The prospect of a tobacco-free campus is a complicated issue for students at the University. The Tobacco Free Initiative is similar to the smoke-free policy that is already in effect but with wider-spanning rules that ban vaporizers, smokeless tobacco and cigarettes.
Faith DeNardo, director of the University’s Wellness Connection, said the initiative would be a step in the right direction for the health of students at the university.
“We do know that tobacco is the No. 1 cause of death. … We are preparing folks to live healthier lives as we move forward. We also know that many folks take up tobacco use during the traditional college years. We’re looking at long-term health and wellness,” she said.
When asked what the initiative’s biggest obstacles are, DeNardo said that safety and enforcement are potential issues she’s heard voiced by students. The enforcement seen of the smoke-free policy, or lack thereof, indicates a tobacco-free policy will also be difficult to enforce, she said.
“The majority of universities, both from students and across the nation, utilize community enforcement with tobacco-free policy. That’s really encouraging folks to recognize if there’s a violation of the policy and to utilize shared community responsibility on the policy. What it comes down to, for the majority of enforcement, is that it’s relying on current policy, for example with the student code for students and human resources for employees,” she said.
Several students gave their opinions on the Tobacco Free Initiative. Chris Murphy, a third-year doctoral student in the University’s contemporary music program, said he is split on whether the initiative is too far-reaching.
“I understand that people have a right to make their own decisions about tobacco use and things like that, but at the same time we do have a lot of visitors to campus, a lot of children who are on campus and secondhand smoke is not a decision that they get to make once they’re actually breathing it in. I think the issue is not necessarily that people are smoking themselves but that it causes an impact on others who choose not to smoke,” he said.
Lindsay Wageman, a freshman who is undecided in her major, feels similar to Murphy, believing the well-intended initiative is possibly overkill.
“I’m somewhere in-between with how to feel about it. I think it doesn’t matter if you’re of age, and that you should be able to do what you want. I think it is becoming more common with younger people though, which is bad,” Wageman said.
Junior math education major Amanda Whitehead thinks the initiative is mostly a good idea but worries that it could potentially lead to tobacco users putting themselves in dangerous situations.
“It would matter health-wise for other people, I could see, but it doesn’t really affect me. … I feel like harm could come to some students who really need that fix, like let’s say there is a blizzard outside. I think it would overall be a good thing because it could deter people from smoking and maybe cut down on students not having enough money,” she said.