UW-Stout is going Smoke-Free?
It does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? It would if you were an individual that did not smoke. What about those who do smoke? Would they be outraged if UW-Stout became a smoke free-campus. Some may say that it would be against the law for you to instill this ban, but what if it was voluntary? Do you think that it would really make a difference in allowing those who choose to smoke the opportunity to not smoke on campus. How many people would this affect on campus? There are many questions to ask yourself when bringing up a debatable topic such as a smoke-free ban.
There are many arguments that could be made, but as more states and businesses are becoming smoke-free, is it time for UW-Stout to look into whether or not our campus should also go smoke-free? Those who smoke may argue it is their right; others who do not smoke would argue they have the right to clean air. On campus the non-smoking progression has moved smokers from inside buildings to the outdoors to a 25-foot policy. The question is, does it really need to go even further as to make all of campus smoke free?
The movement towards making an attempt to or implementing smoking bans has expanded from state policies, to more and more campuses following suit. According to the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, at least 260 colleges and universities have smoke-free campuses. This does not incorporate campuses that designate certain areas smoke-free.
Alverno College, Chippewa Valley Technical College, Medical College of Wisconsin, Nicolet Area Technical College, UW-Baraboo/Sauk County, UW-Platteville and Western Technical College. These are just seven of the Wisconsin colleges and universities that had decided to go 100 percent smoke-free in 2009.
By having a smoke-free campus it will lead to less litter caused by cigarette butts, not having to deal with walking through a cloud of smoke upon entering an academic building, and it may encourage those who do smoke to cut back. This is not a quick fix to a problem, it is going to take smokers support in making this movement go forward.
The Stout Student Association is looking for student as well as faculty input on this debatable topic. SSA wants to hold a referendum to gather student’s input on this topic. Let’s hear your feedback, write your thoughts on the below please.
In order to recieve accurate, honest results from a poll, one must present the information in an unbiased manner. The information presented here is biased towards the smoking ban and having it enacted on the UW-Stout campus. The SSA mission statement states that it’s mission is to “ensure that all students opinions, rights, and interests are represented and voiced.” Students have varying opinions and the above piece seems to be one sided.
I am not expressing support for or against the UW-Stout smoking ban but the fact that this presentation is biased and unfair to those who oppose the ban.
get latest video coverage of the smoking ban at:
http://www.uwstoutmedia.com
Smoking ban is crazy!
A smoking ban would be an outrage, and a serious offense against students personal liberty. As students we cannot allow for our personal liberties to be continuously eroded.
A smoking ban? Get out! That would be ridiculous and should not be passed. There are too many people this would affect. I myself do not smoke but I still think it would be a great blunder to pass the ban.
What about the non smokers liberty to breathe clear air and be free of second hand smoke. Or what about the ground not being covered with gross cigarette buts, that is gross and i don’t want to see that!!! We non smokers deserve our freedom from cigarettes!!!
A ban like this would not only be a complete problem for the students but also for many teachers as well. Everyone has the right to smoke if they so choose. Making it so they can’t even smoke outside after a stressful class or test shouldn’t be allowed.
I believe it is something to consider. I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to ban smoking in all places, since there are people who are addicted, and it would be unjust to force society standards down their throats.
I think it would be smart to continue to ban smoking in front of building entrances like I’ve seen on parts of campus, if only because some, if not most, of the people entering the building don’t want to smell the smoke.
Personally, I have asthma as I’m sure a number of students do and second-hand smoke is a HUGE health hazard to those of us that have it. It’s awful to have to pass by someone smoking on the way into or out of a building and have an immediate attack. I think with a smoking ban that keeps smokers away from the buildings but still allows them to smoke somewhere on campus is being considerate to all of us.
Three people are in a lifeboat, adrift at sea. They have four cigarettes, but no matches or lighters. How can they each smoke a cigarette?
Answer: throw one cigarette overboard, which will make the boat a cigarette lighter.
YES, PASS IT! We need to live long and help those who want to quite also! It kills more than millions of people who second-hand smoke without even knowing it. It is also a big concern for health issues and I believe we should ban smoking on campus because hey, I hate second hand smoking. I want to save my life and others as well.
get latest video coverage of the smoking ban at:
http://uwstoutmedia.com/possible-smoking-ban-on-campus/
What happens when the cigarette towers, are removed and students are still smoking on campus. Besides, cigarette butts are the least of our concerns when discussing litter on our campus. If anything a ban will exacerbate the problem of litter on our campus, because I seriously doubt that this ban will be effectively enforced if put into place. Are we as students really willing to sacrifice our civil liberties, so that this school can have the novelty of saying that it is a smoke free campus. It is said that he who sacrifices security for liberty will receive neither, and I think this is the case with this smoking ban.
PASS THE BAN!!! I thought it was cool when Stout said that smoking is banned within 25 or 50 feet of doors, but nobody enforces that. Every time I go through the side door to my building I have to walk through two or three people puffing away right by the door…seriously less than ten feet away. It’s disgusting! By the time I get up to my room I still smell like shit and half the time the smell gets buried in my clothes. Something more drastic than the 25 or 50 food rule has to be done here.
This smoking ban is infringment on our Rights! Not only that but if you can find one document that is legit and legal stating that Second Hand smoke causes cancer or any other harm to someone. I will quit smoking cold turkey. Until then, do some research or watch this video if your too lazy.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xr9wa_104-second-hand-smoke-baby-bullshit_family
The first half is all you need to watch. PLEASE DONT BAN OR I WILL TRANSFER!
Ha, very nice, Smokey Joe! Anyways, I think the ban is a great idea. I think by having a smoking ban it’ll help some of the smokers get rid of the nasty habit all together. Second hand smoke is a huge health factor. I’m pushing for the ban on smoking on campus! I hope that a smoking ban will also be placed at the bars!
good, transfer! one less smoker on campus!
This is just another attempt to take freedoms away. People can’t smoke in buildings, dorms, or really anywhere on campus but outside. Who are they hurting outside? Smoking is a personal freedom that shouldn’t be taken away, if you don’t like to be around smoke don’t surround yourself with smoke. I am a nonsmoker and this still upsets me, just a bunch of people who are bored and want to shake things up! Last time I checked this was a free country, stop trying to take the little things away. I don’t like smoking, but it is a personal choice. Not being able to smoke in the buildings is a good thing and having the 25 ft radius is also a good thing, but to not be able to express freedom of choice is ridiculous! Last time I checked it was legal to smoke at 18.
This would be a horrible violation of student rights and would simply upset people and cause protests.
As for Kristi’s comment about non-smokers, I am personally a non-smoker, and I REALLY don’t find myself searching for clean air, I mean, theres certainly plenty to go around don’t you think? You can’t force someone to quit doing something they enjoy or are accustomed to doing simply because it inconveniences you slightly. That’s ridiculous and selfish. The cigarette butt issue does bother me, but maybe instead of BANNING butts all over campus, people who have a problem with the butts could take some initiative and work to get more ashtrays placed around campus. The school is very open to student suggestions of this nature, and would most likely sponsor any (reasonable) requests submitted. If you want to take care of the CURRENT butt issue, attend the next Greensense meeting to find out the date when we will be holding a campus-wide cleanup day to pick up trash around campus. We would love to see you attend and help us take care of the problem!
I am honestly opposed to cigarette smoking and think that it is a horrible habit and a corrupt industry, but outlawing it is NOT the answer.
Sorry for the long post everybody, I just feel very strongly about this.
No one on campus follows the 25ft away from the building rule! Not to mention – you can’t help but get in the line of smokers… there are people walking in front of you while you walk to class… you can’t really avoid it. And then when you try to walk to the doors of Harvey Hall there are 3 or 4 people right down the steps smoking. You can’t completely avoid it… trust me, I’ve tried!
As far as students throwing butts on the ground and us getting more ash trays – that won’t do much. I see students all the time throwing there cigarettes on the ground less than a foot away from a cigarette disposal… so that won’t do much at all!
I think smoking shouldn’t be banned, but smokers should smoke in their designated area, instead of smoking while they are walking, because us non-smokers don’t like smoke in our faces. Plus I do agree with JMG on the nasty habit, saving lives also.
I am not smoker, but when will all of our freedoms be gone? No more than 10 years ago you could smoke in some dorms. Now no smoking on the entire campus? I think this referendum is ridiculous and takes away a person’s freedom to be who they are. After all, isn’t college about learning who you are?
A lot of people start smoking to conform… that’s not being yourself – that’s just trying to fit in… there are a number of ways to express who you are – you don’t need to smoke to do it…
If you think this poll is bias then you’re dead wrong. It just goes to show how this ban is going to affect this university. If the people that want this ban to pass they should get involved and speak up. This poll shows me that the ban is being rejected not accepted.
I will voice my opinion because I feel that’s what they’re asking. I myself am a smoker and I feel that banning smoking on all areas of campus is cruel and unfair. I agree with banning it from entrances to buildings. I think by putting up covered areas will eliminate most of that. People smoke by the entrances because of the wind and snow. Please, everyone that wants this ban to be stopped voice your opinion on here!
I would just like to mention this.
Why hasn’t the 25-50 foot rule been advertised more? I didn’t even know it existed until now. Where are the signs?
I’ve been here two years, and am just now hearing about this rule, and only because I looked into it because I think a smoking ban is ridiculous (at least outside).
Why don’t we mark off smoking areas further away from the buildings. I think the biggest problem is that many people don’t even know where they should smoke, so they choose to smoke where it’s convenient for them. It just happens that that spot is inconvenient for others.
The only real problem I have with the smoking right now is that many people do it either in doorways or on the only walkable path to the doorway, so I have no choice but to walk through a cloud of smoke. If it’s out of the way, I could care less if it’s happening. I can always just avoid it.
I am non-smoker and have no trouble finding clean air around campus either. Smoking is a right that should not be taken away just because a small amount of people around campus feel it is inconvenient. If you really feel like you are going to get lung cancer from second hand smoke then exercise or do something constructive instead of worrying about issues that are really non-issues. This kind of stuff is petty and its just one more step to losing more and more freedoms across campus and this country.
Either way, people are still going to smoke and disobey the law. People are always going to smoke within the entrances to the buildings including dorm rooms. You have to consider people with breathing problems, allergies, and heart problems when passing by smokers. What about them? If you are going to smoke within the “zone” and careless about what the smell can do to other people, then the people might as well have more benefits. I do agree that people who smoke, will not want this to pass because of their addiction, but hey, more people I know want to stop smoking and maybe this is a step towards it. Helping others stop smoking to increase their longevity. Don’t you want to live longer and experience things that you can’t when smoking? It is time for a change, either good or bad, we suffer the consquences and we have been used to suffering many laws being passed that are against our morals and values!
You also speak of conforming to start smoking… in the email it seems like we are conforming to ban smoking… think about it
- We have been losing our rights and freedom already. There is no more losing an extra but losing it all basically.
As far as I know the campus has no right to pass a smoking ban because campus is state owned, and therefore public property. It would be the same thing as the city banning smoking within the city limits, it would be totally unreasonable. And as far as keeping up with trends, who cares? Why don’t we do whats right for us at STOUT rather than mindlessly follow other universities.
Did 18,19, and 20 year olds quit drinking when the drinking age changed to 21 ? If 260 other colleges decide to violate human rights does that mean Stout should? Education is the key not more rules or laws!!!!!!!!!!!!
Smoking will eventually be banned nationwide,America is just waiting for a leader. BAN IT!
Hey I want to let all the libs out there know they are crazy. We have been losing our rights because government is crazy and wants to turn our country into shitty sweden. I think it is ridiculous when libs say we need clean air and still drive cars. Also nobody has been talking about getting rid of our smoke stack. You can not talk about clean air when we have a smoke stack in our back yard. Also i would like to know what libs think about banning all cars. I would assume that they would be against it since they drive cars. proven fact. But that hurts clean air rights if you can even dare to say that. What planet do they live on where they say that smoking is the only thing that pollutes our air. I know i will not be walking outside when it is below zero. Call me when you would like to go back to being a cave man. I sure the hell do not want to be carless, airconditionless, and meatless. Just to let you know pig farms are the leading cause of greenhouse gas admissions. Also libs, you better pray that there is global warming because at this rate we might ban cars pretty soon. Just to let you know, it gets really cold up north.
Dont forget our President is a smoker. Smoke hater
This is a total abuse of power. I am not a smoker but anyone who thinks they can take away any right that they want clearly doesn’t realize this is America.
Cody – some people think that the ban is right for stout – perhaps you should think about the other side of the spectrum… not EVERYONE is okay with smoking…
Macey – how many rights and freedoms have you HONESTLY lost!? We have plenty of freedom here at stout…
So is it my right to let you walk around giving me cancer.
I smoke roughly between 10-20 cigarettes a day and only about 2-5 of them are smoked on campus. Although I smoke, I hope this ban will pass. People won’t smoke as much because they will have to go outside in public city areas to smoke. This would end up saving me roughly 90$ to $224 per year.
to Weed not Cigs: i don’t know if you’re aware of this.. but smoking weed is just as bad, if not worse, for you than smoking cigarettes. so it’s not us smokers giving you cancer.. you’re doing that on your own.
to Lindsey: it does not matter if everyone is ok with smoking or not. if someone does not want to smoke, they don’t have to. for those that do choose to smoke, they should be able to do so wherever they please, as long as it is outside.
smokers smoking outside does not impact non-smokers in any way. i don’t even see how this is an issue.
to Hi: not all smokers have that issue. i don’t mind spending that extra money on cigarettes. it is something i chose to do and if it really bothered me i would cut back on my own. maybe that’s something you should think about doing.
honestly, smoking on campus just can’t be banned.
college is place where kids come to grow up. to be able to do what they want and make their own decisions. banning smoking is taking that away from them.
it doesn’t harm anyone but themselves and if they want to do that, then that’s their own choice.
you really can’t take that away from them.
Here’s my gripe. Banning smoking on campus, even if they “designated” smoking areas, would be like putting a peeing section in a pool. It really makes no difference. People who want to smoke are going to smoke, plain and simple. Additionally, if you have a problem with people smoking near doors, ASK THEM TO MOVE! I am a smoker, and have smoked outside of Applied arts every day for the last 3 years, and not once have I ever had someone ask me to mover further from the door. Most smokers know that other people don’t necessarily like cigarette smoke, and are courteous about it, just ask. As for Lindsey: have you ever asked someone to move further from a doorway? I doubt it… Funny how an anonymous forum can bring out such an extraordinarily bombastic uproar from someone who wouldn’t have to courage to voice it to an actual person. Furthermore, do you really think a smoking ban on campus will make anyone quit smoking? Again, I doubt it. This is just one more bandwagon that Stout is trying to jump on. Also, if cigarette butts are such a problem, maybe a set schedule to have the butt bins EMPTIED would be good, many times I go to drop a cigarette in the hole and the damn thing is packed beyond capacity already. If by some stretch of absurd injustice this ban passes, I certainly will not be following, as I’m sure, most smokers would agree.
… so you walk through the smoke for a maximum of 4-5 seconds… out of how many seconds of breathing fresh air you get in a day???
don’t complain, let us smokers do our thing
For those of you who keep saying, “we want clean air!” You’ve already gotten what you wanted by outlawing smoking in most public places. We are forced to go outside!!! We’re already freezing our butts off to make you guys happy. Can’t we just smoke OUTSIDE in peace?
I am not a smoker, but feel this law is wrongly stripping away people’s rights. We all know smoking isn’t healthy, but this is the wrong way to discourage the act. It’s so easy to ban something when you aren’t on the receiving end.
Seriously now, when was the last time you were stuck in an area and all you could smell was smoke? You might catch a whiff of it coming inside a building. Is this going to instantly give you cancer? No, if you really want clean air then get out of the city. There are enough pollutants from vehicles to make hypocrites out of everyone. So why aren’t we banning cars then? Let’s realize that some people have made a choice that’s different from ours.
I’m a non-smoker. I think an outdoor smoking ban is over the top. What purpose does it serve? Where is the evidence saying people are really that negatively effected by it. You are outside, there is plenty of fresh air circulating around. When a semi drives by and you get a whiff of carbon dioxide you don’t go to the city council proposing a “vehicle ban” on and around campus do you? It makes sense not to allow smoking in buildings, but outdoors seems a bit extreme. It’s not our place to tell people whether or not they can smoke. If anything, we should at least tell those that smoke to STOP THROWING CIGARETTE BUTTS EVERYWHERE on the ground on campus. UW-Stout has a beautiful campus and it definately is frustrating to see butts thrown carelessly all over the place.
This proposed ban is a very un-American idea. I can sympathize with all of the reasons some people want the ban, but it is not right to impose this ban. It all boils down to freedom. I did not spend 5 year of my life in the military to protect freedom to come back and watch people voting freedom away from each other.
Next thing you know Coca Cola will be banned because people cannot hit the trashcan and peoples reason for banning it will be “Coke bottles are killing the environment.” Who wants to keep crippling this country based on the effect we have on the environment. Not every thing is killing the environment. Wake up!! You don’t have to give up you rights to protect the environment.
In closing, I feel it is time for people who want to restrict things because they do not like a politically incorrect act think for a moment. Think about what will be next, giving in on this will let people think they can take more rights away from others an the United States of America will be no more, no more freedoms.
This proposed ban is a very un-American idea. I can sympathize with all of the reasons some people want the ban, but it is not right to impose this ban. It all boils down to freedom. I did not spend 5 year of my life in the military to protect freedom to come back and watch people voting freedom away from each other.
Next thing you know Coca Cola will be banned because people cannot hit the trashcan and peoples reason for banning it will be “Coke bottles are killing the environment.” Who wants to keep crippling this country based on the effect we have on the environment. Not every thing is killing the environment. Wake up!! You don’t have to give up you rights to protect the environment.
In closing, I feel it is time for people who want to restrict things because they do not like a politically incorrect act think for a moment. Think about what will be next, giving in on this will let people think they can take more rights away from others and the United States of America will be no more, no more freedoms.
First: I agree with Ralph at the very top of these posts. The proposal should be strictly factual and it’s clearly biased.
Second: I’m a former smoker. I remember smoking in the grocery store and on airplanes – and at my desk at work. When they started banning smoking from those areas we thought we’d never survive. It’s inevitable that there will be fewer and fewer places to smoke as time goes on.
I’m a distance learner so the ban wouldn’t affect me, but I think the smokers need to face the fact that banning smoking will continue until there’s virtually no place where smoking will be welcome. That train has left the station.
Did you know that one of the first political groups to ever enforce a smoking ban was the third richt?
I am a non smoker and I think that this smoking ban Stout is thinking they can pull on their students is RIDICULOUS!
First of all, they are taking people’s fundamental freedom and right to do what they want. Smoking tobacco is legal, so why should Stout have any problem with it? By enacting the smoking ban, Stout sends a big message across to their students that “We don’t really want to treat you guys like the adults that you are… and we know better then you do about how you should live your life.” I know for a fact that a lot of kids left home for college in order to get away from their parents, not the other way around.
Secondly, many people’s reason for enacting the smoking ban would be that it would keep the air cleaner and be better for the overall health of everyone on campus. Do not single out tobacco as the worst or only harmful chemical that is floating around campus. Think about all that smoke that Stout’s smoke stack tower puffs out 24 hours of the day. Or all the exhaust that you breathe in as a big truck rolls by. Or the harmful chemicals that are Stout’s campus housing uses to clean their bathrooms. Just because tobacco smoke and the people who consume tobacco is the easiest to persecute among these toxicants because it is visable and out on the streets does not mean you should.
Im not even sure where to start so i will just dive right in. First off, I am a smoker and have also never heard of this distance rule from buildings until I read these comments. Seriously there SHOULD be signs out to notify people, because most would comply. Furthermore, along that line…I was in the Navy, and we were ‘allowed’ to smoke where ever we wanted on base, we had designated smoking places outside, that were labeled and provided some shelter from the outside elements.
If people are so concerned about students not complying with a rule they dont even know about with staying a certain distance from the buildings, then why cant there be designated and LABELED places to go to?
I agree smoking shouldnt be allowed indoors, i respect others and even though i smoke, i dont like smoking in my house. i go outside to smoke in the below zero weather at my own house. So seriously, if i was smoking at a doorway (though i never have) and someone asked me kindly to please move a little away, i would oblige in a heartbeat.
‘Keeping up with the trends’ really shouldnt be a concern of STOUT’s. I was under the impression that STOUT prided itself in being unique and innovative. Banning smoking campus wide doesnt really seem like that same train of thought. it wont really ‘help’ people quit,i know i wont quit because of it. But, i do know some people that can seriously turn into real bears without a smoke once and awhile. College can be stressful enough at times, why make it worse? Dont like the air? ask people to move,and dont forget to ask everyone to stop driving around you as well too. and shut down our smoke stack while your at it. (i aint yelling, just saying
)
A smoking ban is the worst idea I’ve heard Stout come up with so far! Stout is a place where we accept people for their faults and life choices and smoking is included!!! This is such an outrage and I am offended that smokers such as myself are being excluded! If this ban is passed I expect to see more drinking offenses given out to students living in the dorms considering they drink and party in their rooms and most never get caught! I feel that before this ban is passed, Stout needs to start enforcing other policys first.
I think a smoking ban would be horrible in consideration of those of us who LIVE on campus… it’s like banning smoking in your own home. I think a ban on areas of campus other than right outside of the dorm halls would possibly be okay, but everywhere would not be a good idea.
No one cares if people smoke or don’t smoke. Please stop saying “I am a non smoker blah blah balh….” Who cares if you smoke, that doesn’t even need to be mentioned. By the way we have lost so many freedoms. We have lost the ability to drink at a reasonable age, our freedom of speech has been affected, the government is coming close to taking guns away, the states have no authority anymore, and now they want to continue to take away simple rights like smoking. Ask yourself what can you do anymore?
*oops, i meant to say were were NOT ‘allowed’ to smoke where ever we wanted to on base
We non smokers deserve our freedom from cigarettes!!!
How many times do we have to walk behind somebody who is smoking and breathe in that smoke? How many times do we have to walk through smoke just to get into a building? Smoking affects the people who do smoke as well as others. I would support a smoking ban at UW-Stout. I am a non smoker and if you want to smoke that is your decision but don’t put everyone else’s health at risk. You may say a little smoke here a little smoke there is nothing but it is something. We know the side effects of smoking and second hand smoke and I don’t plan on experiencing any of them. Just a little bit ago I was walking back from class and ended up passing two people who were smoking. I got done early so there were very few students around. When everyone is walking to class there is an even better chance you could run into somebody smoking. As I have read many of you say that this ban would be an infringement on our rights but I don’t see it that way. Most smokers don’t follow the guidelines that are in place already. Rarely do I see students smoking outside the 25ft that they are suppose to stay away from buildings. This is a joke anyways because we still have to walk by them to get to the building. I was walking into a dorm and passed two people smoking right outside the door. These two were even friends of mine. For the most part smokers can’t or don’t follow the rules that are in place and a smoking ban at UW-Stout would be a benefit to us all.
A lot of you who are in favor of this ban say we are infringing on your rights as a non-smoker to breath free air, in reality, the ban would infringe on my right to breath unclean air. Really… Who’s right? Neither one. But based on principal alone, I strongly oppose this ban. Passing something like this is like a foot in the door to take other things away. I agree with “radical right protesting,” we can’t let more and more rights be taken away. The more things we stand by and ALLOW to happen, the more administration, state government, and the feds are going to exploit the fact that we are being docile. I feel the uproar over this ban is based more on the uproar itself and not on the true nature of the matter at hand. Don’t start a fire you can’t put out.
Smoking should be banned throughout the U.S. in all public places. If you want to smoke in your own home fine by me but when I’m walking to class I don’t want to have a face full of smoke or have to worry about perhaps it leading to cancer or asthma later in life. We’ve started taking the first steps to getting rid of this nasty habit for good. Raising prices, banning it in public restaurants and bars and now finally banning it from campuses. We need a healthy nation and a healthy future, our kids are that future. I hope this ban passes in every campus across the nation so that the idea can finally get across to big tobacco, stop making your product, it does nothing but maim and kill.
If you are a non-smoker you have a 1:100,000 chance of getting cancer. If you are consistantly exposed to second hand smoke, your chances are 1:80,000. This means 10 out of a million non-smokers will get cancer and 12.5 for non-smokers EXPOSED to second hand smoke. Thats not very significant.
I have just one questions to the students that protest the smoking on campus, Do you enter bars or house parties? So, you must not mind those situations, just those on campus. How about all the contaminates in the air from automobiles and factories. Where are we going to draw the line with our rights as Americans? Next are we going to ban fat people from buffet lines or over eating? Obesity is just as big as a health issue.This proposed ban along with some city smoking bans, is a huge infringement of our rights. I am not a smoker, but I do believe in our rights.
news flash Erik: for those of us that HAVE to live on campus for our first two years (everyone that goes to stout) we don’t have that option of “smoking in our own home”. which is why we should be able to smoke outside.
and that whole “maim and kill” thing.. i think some people need to stop being so dramatic. smokers are well aware of the risks of smoking but we do it anyway. its really not anyone’s business if we smoke or not.
I am a non-smoker but I think the smoking ban is laughable. Consider this, on campus we cannot enforce the no smoking within 20 feet of the building. They have a hard time enforcing no underage drinking which is actually against the law. How are you going to enforce a campus wide ban of smoking? There is no way. I think that instead of wasting time and money on something that can not possibly be enforced they should worry about enforcing the rules that are already in place. One more thought, if there is not smoking on campus you have to define campus. Are the sidewalks part of campus or are they public property? If the sidewalks are public property then people will just stand on them to smoke. I think this ban will take a lot of time to set up and will not do anything to prevent smoking because it cannot possibly be enforced. They are not smoking in the buildings, if they want to stand outside and freeze their butts off to smoke. I say let them.
I’m not 21 yet, so I don’t go to bars to drink. However, I do avoid restaurants that allow smoking and bowling alleys because of the smoke. Contaminates from automobiles and factories are far less dangerous than the smoke because we’re not inhaling them at the source, and there also aren’t over 4000 deadly chemicals in these gases. Banning overweight people is a gross comparison to smoking as far as our rights go. These people choose to eat a lot and not exercise, and they have to live with it; that’s their right. It isn’t my choice to inhale smoke while walking to class. It’s harmful to my body and is an infringement on my rights. I’m all for our American given rights, as long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of others. Also, that 25 foot rule is always broken and never enforced. The only time people go further away is when they’re actually walking somewhere. Smoking is being banned in many places these days, and it’s time it happens at Stout (and Wisconsin soon as well).
A smoking ban is a restriction of freedom. Smoking need to have accomadations like ashtrays and shelters. If the smoking ban is put into effect it would require ashtrays to be removed causing smokers to litter their butts all over the ground. The solution is not to herd smokers away from campus forcing them to walk off campus for a smoke break. When one only has a few minutes between class this is not enough time. I am all for the right for clean air. I enjoy smoke free restaurants and bars. The problem is that these restrictions are a violation of the rights of individual. Giving more power to local, state, and federal governments. After we ban smoking in all public areas then whats next? Dress codes, banned books, mind controlled drones marching around without individuality and freedom.
A good point having to define on campus…which is why Wisconsin just has to hurry up with the statewide ban. But, it absolutely can be enforced and has been enforced in other places. Also, this doesn’t really waste money. It can actually generate money through fines….
I AM 100% AGAINST THE SMOKING BAN. I don’t litter and I am conscious of non-smokers. I put my cigarette butts in my pocket when there are no containers. I feel it is my right to smoke outside. I spent 3 years in the U.S. Army because I am proud to be an American. We no longer live in the land of the free. It’s becoming the land of bans.
We should be more aware of who funds second hand smoke studies. Maybe the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture smoking cessation products whose stock goes through the roof when smoking bans are passed?
Ok and how are you going to fine people? The campus police can’t even enforce no underage drinking, they have more important things to worry about then smoking. So are there going to be more people hired just to fine people who smoke on campus? The is one of the stupidest things I’ve heard. I don’t smoke but i will not stand by and watch peoples rights be violated. It is legal plain and simple. I am aware that there are some smokers who are not acting responsibly but there are also a lot that do. Don’t for get about them. Whats the next thing they are going to ban on campus? Where does it end? That is my concern.
hmm…well the police get people all the time for underage, so there goes your argument. Also, smoking is quite a bit easier to spot than drinking because people cant really do it indoors because other people and smoke alarms will know. So to not get fined for smoking, i guess go into the woods or something, i dont know, but you cant really do it in the city without the risk of being seen. And thanks for supporting me again…please don’t stand by and watch my rights get violated by taking away time from my life.
As I mentioned before, I sympathize with many people who say they don’t want to breathe smoke, that it’s an infringement upon their rights. Banning smoking (a completely legal act) is an infringement on the smoker’s right to smoke! Who’s rights are more important?! There is no right or wrong answer, no ones rights are any more important, or hold any more weight than anyone else’s. It’s called tolerance for Christ’s sake. For the people who are in favor of the ban: what if the tables were turned, and someone tried to take away one of your freedoms? Seriously, should we ban loud music because it could damage our hearing, of course not, because most people could tolerate it for a little while, knowing that they’re not going to go deaf from brief exposure. The same goes for cigarette smoke, smelling it a couple times a day isn’t going to give you cancer; prolonged consistent exposure, yes, not a breath or two a day, grow up people, you’re in college.
anonymous, you are an idiot if you really think the cops get, even close, to the majority of underage drinkers. You’re pretty naive if you think that. And don’t you think the campus police should, perhaps, focus their attention to more important things, LIKE ACTUAL LAWS. Their jobs as an officer of the law, is to protect and serve. PROTECT AND SERVE, not create revenue for the university!
Just so everyone knows, the Nazi’s banned smoking in Germany to help them create a “better” society.
I love seeing how fast the liberal college groups are willing to take away rights from others.
I am a graduate studenta and came from the Unviersity of Minnesota-Duluth. They passed a smoking ban last year and it was the best decision. You didn’t have to walk outside and hold your breath it was fresh air right when you opened up the doors. Of course there were still people who would smoke on campus but it takes someone to really enforce it! Police officers and educators!! I think its a great idea!
As an asthmatic non-smoker I can say that a complete ban on smoking is unjustified and wrong. We stopped 2nd hand smoke in the dorms, fine, we stopped it in all the buildings, great, now we are trying to stop it outside, why? I’m incredibly sensitive to smoke but it does not bother me when they smoke outside. I believe if people want to smoke and they are not harming others they should be allowed to. Maybe a better 15 foot door policy would make more sense; but personally these bans are violating straight up rights.
yesterday i was running and i ran past a kid that was smoking and he blew a big puff in my face . . . THANKS!
I am against a smoking ban! Its not like we are not smoking in the buildings, we should be able to smoke outside.
This is ridiculous. Make and enforce stronger and more strict rules, I understand second hand smoke isn’t fair.. but banning it from campus?!?! Wow.. And about the underages.. I know people who drink every weekend, Thursday-Saturday and have never gotten one. So rethink that. Yea, they get people all the time, but that doesn’t mean they get EVERYBODY!
art student – i never said they get the majority of underages, because i know they don’t, but they do get some. Also, there is an ACTUAL LAW against underage drinking and if the smoking ban goes into effect, there will also be an ACTUAL LAW against that. and thanks for making my point, they’re there to PROTECT AND SERVE: serving me by protecting my health and my right to breathe clean air.
I never said there wasn’t an actual law against underage drinking. How can you justify police to spending time writing tickets out for smoking (a legal act) when there are other, more serious, offenses taking place. I can’t understand your point of view despite my efforts.
This entire list of comments is sadly pointless because those with any reason understand that this is a violation of rights, and those who are in favor of the ban cling to reasons that have no basis and will not listen to reason to begin with.
You ban supporters are so blindly in favor of this proposition that you cannot see how unbelievably unfair this ban is.
You say things like ‘I have the right to breathe clean air!’
Are you literally being followed around all day by a pack of smokers who are breathing it mercilessly into your face? I doubt it, I would guess that more than likely, you are peeved because you occasionally have to walk past a smoker on the way to class. Is this killing you? Literally killing you? No, it’s a minor inconvenience. Please, stop being so over dramatic.
I get irked when people stop in the middle of crowded hallways to talk, but I’m not pushing a “campus wide standing stationary” ban. Nor am I assuming that anyone who blocks a hallway is a terrible person and undeserving of their right to stand there. This is exactly what is going on here. Non-smokers are inconvenienced by smokers and thus are demonizing anybody who smokes.
I smoke, and guess what? I do it responsibly. I stand away from doors and other people and I dispose of my butts in the garbage. Have any of you considered that the guy standing next to the door smoking is not indicative of every smoker? Maybe he’s just kind of a dick, huh?
But, all of this has already been explained (and probably in a much clearer fashion than I did), but these reasonable, thought-out responses simply get ignored in favor of
“I SHOULD GET TO BREATHE CLEAN AIR. THE SMOKERS ARE KILLING ME SO BAN SMOKING OR BAN THOSE THAT SMOKE THAT WILL SHOW THEM LOLOL”
FYI, Art student – I ask them constantly to move farther away from the building and none of them listen! So I DO ask!
Do you consider the way you ask? Politely goes a lot farther, and most will be respectful.
A crime is still a crime. The seriousness of the crime usually reflects the amount the ticket. If there is a smoking ban, it will be illegal and people should get fined for breaking the law. And what do you propose cops do instead of writing these tickets? This is Menomonie, not Detroit of LV where there are more serious crimes…most of the crimes are probably illegal substance abuse.
and also, enough with the “nonsmokers are over dramatic”. Secondhand smoke is proven worse than firsthand, and it can dramatically reduce lifetime.
Prove to me that you won’t throw the butts on the ground where others have to pick them up, and maybe I’ll change my mind. I have never seen a worse group of littering people in the world other than the smoking population. Look around campus, right outside dorms, near benches, everywhere: there are 1,000 of butts and it’s getting out of control. Take some responsibility for yourselves and pick them up, and then I’ll take you people more seriously!
A complete ban would probably put a lot of people over the edge, i am not a smoker and would be in favor of the ban, but if it doesn’t go through i would at least hope that smoking away from the buildings entrances were enforced more every time i walk in or out of APPA especially i have to hold by breath. Its not fair for smokers to step on our rights either.
PASS THE BAN!! I hate walking to class behind smokers. When they exhale I end up inhaling…totally disgusting! Also it would make campus a cleaner place. No more cigarette butts laying around by all the buildings.
lol…not very nice
One day two old ladies were standing outside the nursing home casually having a smoke. After being outside for a while it started to rain on them. Suddenly, one of the ladies took out a condom, cut off the tip, and slipped it over her cigarette.
The other lady asked, “What’s that for?”
The first replied, “It’s to keep my cigarette dry when I’m outside smoking and it starts to rain.”
The second lady said, “That’s a pretty crafty idea.”
The following day the old lady went to the drugstore to get some condoms. She walked in and told the clerk, “I’d like some condoms please.”
The clerk looked at the old lady, rather baffled at why she would need condoms. However, he asked, “What brand would you like, Madam?”
The old lady smiled and replied, “I don’t care what brand you give me, as long as it fits a Camel.”
video coverage of the smoking ban at:
http://uwstoutmedia.com/possible-smoking-ban-on-campus/
I’m not a smoker, but I think that making it illegal to smoke on campus is wrong. It violates free rights of everyone if you do not permit a person to make independent decisions and choices regardless of health risks.
As it is the smoking areas are pretty exclusive and I have not seen many butts around campus. I don’t know what the problem is letting people smoke besides their own personal health issues, but that is a choice, not something to be decided by majority vote.
I am againt the smoking ban.
Eric what about people who do not own homes? Can they smoke or not because you idiotic solution was saying that all people that smoke should just smoke at home. If a landlord doesn’t allow smoking those people are screwed. But, now that i think about it, you probably are one of those people that think everyone has the right to own a home. Also you bring up that you want everyone to be healthy. Should it be illegal to eat at McDonalds, should it be illegal to drive a car, should it be illegal to chew tobacco, should it be illegal to consume alcohol( already tried it), and should it be illegal to do anything that causes harm to your own body? If you answer yes to those… I feel terribly sorry for you sir because you are not progressive like you think you are but rather anti progressive. Good luck trying to get cigarette companies to stop producing cigarettes. That would be nearly as impossible as trying to get Barack Obama to stop liberal spending. Its not going to happen.
Brittany you’re idea is ridiculous. Cigarette butts would still be on the ground and in fact there would be more because the school would take away ash trays. Get it? People would continue to smoke and instead of throwing the butts in the ash tray they would all throw them on the ground. Sure people don’t do it now but imagine how nasty it would be if there were no ash trays. It would be sick. Think before you speak next time.
This ‘campus wide smoking ban’ is the absolute worst idea the SSA has ever come up with.
In the e-mail to the student body, Michael Lubke (President of the SSA) said, “The main reason for this being put up for referendum is 260 universities nationwide have adapted smoking bans, and we at the Stout Student Association feel it is important to keep up to date on current trends.”
I can only assume that Michael does not see that this ‘current trend’ of taking away people’s civil liberties is anything but ideal.
This time they want to ban cigarette smoking, next time they will want to conduct random dorm room searches, the time after that they will want to charge off-campus houses for neighborhood vandalism and street sweeping.
Up through 2004 there were smoking floors in some of the dormitories. That’s right, entire top floors of dormitories where one could smoke a cigarette anytime of the day or night.
Where does this stripping away of civil liberties stop?
“The man who trades a small freedom for a little security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either.” -Benjamin Franklin
Even if this ban was enacted, how would it be enforced? In the same e-mail, Michael states, “The enforcement of the campus wide smoking ban would be the responsibility of everyone across campus.” …so am I to assume that they would want these fanatical smoking-ban advocates to enforce this unjust ban on the smokers? what might the repercussions of this scenario be?
I can tell you that (if I were not already graduated) I would completely ignore such a ridiculous breach of my civil liberties and continue to be a responsible smoker wherever I pleased.
I just want to add that I completely agree with TJ’s post (a few above mine). He says “those people with any reason understand that this is a violation of rights, and those people who are in favor of the ban … will not listen to reason to begin with. The ban supporters are so blindly in favor of this proposition that they cannot see how unbelievably unfair this ban is.”
In the end, The final decision on whether to ban smoking on campus after the referendum rests with Chancellor Charles Sorensen and I believe he will do the right thing by never enacting such a gross violation of the students’ liberties.
As for the SSA, I hope you’ll take something away from all of these different responses to this discussion. there are quite a few good suggestions of things you can do besides push unjust campus-wide bans on the actions of a group of people. suggestions like… have more ash-treys and garbages around campus, get ash-treys with bigger openings, have structures that block wind and snow so smokers dont have to stand by entrances, try to enforce the rules that are already in place instead of making even more ridiculous rules that will be impossible to enforce.
Well, I’ve said may part. Now if you’ll excuse me, after a rant like that, I’m going outside to smoke a cigarette!
Quetzalcoatl,
I am not in favor of an all campus smoking ban, nor do I oppose it necessarily. I am in favor of representing what the majority of students on campus want, because I was elected to represent them and what’s best for everyone. SSA voted as a whole to poll the whole student body through referendum, so this would make the most sense democratically speaking.
“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”
-Thomas Jefferson
I should hope that even non-smokers see this ban as an infringement of rights, and I urge you not to support this. It may not directly concern you, and you may feel like it will solve the problem, but it won’t. If the administration sees that it can control this, it will only continue to add restrictions.
Let me remind you that when rights are taken away, they are seldom given back. It leads only to further stripped rights. What happens when drinking is banned?
How is the campus going to enforce a smoking ban, when people are still smoking within 25 feet from buildings?
Quetzalcoatl,
What type of system would you prefer? And if the ban referendum results are that close, I don’t think the Chancellor would act upon it…
“Prove to me that you won’t throw the butts on the ground where others have to pick them up, and maybe I’ll change my mind.”
THIS is what needs to be banned, this elitist mindset that some of you display; I’m sick of these people waiving any opportunity for reason and instead acting like children.
Of course there will be irresponsible smokers, just as there are irresponsible drinkers, or irresponsible drivers. What if drinking indoors and outdoors was banned because the guy down the street had a rowdy party? Or if the speed limit was reduced to 20 everywhere because someone went to fast and crashed?
You should be dealing with those who are not following the current rules. This ban:
1. punishes those who have done nothing wrong
2. does nothing to solve the problem since those who cant even obey a 25ft rule arent going to obey a campus-wide rule either
If you’re for this ban I probably can’t change your mind but at least don’t talk to/about all smokers like we’re a pack of dogs.
FWW- Think!
I am an old geezer who is auditing classes at Stout. I have lost more than 10 close friends and over 40 from my high school graduating class to smoking related illnesses and cancer. I lost one parent to emphysema and further lung damage. I finally quit at age 50 and wish I had much done so sooner because poor air quality makes it very hard for me to breath.
Smoking is now a choice item. But, What happens in the future? Soon it may become universal that you cannot get life or health insurance if you are a smoker or have been in the last ten years?? Add $100-$500 a month to your insurance costs? Get laid off because your smoking raises the cost of the group insurance policy at your employer? Yes, Bunky, it does happen! They just have a mass lay off and you go with the other persons over 50 and under 25 that add between 50-100% to the insurance costs of doing business. But when re-hiring starts you don’t come back!
That is not even considering the joys of a $150 + a month addiction.
Recruiters look at fingers and, while nothing is said, they do not hire smokers for many jobs. The health industry for only one.
many food companies and design bureaus do not hire smokers either.
So.. the choice is yours!…think!
The late comedian Bill Hicks approaches this discussion with the sense of humor that it deserves.
youtube.com/watch?v=w9ySCcnoo3c
youtube.com/watch?v=Z9O1Cv7wudU
enjoy.
This is an article by a student of another college on the same issue, I think it’s worth a read.
The happy chatter of students, faculty, and staff fills the air. Students of different majors, career paths, and walks of life come here to relax, chat, and light up one more cigarette. The designated smoking zones, affectionately called “huts,” “shacks,” or even “mangers,” foster some of the best social life on campus.
In our last issue, The Voice published an article regarding a proposed campus-wide ban on smoking. The ban is being considered by the Mercer administration due to concern over second-hand smoke, as well as cigarette litter on campus. “Health is our main concern,” said Jose Fernandez, Executive Director for Compliance and Human Resources. “The intent has always been to protect the community.”
The present day smoking zones were established in 2006 to protect the community from second-hand smoke while upholding the community’s privilege to smoke on campus and the current policy is both fair and effective. It works to ensure that the only individuals who will be affected by second-hand smoke are those who choose to visit the smoking huts. Compliance has been increasing and the peak-hour crowds at the zones have become progressively larger since legislation of the new policy.
One faculty member, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “Whoever is assessing that the smoking huts are not successful is measuring success incorrectly. You cannot expect 100% compliance immediately.” The same faculty member added “I think the way to measure success is in measuring how many more people are frequenting the hut.”
A complete smoking ban on campus would be a disaster. Security personnel already have their hands full managing the 292 acre campus. “Given the budget issues, enforcement of a ban becomes unwieldy” says Fernandez. Even if the ban were enacted, could it be enforced? Can we really expect members of the community to make the long walk to the parking lot every time they want to smoke? If it takes 10 minutes to walk to or from the parking lot, and five minutes to smoke a cigarette, people will have to spend at least 25 minutes for every cigarette break they take. The busy students, faculty, and staff at MCCC simply don’t have that kind of time to spare.
It’s impractical to ticket everyone on campus that may have a lit cigarette in their hand or mouth. It would be just as impractical as enforcing all students, faculty, and staff to wear their college identification cards – a policy that is not enforced (or enforceable) on a wide scale.
The current policy designates areas for smoking and hence it quarantines both the offensive smoke and litter from cigarettes. What would happen if smoking was suddenly banned even in these huts? First, the thousands of dollars spent on the structures of the huts themselves would be wasted. Second, because the policy is neither enforceable nor widely favored by the smoking community, it is doubtful that community members would stop smoking on campus.
Because the designated areas would cease to exist, it’s not hard to imagine smokers on campus simply lighting up wherever or whenever they choose. This would only increase the amount of second-hand smoke suffered by the rest of the community, and likely increase litter everywhere except at the smoking zones.
Faculty members interviewed (all of whom asked to remain anonymous) raised questions about the purpose of a possible ban. Because there has been no public outcry about the health or litter problems, one faculty member said “this leads me to suspect that the littering is really just a smoke screen for the fact that we’ve become a rabidly anti-smoking culture. It’s gotten to the point that the mere thought of a smoker sets off outrage.”
But are smokers just a tiny fraction of the population at Mercer? Roughly thirty full time faculty and staff members smoke, not including adjunct faculty members. A substantial amount of Mercer students smoke, but exact numbers cannot be verified. The issue may seem trivial to nonsmokers but it is one that affects everyone on campus.
Mr. Fernandez emphasized that the community is ultimately responsible with the outcome of the situation. “Given the non-compliance to the policy, we have [asked] the college community if we should enforce a smoke free policy. The more compliance we have, the less reason we have to change the policy. Student involvement is essential to maintaining smoking privileges.”
The smoking ban not set in stone. Mercer’s administration is mostly concerned with second hand smoke and cigarette litter. As members of the community, those of us who smoke can maintain the privilege to smoke on campus and stop bad policy from being legislated by acting responsibly.
Smoke at the designated zones. Don’t expose people to second-hand smoke who don’t want it, and you’ll definitely meet some great people at the “smoking mangers” if you try.
Dispose of your butts properly. Cigarette butts are made from cellulose and are not biodegradable.
Help clean up. Phi Theta Kappa is hosting a cigarette-butt cleanup on Earth Day, Wednesday April 22nd at 12:00 in the quad.
Spread the word. There is still hope! Whether or not you smoke, your word of mouth can stop bad policy and protect the freedoms of the Mercer community.
I am one of the non-traditional students here on campus and for those of you that don’t know that term, I am one of those older people you see in your classes. I am also a 30 year smoker and have no intention of quitting anytime soon. I have seen our rights under attack time and time again. We accepted being pushed outdoors in respect to the rights of the non-smoker. We don’t smoke in restaurants or at work, or even at play because non-smokers don’t like it. I honestly believe that most smokers have accepted these restrictions as our way of saying that we respect your rights as non-smokers. But now the line must be drawn. Again there is a small group of people that once again feel that they can impress their will on all others. Granted you are the student government and I do see some good that you do, but why waste time on this issue when there are so many others that are far more pressing. Every time I see this kind of assault on more of my rights I see it as only a smoke screen to protect yourselves from actually doing something for the benefit of all the campus. I have to agree with some of the other comments when I ask, WHAT IS NEXT? Maybe we should have a dress code. Yes, no more wearing pajamas and slippers to class like I have seen a few of our student government representatives doing. Or how about how disgusted I get when I see the back of your pants ripped out and your ass hanging in the breeze. I know, we can fine all students that put their empty plastic bottle in the aluminum can barrel. See, there are a lot of real pressing issues to concern the SSA. And remember that in 1933 there was another organization formed that was to be the moral consciousness of a nation. Their initials were very similar to yours. They became the German SS.
to: FOR MY RIGHTS, I could have written that. Thank you for voicing your opinion so well.
to ALL the smokers: Please quit throwing your butts on the ground. It’s disgusting and disrepectful. It only takes 10 seconds to dress out the cigarette 1. Put the cherry out on the ground and 2. Put the butt in the trash.
yeah what kind of bullshit is it make make all the non smokers inhale and your dumbasses smoke.. yay for a smoking ban
My affiliation to smoking takes no part in this matter. I come merely to state that my opinion has not been heard. I am not interested in arguing my point. I merely state that in the SSA Website about us section they state “Everyone becomes a member of SSA simply by enrolling at UW-Stout–this means that all Stout students can vote in elections or on referenda.”
For you smokers and non-smokers, did you vote or have a direct say in this referendum? I can truthfully say that until I received the email from the SSA President I did not even know that this issue existed. This alone is an infringement on our rights as UW-STOUT students. If SSA would like to present this referendum I propose that every enrolled STOUT student should have their vote involved in this process. By only allowing the SSA elected and appointed officials to vote it creates a biased. The 10-20 officials on this board do not accurately represent the 5,000 or more students living or commuting to our campus.
If any SSA members are reading this post, I am ashamed to have taken any part in helping to electing you.
Sincerely,
Anon
I would also like to add, that I realize that the referendum has not taken place yet. Although in the email I had received it sounded as if SSA had already made their initial decision on the ban.
-Anon
Personally smoking doesn’t just affect me when walking in and out of buildings but also when walking to class. There is nothing I hate more than walking all the way to class behind a smoker, it makes me sick. Also most smokers don’t even follow the rules the campus does have in place now. Right now the campus is filled with discusting cigarette butts. If smokers really don’t want the smoking ban to pass then start following the rules and smoke 25 feet away from the building and stop polluting campus with your litter!
I love how every argument for a smoke free campus I’ve read so far is based on being mildly inconvenienced for 15 seconds a day by people who smoke cigarettes. Second hand smoke is a joke. You think you’re going to get lung cancer walking down the sidewalk get real. I don’t smoke cigarettes and I don’t believe in this ban at all. If smoking wasn’t so expensive I’d start today and blow smoke in all your faces for being absolutely ridiculous. Do you think we should drain Lake Menomin because it has a foul smell for a few weeks a year? Are you going to stop driving your car because its’ emissions don’t smell the greatest? Do you want to stop eating foods that make shit smell? Get your own life and stop trying to run someone else’s. This issue is based on the fact that our Chancellor is going to want to boast that he has a smoke free campus and you know what? He’s going to win this one and he doesn’t give a shit what any of us has to say about it. Taking away tiny freedoms one at a time every few years adds up more than most people care to think about. Kids can’t even get on a bike and ride it across the street without a helmet on anymore is anyone allowed to have fun in America? I Strongly oppose this ban and any other that doesn’t allow us to do the simple every day things that get us through a day that is surrounded by politically correct bullsh#$.
This ban is ridiculous. If it gets passed I will be furious and I don’t even smoke. Every person has the right to smoke outside at least. And for those who say they have the right to clean air… So you want to take away other people’s rights so you can have what you want? Seems a bit hypocritical doesn’t it? It isn’t going to kill people to pass by those who are smoking outside. Get over yourselves.
I do not agree with the smoking ban. First of all, who would have time to enforce this ban? Secondly, a huge number of students rely on cigarettes to get through their day. I understand second hand smoke bothers the non-smokers and this is an issue. Is there anyway we could have a designated smoking area for those who need to?
DO NOT BAN SMOKING!!
it seems those who are complaining about cigarette butt littering are not considering that the litter is not due to every smoker being an inconsiderate jerk (Which is a laughable generalization anyway), but a natural side effect of forcing people to take their habit outside–where there has been little thought put into providing disposal tins. I understand that second-hand smoke is dangerous and I don’t disagree that it shoudl be done outside, but think about it: what if drinking were only allowed outdoors? How long do you think it would take before beer bottles started piling up in gutters and on sidewalks?
If this is a real issue it should be given a real solution; I think it’s ridiculous that, in an effort to make Stout look better on paper, the administration is giving the middle finger to it’s current student body.
On April 8, students at UW-Stout will vote whether their campus will go smoke-free or continue to allow smoking. I am aware that being part of a movement such as banning smoking seems “sexy” to some people—that’s it’s more exciting to promote change than go with the status quo. But in this case, the status quo is much sexier.
A confession: I’m a college student and I’m a smoker. Since smokers are in the minority, it’s easy for many to think this fight isn’t relevant. But what happens when there’s a vote on something that touches you, the non-smoker’s life? What if the college gets to decide whether you can have a beer, watch movies, or sleep with whomever you want? When your rights are in the crosshairs, will you stand up for them?
Ah, but smoking is a public safety issue, you might say. Smoking hurts innocent people. I empathize with those who are worried about dying because of second-hand smoke—I don’t want anyone to die or come to harm, either. But if we’re talking about the dangers a cigarette smoked outdoors at UW-Stout (and blown in the air) causes for another person, then the threat is largely mythical. Has anyone ever died because they walked by a group of smokers two times a day on their way to English Lit?
Innocent, young people get cancer all the time and chain-smokers live until they’re 80, and I agree that it isn’t fair and it doesn’t make sense. Good people like Dana Reeve, who never smoked, get cancer and die without good reason. I had a friend who died of a rare form of cancer when he was 23, and it was not smoking-related. On the other hand, George Burns smoked for decades, and he lived to be nearly 100.
Of course, we hear that Dana Reeve worked in a smoky bar when she was younger, and that could have been the cause of her cancer. That’s absurd. What about waitresses who work in smoky bars and live until they’re 95? There’s a logical gap there, and as my psych prof taught me, correlation doesn’t prove causation.
The crux of the matter is this. As someone who values my individual rights, I don’t want to tell anyone how to live their life. I allow others—even those with wildly different viewpoints—to do what they wish, when they wish, how they wish. If someone wants to shoot up heroin, go to an orgy, and burn the flag, go right ahead! I won’t morally agree with every choice you make, but it’s not my right to tell you to stop.
Yet those people who want to ban smoking on campus—who enjoy the tolerance of others—are being supremely intolerant of anyone who opposes them.
This is a crummy paradox.
Governing bodies and special interest groups should not legislate morality; we should have the right to make our own decisions, smokers and non-smokers alike.
I’m going to let non-smokers live their lives. I wonder if they’ll do the same for me.
your one of the first people to actually say something smart! thank you!!
Speaking as someone from Eau Claire, which has been hit hard by the no-smoking ban in the pubs and bars, I think that a smoking ban on campus would be ridiculous. People are not going to quit smoking because of a ban. The ban in Eau Claire has hurt businesses, as people who smoke, who are a large portion of bar revenue, are searching for new places to go. Yes the ban will look good to the outside world. But this isn’t a hospital or a place where people are using oxygen tanks where smoking isn’t allowed. My grandmother lives in a building that is smoke-free, but she can still smoke outside, a certain way from the building. We are all adults here, we can make our own decisions, that is a basic human right, and what this country was founded on. And if a school wants to become totally smoke free, it will only be hurting the students and teachers who attend here. When Sacred Heart hospital in Eau Claire became totally smoke free, so that even employees couldn’t even smoke outside, employees including doctors and nurses, yes doctors smoke, and they’ve been fighting to get it back. Which is exactly what will happen if a smoking ban passes here, students and faculty will fight to get it lifted.
I am a non-smoker and I don’t relate at all to most of the other non-smokers who have posted here. I don’t see what the damage could be in walking past a person who is smoking. As if one breath of smoke is going to do irreversible damage. I can honestly say that I’m never bothered by the occasional whiff of smoke. I understand that from a non-smoker’s point of view, walking behind someone with a lit cigarette can be bothersome, but if people are so bothered by walking behind a smoker, pass them. Its not hard to do. No one said you had to walk behind them. Use some logic.
I think a lot of non-smokers are stuck in their own heads. We have to put ourselves in other people’s shoes sometimes. Its called compromise. I like the 25 foot rule just the way it is because it provides freedom of smokers and non-smokers alike. Non-smokers don’t have to smell smoke indoors and smokers can still smoke.
If this is an attempt to decrease the amount of smokers on campus and convince students to quit, its not the right way to go about it. I see more and more people go on the path of quitting cigarettes every year. My boyfriend is an ex-smoker and watching him struggle to quit really opened my eyes. Its so hard to do and the smoker has to be in a stable place in their life to try. You can’t just pull the rug out from under people and expect them to change. Stout needs to find a way to provide positive incentive for those who want to quit instead of this totalitarian way of solving problems. This is the parent-child way of solving problems – forbidding something “because I said so” when it is solely an individual activity that can be avoided by those who do not want to take part.
I also don’t see where people get off treating smokers like they are bad people. I know plenty of smokers who are wonderful people and some want to quit, but just aren’t ready. With a little respect, people are more apt to take advice but if we disrespect people, no one will listen to what is established – just like this ban.
Lets look at this from a logical point of view.
People have the right to smoke.
People have the right to clean air.
Can people have clean air while people smoke on campus?
I believe the answer is no. Years ago people were allowed to smoke anywhere. Every few years this has become more restrictive because people have the right to clean air. If the smokers followed the rules and stayed 25′ away from buildings and didn’t liter this wouldn’t be an issue.
Different federal organizations set standards on what the average person can breath in before it is deemed harmful. As an example: asbestos, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, lead all have permissible exposure levels set based on what is safe and what is not safe. If these levels are exceeded than it has been determined not to be safe for the average person.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that their are NO safe levels for breathing in second hand smoke. This is not a subjective opinion. It is a fact.
Since no has the right to harm another’s health the only right thing to do is to make the campus smoke free. May not be popular for all but it is the right thing to do!
I think that it would be a good idea to have a campus wide smoking ban, but I do not think Stout’s intentions are honorable. It says that Stout wants to have the campus wide smoking ban just for the sake of staying on the band wagon with the rest of the midwestern schools. I would be much more proud to go to a school that supported the smoke free campus because they believe in promoting the health and overall care of their students… Not because they want to keep up with the competition and do what is popular.