NORTHAMPTON – The Smith College School for Social Work is moving away from fragrances discernible in a conversational space.
Spurred on by about five people with medical issues related to strong scents, dean Marianne Yoshioka launched the fragrance-free policy to further equality within the learning space.
Yoshioka said the most common adverse health reactions are headaches, migraines and respiratory problems.
“If just four or five (affected individuals) came to my attention, I could figure there was a larger group who has not yet spoken,” she said. “This is about staying ahead of the curve instead of waiting for a problem to develop.”
Master’s degree student Venae Rodriguez of Brooklyn, New York, was among those pleasantly surprised by the change in policy. Rodriguez said he suffers from late onset asthma and his breathing is challenged by scents.
“I had no idea this was in the works, but I’m extremely happy,” he said, adding that in the past he had been forced to move around in the classroom or use an emergency inhaler to combat his physical reaction to fragrances. Alcohol-based and chemical scents are the worst for Rodriguez.
Scented candles and potpourri are the easiest sources to eliminate, said Yoshioka. She said other obvious sources are perfumes, colognes and after-shave lotions. Generally shampoos are not discernible, she noted.
The new shift in campus culture has been rolled out softly through email messaging, online newsletters and orientation packages intended to educate campus members before they arrived last week. Rodriguez said he was happy with the way the policy was rolled out via a conversational tone.
The school, which has an estimated 370 masters students and 25 doctoral students across all years, operates on a different school calendar than the rest of the college. The students convene on campus beginning in June for 10 weeks, and then begin eight months of rigorous field placements in September.
Yoshioka said the policy will most immediately focus on just the School for Social Work, because its short on-campus cycle makes the goal more manageable.
“It’s behavior change, which is hard,” she said. “But, we are social workers, so that’s what we do.”
Rodriguez added that “everyone has their own way of living in the world,” but it’s still important for people with chronic illnesses to be able to attend class without health ramifications. He said he hopes community members understand.
“Some people feel put upon to change completely,” he noted, saying that the college’s gentle approach will be important as time shapes the policy. Yoshioka said as of last week the responses were mostly very positive, with a few questions related to complying with the change. She said she has received no negative feedback.
“It’s reasonable that if someone continued (to use mentioned products) a gentle talking to could occur,” she said, noting that policing the policy is unnecessary.
She hopes the School for Social Work campus community will move toward a fragrance-free space together, in a positive manner.
“It’s been amazingly easy so far,” she said. “Nowadays you can get everything fragrance-free and people seem to understand.”
“It’s important that everyone who enters into our small learning community be comfortable and present,” she said. “We have an opportunity to easily eliminate that distraction.”
Sarah Crosby can be reached at scrosby@gazettenet.com.