Smoking ban gets mixed reviews from BU community
Adrienne Todd
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Entertainment
By Adrienne Todd
As everyone is well aware, the Smoking Ban on campus is just finishing up its inaugural month. How is the ban doing? Has it been effective in ending smoking on campus?
Obviously those who smoke had and still have issues with the ban. Claiming that not allowing students to smoke on campus is a violation of one's rights, the opposition was intense. One, however, might also claim that because of smokers, one's right to fresh air is being violated since they are involuntarily inhaling secondhand smoke. Both perspectives argue valid points. Supporters of the ban argue that when smokers congregate outside the doors of buildings, avoiding the cloud isn't an option. Conversely, opponents of the ban argue that areas that are off the main way, such as the smoker's pit outside Kennedy-Newman, should be allowed. After all, unless one ventures into the pit, there is little to no danger in inhaling cigarette smoke.
But what about compliance? Has smoking been reduced on campus? There are mixed reviews. Some feel like smoking on campus has gone down dramatically, but smokers on campus are not an uncommon sight. Many times, those who smoke do so as if the ban is not in place. They are not afraid to congregate in obvious spaces, challenging people to stop them. To that note, who is in charge of compliance? The University has said that the ban will be student and faculty enforced, but has this proved effective? First, how many students, if one saw someone smoking, would approach them and ask for them to stop smoking? Even if students felt comfortable doing that, how many smokers would comply? As one untraditional student (i.e. a grown man) put it when told by a traditional student (i.e. a young woman) to stop smoking, "Who are you to tell me to stop smoking?" This situation is a major component of the ban. When it is student enforced, but students are unable to really enforce it, how effective can it be?
The university was not without heart however, sponsoring smoking cessation programs available to nearly anyone associated with Bellarmine. However, not a single student signed up. Those who choose to enroll in the classes were older adults, happy to end their addiction. As to why students did not sign up, there could be many reasons. For example, young smokers have not experienced the negative side effects (though there has been countless anti-smoking education) and therefore, don't see the need to stop smoking. It could be a matter of sheer stubbornness, or as Nurse Alice theorizes, "College students tend to see smoking itself as beneficial (despite the education they have all had regarding tobaccos effects)."
The smoking ban overall on campus has had mixed reviews. Nurse Alice thinks that "it is a success because I hear a lot of positive comments from students; they are glad there are no longer crowds of people smoking in the doorways they must use to enter buildings. There have been very few instances of people not adhering to the ban." While other students believe that the ban was enacted due to its success at similar institutions, not with Bellarmine particularly in mind. The ban is still and will continue to be controversial.
As everyone is well aware, the Smoking Ban on campus is just finishing up its inaugural month. How is the ban doing? Has it been effective in ending smoking on campus?
Obviously those who smoke had and still have issues with the ban. Claiming that not allowing students to smoke on campus is a violation of one's rights, the opposition was intense. One, however, might also claim that because of smokers, one's right to fresh air is being violated since they are involuntarily inhaling secondhand smoke. Both perspectives argue valid points. Supporters of the ban argue that when smokers congregate outside the doors of buildings, avoiding the cloud isn't an option. Conversely, opponents of the ban argue that areas that are off the main way, such as the smoker's pit outside Kennedy-Newman, should be allowed. After all, unless one ventures into the pit, there is little to no danger in inhaling cigarette smoke.
But what about compliance? Has smoking been reduced on campus? There are mixed reviews. Some feel like smoking on campus has gone down dramatically, but smokers on campus are not an uncommon sight. Many times, those who smoke do so as if the ban is not in place. They are not afraid to congregate in obvious spaces, challenging people to stop them. To that note, who is in charge of compliance? The University has said that the ban will be student and faculty enforced, but has this proved effective? First, how many students, if one saw someone smoking, would approach them and ask for them to stop smoking? Even if students felt comfortable doing that, how many smokers would comply? As one untraditional student (i.e. a grown man) put it when told by a traditional student (i.e. a young woman) to stop smoking, "Who are you to tell me to stop smoking?" This situation is a major component of the ban. When it is student enforced, but students are unable to really enforce it, how effective can it be?
The university was not without heart however, sponsoring smoking cessation programs available to nearly anyone associated with Bellarmine. However, not a single student signed up. Those who choose to enroll in the classes were older adults, happy to end their addiction. As to why students did not sign up, there could be many reasons. For example, young smokers have not experienced the negative side effects (though there has been countless anti-smoking education) and therefore, don't see the need to stop smoking. It could be a matter of sheer stubbornness, or as Nurse Alice theorizes, "College students tend to see smoking itself as beneficial (despite the education they have all had regarding tobaccos effects)."
The smoking ban overall on campus has had mixed reviews. Nurse Alice thinks that "it is a success because I hear a lot of positive comments from students; they are glad there are no longer crowds of people smoking in the doorways they must use to enter buildings. There have been very few instances of people not adhering to the ban." While other students believe that the ban was enacted due to its success at similar institutions, not with Bellarmine particularly in mind. The ban is still and will continue to be controversial.
Be the first to comment on this story