By Alyssa Vidales
Sights and smells of cigarette smoke have some Texas State
students convinced that the new campus smoking ban has yet to be properly
enforced.
“[The ban] is pointless because people don't pay
attention to it,” said Ashley Moran, chemistry freshman. “It’s not a bad idea,
though.”
Effective as of August 1, 2011, the “tobacco-free” policy
prohibits the use of tobacco products on campus to better reduce health risks and harmful effects attributed to
public smoking, according to an announcement issued last year by Texas
State president Denise Trauth,
According
to the tobacco policy, “The university expects
that all Texas State community members and others who use tobacco products will
voluntarily comply with this policy’s spirit and intent.”
Ishmael Johnson, journalism sophomore, says
placing the responsibility of the smoking ban’s success on students rather
trained authorities signals a problem with the tobacco-free policy.
“The ‘community enforcement’ policy of the
smoking ban does not work because people are apprehensive about confronting
their peers,” he said.
"I think it has raised more problems and a complete ban
wasn't the correct way to go about the smoking situation.”
While two studies conducted by Texas State in 2010 found
that 65
percent of students and 75 percent of university faculty and staff favor a
smoke-free institution, some students say the consistent presence of campus
smoking speaks louder than statistics.
Colin Sutton, geography junior and avid smoker,
says he likes the idea of limiting smoking in public for health reasons but
doesn’t agree with how the policy bans smoking on campus altogether.
“I feel like the smoking ban really pushes smokers into
corners, literally, and makes us have to hide,” he said. “Some people choose
not to hide it, but only because they haven't been approached by authorities
yet.”
Students who do smoke on campus have been seen
doing so behind corners of buildings and on less-traveled pathways. Select areas
are littered with cigarette butts, suggesting these refuges to be makeshift
designated smoking area where authorities rarely enforce the smoking ban.
Natalie Oliver,
interdisciplinary studies sophomore, says she smokes on campus despite the
smoking ban but is conscious of where she lights up.
“If no one is cracking
down, people will continue to smoke,” she said. “They will just hide more.”
Oliver says understands
not everyone approves of her habit but doesn’t care how others perceive her
when she smokes.
“I understand not everyone wants to smell like smoke,”
she said. “It’s not going to stop the smokers. You can make your own
decision
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