Letters to the Editor

Voices from current Boise State students.

I don’t like the smoking ban. I feel like my rights (believe it or not, smokers do have rights) have been tampered with. I also feel as though this ban has been pushed onto the campus without a proper vote. I had no idea that the vote to ban smoking had taken place- if something that changes campus policy is to be voted on, the entire campus should vote on it. I also would like to see the demographics of the other schools that have gone smoke-free. I think that the size of the school, the median age range, and if there are people living on-campus should be looked at very closely to see if BSU is similar to the other schools that are smokeless.
Which brings me to my next question:are the people who live in the dorms to be expected to go to the park- potentially in the middle of the night- to smoke? This seems really dangerous to me. I hope that in the do-good fervor that got this ban enacted, there is a better answer than “They should just stop smoking.” Baloney.
I understand the motive behind the ban. I know that cigarettes are irritating to some people. I get it. I just wonder if there would be any way to have designated smoking areas on campus? Does it really have to be all or nothing?
Robin Arrowood is a Junior studying Botany and Anthropology

The smoking ban is a bit complicated for me. As a future nurse and current nursing assistant at a hospital, part of my role in the community is to advocate health and wellness. But when I step outside of that role, my personal feeling is that the smoking ban is paternalistic, and, at the risk of sounding paranoid, I speculate that it could be new way to generate a bit of extra revenue, if one is fined for smoking on campus. The University justifies the ban by claiming it will help those who use the campus to quit smoking. It may. The nurse in me wants to help people to quit smoking at every possible opportunity. I have learned, however, no matter how healthy I’d like people to be, some just won’t adhere to a healthy lifestyle.It would be vain and idealistic of me to think I could save each individual I come across from sickness, disease, and sometimes, her or his own self. Similarly, I think the University, though acting in the best medical interest of their students (both smokers and non-smokers) is acting a bit vain in passing the smoking ban. I appreciate that the University cares about the health and safety of its students, but there might be other battles to choose. I’m sure smoking on campus can not be a critical issue on the administration’s list concerns. (And honestly, people aren’t paying +/- $2,000 a semester to go to Boise State for help to quit smoking).I admit-I have been annoyed on a few occasions when I walk out of a building into a crowd of smokers and inhale the second hand smoke. And I do wish people wouldn’t smoke because it’s not healthy.But the solution to that is not to ban smoking on campus. The solution may be to have designated smoking areas on campus.
Will people strictly adhere to smoking only in the designated areas? At first, probably not. But if there is a way to enforce or reward smokers for doing this, I’m hopeful that compliance would improve.
Hilary Trappett is currently in the Nursing program at Boise State University

First, policing of smokers. I was actually in a meeting where it was suggested we use “peer policing” to enforce the smoking ban. Seriously? You think that is going to work?! Nothing good is going to come out of students approaching other students to inform them they can’t smoke. Second, there are smokers that live on campus. Apartment complexes can demand that their residents don’t smoke inside, but they have to be able to go somewhere and the discussions I was involved with was going to include Housing in the smoking ban. I support building smoking huts. Even though they are quite expensive and there is a debate as to whether they would be used.
I’m all for individual rights, as long as they don’t infringe on the rights of others. Smokers have rights (it’s legal, they’re adults, it’s their decision) they just need to keep the smoke away from non-smokers. BSU needs to offer places out of the main path for smokers to go, and they need to focus their effort on providing services and support for people wanting to quit. Banning things is never effective.
Megan Egbert is a graduate of Boise State University with a degree in Sociology.

Related Posts:

1. Letter to the Editor: Sell nicotine gum on campus
2. Smoking ban alienates students
3. Boise Tweets on the new smoking ban
4. Students speak out about smoking ban
5. The Way We See It…