smoking party, or tell them its racial profiling, because it is a custom in some cultures.
[/quote]
I just wish I wasn't white on this one. It would be kinda hard to bull the race card while I'm white...

[quote name='Skoozle' date='18 March 2010 - 04:57 PM' timestamp='1268949471' post='458008']
Back track through your head RA and then to the pres. Informing them of the reasoning. Your pres. seemed receptive. How does a hookah look illegal but a roll your own cigarette doesn't? What about a regular pipe? What about a hand held hookah? What about a badass dragon pipe that's not a hookah? Where do you draw the like between looking NHT and not looking NHT? Is it ok to eat brownies outside? I think it would look better for your school if people were open minded and accepting of other cultures.
[/quote]
That's what I'm saying. I saw people rolling cigarettes but it looked exactly like NHT. For all I know, it might've been.
I agree. It would open us to more diverse culture.

[quote name='INCUBUSRATM' date='18 March 2010 - 05:05 PM' timestamp='1268949953' post='458010']
Go back to your pres and plead your case and if that fails start a petition...
[/quote]
I already called the pres back but he's out of office. I left a message.
Oh, and the head security guy just said "Petitions just piss people off."
Then he made a reference to signing a petition that allows smoking NHT in the hallways. He said the outcome would be the same.

[Chreees]

Well, any security guy is going to say that... As for his reference to NHT being smoked in the hallways, that has nothing to do with TOBACCO. Your petition has potential to actually win compared to one petitioning for something ILLEGAL. Tell your security guy he's an idiot. He can't do shit about it. Apparently security can't touch anybody. They're there to just "observe and report." Hahahahaha...

I WANNA GET PAID TO BE A POTENTIAL WITNESS TO SEEING SHIT GO DOWN!

[rhineholt]

[quote name='INCUBUSRATM' date='18 March 2010 - 05:43 PM' timestamp='1268952193' post='458018']
Well, any security guy is going to say that... As for his reference to NHT being smoked in the hallways, that has nothing to do with TOBACCO. Your petition has potential to actually win compared to one petitioning for something ILLEGAL. Tell your security guy he's an idiot. He can't do shit about it. Apparently security can't touch anybody. They're there to just "observe and report." Hahahahaha...

I WANNA GET PAID TO BE A POTENTIAL WITNESS TO SEEING SHIT GO DOWN!
[/quote]

Hahah, true. I know they can't touch you. They just don't want to have to do a field test on the stuff.
Whatever. I'm hoping the president will pull through and pull some strings.
The head RA even said "Go talk to some more people and you could probably even smoke tonight."
I want to just go smoke...

[Chreees]

Do it.

[A13lackFish]

stick to the president, make him your best friend, hes pretty much the only one who can get the rules changed. Also create a petition as well (make sure you specifically ad that this is for shisha hookah tobacco only!!! and that it has no NHT reference)

[rhineholt]

[quote name='A13lackFish' date='18 March 2010 - 06:42 PM' timestamp='1268955728' post='458034']
stick to the president, make him your best friend, hes pretty much the only one who can get the rules changed. Also create a petition as well (make sure you specifically ad that this is for shisha hookah tobacco only!!! and that it has no NHT reference)
[/quote]

I love the pres so being his BFFL won't be a problem.
I'll definitely do that.

[Joel]

[quote name='Skoozle' date='18 March 2010 - 03:57 PM' timestamp='1268949471' post='458008']
Back track through your head RA and then to the pres. Informing them of the reasoning. Your pres. seemed receptive. How does a hookah look illegal but a roll your own cigarette doesn't? What about a regular pipe? What about a hand held hookah? What about a badass dragon pipe that's not a hookah? Where do you draw the like between looking NHT and not looking NHT? Is it ok to eat brownies outside? I think it would look better for your school if people were open minded and accepting of other cultures.
[/quote]

+1 for the brownies!

[Codename067]

[quote name='PSU Smoker' date='18 March 2010 - 03:03 PM' timestamp='1268949780' post='458009']
hell yeah pull the race card and threaten law suits!!!!!!
[/quote]

I like this one a lot [img]http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif[/img]

[PSU Smoker]

[quote name='Codename067' date='18 March 2010 - 10:56 PM' timestamp='1268967371' post='458085']
[quote name='PSU Smoker' date='18 March 2010 - 03:03 PM' timestamp='1268949780' post='458009']
hell yeah pull the race card and threaten law suits!!!!!!
[/quote]

I like this one a lot [img]http://www.hookahforum.com/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif[/img]
[/quote]

haha thanks...if the president doesn't pull through you need to find a poster child...stage him smoking hookah and being oppressed by the man...it'll pull on the heart strings of all America

[Skoozle]

My point with all that was that the people who made that rule and who are enforcing it are acting on ignorance. For example, when I first told my mom about my hookah, she was shocked and asked me what I was doing with something like that. It never occurred to her that I would be smoking tobacco out of it until I explained it to her. Her comment to me was that the only thing she had ever seen hookahs used for was for smoking NHT.

The people on boards and committees now were in their 20's and 30's back in the 1960's. They still think in terms of what they experienced in the times of free love and mind expansion.

I think that education will be one of your best tools in this endeavor. Reason, with whoever is holding on these ideas, that hookahs are no more associated with NHT than rolling paper, dry pipes, or baked goods. Explain to them that there is tobacco processed specifically for use in hookahs and that there are hookah bars and lounges where people can go smoke hookahs in public with other people. I know it seems like a silly thing to explain to someone, but it may be news to them.

I would approach this calmly and with reason. A protest will make you look like a hippie.

[PSU Smoker]

well i must admit if being a hippie was a paid job it would be my dream job

[rhineholt]

[quote name='Skoozle' date='18 March 2010 - 10:18 PM' timestamp='1268968723' post='458096']
My point with all that was that the people who made that rule and who are enforcing it are acting on ignorance. For example, when I first told my mom about my hookah, she was shocked and asked me what I was doing with something like that. It never occurred to her that I would be smoking tobacco out of it until I explained it to her. Her comment to me was that the only thing she had ever seen hookahs used for was for smoking NHT.

The people on boards and committees now were in their 20's and 30's back in the 1960's. They still think in terms of what they experienced in the times of free love and mind expansion.

I think that education will be one of your best tools in this endeavor. Reason, with whoever is holding on these ideas, that hookahs are no more associated with NHT than rolling paper, dry pipes, or baked goods. Explain to them that there is tobacco processed specifically for use in hookahs and that there are hookah bars and lounges where people can go smoke hookahs in public with other people. I know it seems like a silly thing to explain to someone, but it may be news to them.

I would approach this calmly and with reason. A protest will make you look like a hippie.


[/quote]
Once I get in touch with the pres again, I will educate him more.
I will tell him about the rolling papers and stuff.

[Venger]

First of all I feel your pain. Even at 46 years old when I tell people at work I smoke hookah they were shocked I would talk about NTH devices at work. It took me and another hookah smoker a while explaining how very wrong they were and that it was tobacco only. Second your always going to have to explain to someone why they're perception is incorrect. Take the ar-15. Most people take one look and assume its an assault rifle cause it looks scary. But show them the same rifle with a wood stock and no pistol grip and its magically a hunting rifle. all about the look,but with proper education you can turn them around. Invite the president, head RA and the head of security to let you set it up and smoke with them.Show them the art of hookah, the time it takes to set up and stress the social aspect. Even if they refuse you were willing to show them proving there is nothing hinky or illegal about it. just a thought.
Ray

[agunn1231]

hookah is protectedunder religious rights, but that may ormay not hold up with the school. I'm gonna try bringing my hookah to school this spring. But they have smoking allowed everyplace on campus as long as it's outside. and I've found if anyone gives me troublei tell them to check the bowl and i show them which shisha i put in. NHT device....oh man, what is this world coming to?

[loonergirl]

Unfortunately, I'm having the same issue at my work. When I told my boss that I bought a new hookah over the weekend, he looked shocked and said he didn't want to hear about it because he didn't want to have to fire me. I tried to explain that it's used for tobacco, completely legal, etc, I even told him I smoked it with my mom. He still didn't believe me. Educating the president is definitely the best way to go. Isn't that what college is about, learning??

[rhineholt]

[quote name='Venger' date='20 March 2010 - 08:24 PM' timestamp='1269134692' post='458483']
First of all I feel your pain. Even at 46 years old when I tell people at work I smoke hookah they were shocked I would talk about NTH devices at work. It took me and another hookah smoker a while explaining how very wrong they were and that it was tobacco only. Second your always going to have to explain to someone why they're perception is incorrect. Take the ar-15. Most people take one look and assume its an assault rifle cause it looks scary. But show them the same rifle with a wood stock and no pistol grip and its magically a hunting rifle. all about the look,but with proper education you can turn them around. Invite the president, head RA and the head of security to let you set it up and smoke with them.Show them the art of hookah, the time it takes to set up and stress the social aspect. Even if they refuse you were willing to show them proving there is nothing hinky or illegal about it. just a thought.
Ray
[/quote]

I might try to invite them to a smoke session, but they might bust me because we aren't allowed to have hookah's on campus... So we'll see.

[agunn1231]

[quote name='rhineholt' date='20 March 2010 - 11:06 PM' timestamp='1269151612' post='458513']
[quote name='Venger' date='20 March 2010 - 08:24 PM' timestamp='1269134692' post='458483']
First of all I feel your pain. Even at 46 years old when I tell people at work I smoke hookah they were shocked I would talk about NTH devices at work. It took me and another hookah smoker a while explaining how very wrong they were and that it was tobacco only. Second your always going to have to explain to someone why they're perception is incorrect. Take the ar-15. Most people take one look and assume its an assault rifle cause it looks scary. But show them the same rifle with a wood stock and no pistol grip and its magically a hunting rifle. all about the look,but with proper education you can turn them around. Invite the president, head RA and the head of security to let you set it up and smoke with them.Show them the art of hookah, the time it takes to set up and stress the social aspect. Even if they refuse you were willing to show them proving there is nothing hinky or illegal about it. just a thought.
Ray
[/quote]

I might try to invite them to a smoke session, but they might bust me because we aren't allowed to have hookah's on campus... So we'll see.
[/quote]


Invite them to a session offcampus, or prehaps a local hookah lounge?

[Tyler]

Get a letter from the president saying that it's culturally important and less harmful than ciggs take it to security, bring some photos of both hookahs and NHT devices and explain the differences.