Letter to the Editor

2/13/08

As we all are well aware of, the campus’ non-smoking policy is now very well established. Many smokers can be seen on the fringes of the student parking lots indulging in their selected habit. There is something about this that troubles me. I feel that forcing people to exclusively smoke in the parking lot is a violation of that person’s right to treat their body as their own.

I understand that smoking vs. not smoking is not defined by our constitution; I do believe however, that the men who wrote it (many with pipes in hand) would agree that if it is not harming anyone besides the individual smoking, there shouldn’t be a problem. Those who run the country evidently agree because smoking has not been completely condemned by local governments (although many have banned it within the confines of public buildings). This brings to light the reasonability of not allowing smoking in restaurants, classrooms, and public entrances. There should be, however, places for students to go that is easily accessible on campus. These places should be understood as places where people can go to smoke; people therefore will be able to avoid the offense of having to smell or walkthrough someone’s secondhand smoke.

This is indeed the way it was before. Smokers were not heading to the rules, however, so the powers that be decided to go with plan B. This is unfair for those who did obey the rules; it is a classic case of punishing a large number for a small number’s infractions. There should be some way to keep smokers to their allotted areas without banishing them from the grounds. If people decided to do something about that problems, then a happy medium could be found. Those who would smoke in the areas where it was prohibited would be well aware of the existing penalty for such an act, and would possibly think it wiser to smoke within the reasonable areas provided for them.

This ban could also produce some directly negative effects on the campus itself. One is that some students, who chose to smoke between classes, may be late for those classes which follow their break. I understand that this is their choice, but people’s work places oftentimes allow smoke breaks, and those places are paying them to be their. If students are paying money, under the impression that they will be able to smoke on campus, then they should be allowed to do so. This leads to the next problem. Those of us who enrolled in this college were under the impression that we could smoke on the grounds when we decided to sign our promissory notes. I’m not saying that this affected my decision to come here (I commute). I do remember when I selected a college fresh out of high school, under the impression that I would be living there. I know, then, that I would not have gone to a college where I couldn’t step out of my dorm and have a cigarette. I would not have expected to be able to smoke in the dorms (out of respect for those who oppose); I would have expected a place where I would be allowed to do so, however (out of reciprocated respect). This decision may indeed prove ill for those students who are looking for a place to enjoy their college experience.

Scott Richard