Tobacco smoke, asbestos, radon and other air pollutants that can pose health hazards in campus buildings will dominate discussion at NIU’s first “environmental concerns” open forum next week.

NIU’s interest in “indoor air quality” stems from last year’s findings of low levels of asbestos in the University Health Center—a discovery which led to the formation of a task force to address other health-related hazards on campus.

The Task Force on Interior Facility Environments, formed early last semester, will act as a panel at the Feb. 19 public forum in the Capitol Room of the Holmes Student Center. The 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. hearing was designed so the public can air its views about the issues instead of attending task force meetings, which are closed to the public.

The task force collectively decided at its first meeting last semester to close any further meetings to the public because of the “delicate nature” of the issues at hand.

Eddie Williams, vice president for administrative affairs and task force chair, believed opening up preliminary discussion of potential health hazard concerns before the concerns were proven true could cause undue panic to the public and could hinder the group’s progress.

Because of the informal nature of the task force, and because it is not responsible to a public body, it is not subject to the Illinois Open Meetings Act and can hold its meetings in private.

Jon Dalton, vice president for student affairs and task force member, said, “The committee (task force) is interested in hearing concerns about such issues from the community. We would like to see people from all ends of the campus community attending the open forum.”

Community members wanting to speak at the forum should call the Finance and Planning Office (3-1506) and schedule a 10-minute time slot to air their views during the 1uu-hour session, Dalton said. “This will ensure everyone who really wants to speak can have a chance,” he said.

A central charge of the 11-member task force is to “provide ongoing analysis and pursue steps necessary to maintain all facilities within safe and productive working conditions for Northern’s faculty, staff and students,” according to Williams.

As part of the charge, the task force last semester called for routine checks of asbestos in all campus buildings by NIU staff. The checks included the purchase of equipment and training sessions for campus staff so the university does not have to hire professionals to perform air-sampling tests, he said.

Another main concern of the group will be to ensure working conditions on campus meet the guidelines of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA is a federal agency that determines acceptable standards in the workplace and can be called upon to sanction public institutions that do not meet those standards.