Smoking ban violates rights of campus residents
Aryeh Ballaban
Issue date: 3/10/10 Section: Opinion
By Aryeh Ballaban
I don't smoke. If you're a Bellarmine student (or even a faculty member), you probably don't either. Bellarmine is lucky to have such a great campus where many people choose not to smoke and consequently have healthier lifestyles.
And yet, despite our collective health, Bellarmine makes me sick at times. When did it become logically acceptable to deny a minority their rights only because they're a minority? I'm not advocating relative morality here: if you are doing something that is wrong to others, I don't intend to stand up for your right to do it.
Let's get this straight, though: smoking at Bellarmine (as allowed by the previous smoking policy) didn't affect anyone's life except for the people who chose to smoke. It was never allowed by Bellarmine rules for someone to stand 2 feet from a door and to deliver secondhand smoke to passersby. Taking away smoking privileges from those people who followed the rules because of those who did not do so makes very little sense. That would be like taking away fried foods from all students because some choose to eat too much of it and become unhealthy.
What else, too, of chewing tobacco? What pea-brained argument is it that chewing tobacco affects people other than the users? Remember: we're now in a TOBACCO ban; this includes all forms of tobacco, chewing varieties inclusive. This is a matter of invading peoples' personal choices, and it is unethical.
Tell me, what happens to the Bellarmine resident (and note that Bellarmine obligates most students to live in the Residence Halls for 3 full years) who wants to have a smoke at 2:00 am on a cold, rainy morning? They don't have access to a car, and they'd really like to have a smoke. By this new policy, they would have to walk all of the way off campus in the inclement weather to do this. Why can't they, instead, go to one of the many outdoor, covered pavilions?
I don't smoke, and I don't advocate smoking. It is a bad habit, an addiction, and is terrible for one's health. I also don't support obesity, but I would never support the banning of the less healthy food options on campus. By saying this, I'm obviously not saying that I want everyone to go have a grease-burger from Kosters. I am saying that I want people to be able to make choices about what they do with their own bodies.
I really am not proud of Bellarmine's choice here. I might be required as a Resident Assistant to enforce the policy, but I have no obligation to believe that it's right. It's a good thing that I'm not obligated, too: it's not going to happen. This current policy is illogical, an overstepping of boundaries by the university, and misunderstanding of what it means to care about others.
I don't smoke. If you're a Bellarmine student (or even a faculty member), you probably don't either. Bellarmine is lucky to have such a great campus where many people choose not to smoke and consequently have healthier lifestyles.
And yet, despite our collective health, Bellarmine makes me sick at times. When did it become logically acceptable to deny a minority their rights only because they're a minority? I'm not advocating relative morality here: if you are doing something that is wrong to others, I don't intend to stand up for your right to do it.
Let's get this straight, though: smoking at Bellarmine (as allowed by the previous smoking policy) didn't affect anyone's life except for the people who chose to smoke. It was never allowed by Bellarmine rules for someone to stand 2 feet from a door and to deliver secondhand smoke to passersby. Taking away smoking privileges from those people who followed the rules because of those who did not do so makes very little sense. That would be like taking away fried foods from all students because some choose to eat too much of it and become unhealthy.
What else, too, of chewing tobacco? What pea-brained argument is it that chewing tobacco affects people other than the users? Remember: we're now in a TOBACCO ban; this includes all forms of tobacco, chewing varieties inclusive. This is a matter of invading peoples' personal choices, and it is unethical.
Tell me, what happens to the Bellarmine resident (and note that Bellarmine obligates most students to live in the Residence Halls for 3 full years) who wants to have a smoke at 2:00 am on a cold, rainy morning? They don't have access to a car, and they'd really like to have a smoke. By this new policy, they would have to walk all of the way off campus in the inclement weather to do this. Why can't they, instead, go to one of the many outdoor, covered pavilions?
I don't smoke, and I don't advocate smoking. It is a bad habit, an addiction, and is terrible for one's health. I also don't support obesity, but I would never support the banning of the less healthy food options on campus. By saying this, I'm obviously not saying that I want everyone to go have a grease-burger from Kosters. I am saying that I want people to be able to make choices about what they do with their own bodies.
I really am not proud of Bellarmine's choice here. I might be required as a Resident Assistant to enforce the policy, but I have no obligation to believe that it's right. It's a good thing that I'm not obligated, too: it's not going to happen. This current policy is illogical, an overstepping of boundaries by the university, and misunderstanding of what it means to care about others.
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