I really wish my campus was tobacco free. All I want is to be able to walk into the library and to and from my classes without having a cough attack from all of the smoke being blown into my face. I want to be able to walk around our beautiful campus and not have to walk through the scatters of cigarette butts lining the pathways. And yes, I even want to rid of the smell of strawberry-cake-whatever floating in the air from the extreme amount of e-cigs.
When myself and those that agree with me say that we want our campus tobacco free, it isn't an attack at those that choose to smoke. By tobacco "free," we don't necessarily mean 100% free. People are going to smoke regardless of the rules set in place. We aren't trying to tell you what to do, but I would just like a say in where you do it. I have no problem with it until it begins to effect myself and others. I'm not saying that you shouldn't do what you want, and I know that we're adults, but doesn't that mean we can be considerate of each other?
Not only is it uncomfortable for me to have to walk through the smoke clouds on the way to every class, but imagine how those students dealing with asthma and other breathing problems feel. I know, I know, "we can't solve everyone's problems." When I've brought up this argument to people, that's the answer I get. I know that we can't go around trying to fix everyone's little problems, but if it isn't too hard to fix, why not? I don't think it sounds too hard to go to the designated smoking locations, or to drive across the street to smoke. If someone wants to smoke and cares about it that much, I believe that they will go wherever or do whatever they need to do.
A lot of people are also concerned that if we were to go tobacco free, that it will decrease our chances of becoming a wet campus. But these two ideas don't correlate at all. There are countless campuses that have gone tobacco free yet choose to be a wet campus. I don't think by going tobacco free would we hurt our chances of one day becoming a wet campus if we so choose. Making the campus cleaner and more comfortable for everyone will not harm our chances of this in the future.
Again, I don't believe we have to go completely tobacco free. I just want the doorways and walkways clear of smoke, litter, and the smell. Seeing people smoking while walking down a pathway is enough to make me take the long way to class to avoid having a coughing fit and getting smoke blown right back into my face. I don't see how those that are arguing against this don't see that as rude. We could easily solve the problem by designating two specific areas to smoking and only allowing it there. This alone would decrease the amount of problems that smoking or e-cigs cause on campus, and allow those who choose to smoke to continue doing just that.
