Sarah Bledsoe
Final Draft
Texas State
University called into action the banning of tobacco on campus grounds. After
six months of enforcement, he university’s students maintain conflicting
opinions about the ban and its effectiveness, or lack there of.
In a press
release, Denise Trauth, Texas State University’s President, said the reason she
decided to enact the ban was because of scientific evidence stating the harmful
effects of tobacco. According to, the
Center for Disease Control and Prevention “secondhand smoke contains more than
7000 chemicals (and) nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or
work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25-30%.”
Many students
raise the question about whether the ban is doing more harm than good. “It’s a
good idea. I wish I didn’t smoke, but I do. I agree that second hand smoke is
not healthy, and the cigarette butts also cause a littering problem on campus.
Maybe a better solution would be to have designated smoking areas,” said Colin
Sutton, geography major. Ishmael Johnson, a mass communication major said, “instead
of less smokers there is more cigarette butts on the ground.”
On the other hand,
there are many students who feel that the tobacco ban has been effective. “At
tailgate, cops asked my fraternity brother to put out a cigarette because
technically were still on campus,” said Alex Labutis, concrete industry
management major. Jamie Patterson, mastering in technical communication said, “I
wasn’t here before the ban but I can tell you though at my undergrad, a lot of
people smoked and I see less of that here.”
The smoking ban,
which was put into action Aug. 1, 2011, prohibits the use of tobacco on Texas
State property. The included areas range from all athletic areas from the gulf
course to Bobcat Stadium along with recreational site, such as Sewell Park.
This
is not the first time Texas State has tried to regulate smoking on campus. In
2000, Texas State banned smoking inside university buildings. In 2005, the
university established smoke-free areas throughout campus.
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