Policy threatens lives
By Dave Kovolisky
A recent attack occurred off-campus when a student walked outside the university gates to smoke. In light of this event, I think it’s time to reassess the fact that High Point University’s campus is tobacco-free.
This student, a freshman, wouldn’t have gone off-campus and experienced this attack had there been a place for him to smoke somewhere on campus.
A designated smoking area would eliminate this problem and keep students from walking off-campus to smoke where they aren’t necessarily protected in the ways that they are protected inside the walls of the university.
“I am not a fan of cigarettes myself, but I would have no problem with there being a smoking area on campus,” said freshman Ryan Schobel. “This would allow students to do what they want, in a safer and more convenient way.”
While a tobacco-free campus is intended to help colleges maintain a cleaner and healthier atmosphere, at HPU this statement doesn’t hold true.
Despite the fact that fines are assessed to students caught smoking cigarettes, this punishment doesn’t always stop them.
That’s another reason why I believe that having no designated smoking areas around campus hurts the university more than it realizes. Since smoking is not permitted, there are no ashtrays to dispose already smoked cigarettes into. This results in students carelessly throwing the “butt end” of the cigarette on the ground.
“While walking behind the apartments on campus, I noticed a pile of cigarette filters in the corner. As I was passing the pile all I could smell were cigarettes,” said freshman Steven McGuire.
Everyone knows smoking cigarettes is dangerous. The chemicals found in them have many harmful effects on the human body. If this doesn’t convince people not to smoke, then nothing will. It would be better for everyone if there were a safe area where students could smoke cigarettes. The issue of second-hand smoke could be avoided by placing the designated smoking area away from the dorms and academic buildings.
College students already have enough problems to worry about. The added paranoia that comes with worrying about being fined for doing something completely legal in our country just adds onto the pile. More stress is added to the student’s life, opposed to the relaxation they would receive from safely smoking a cigarette on campus.