 "Photo: The Current Archives")
While walking through our campus on the first day of school, students cannot help but notice the beautiful greenery, the woodsy feeling, the wildlife that shares our campus, and the clouds of smoke hovering over all of these things.
It is almost impossible to make it from one class to another on any given day without passing through a cloud of someone’ else’s secondhand smoke.
Smokers crowd the walkways around every busy building, especially the library and the student center, making it impossible for other students to pass without getting a lungful of carcinogens.
Recently more laws have been made to protect non-smokers throughout the country - the newest one, in Washington, being that smokers now must be at least twenty-five feet away from doors when puffing their cigarettes.
However, this law is barely followed at our campus, especially when smokers are walking along corridors with doors everywhere, such as the HSB and SS buildings.
With all of this law-breaking happening on our campus, nothing seems to be done about it. No warnings, penalties, or fines are given. This law is one that is not being taken very seriously.
But, how do the students on campus feel about these issues?
When asked whether or not outside smoking should be banned except for in designated areas, past smoker Travis Spohnholz said, “Yes, it should, because people who choose to smoke can still smoke, but people who choose not to smoke should be able to avoid second hand smoke.”
However, an anonymous non-smoker said, “No, because it’s not illegal to smoke and I think the twenty-five feet away from buildings is good enough.” Can there be a happy middle ground? Can non-smokers walk to class without having to inhale toxins they choose not to have in their body? Where do we start?
First, Green River needs to take the twenty-five feet law more seriously. People need to be warned, or penalized when they break this law, otherwise they will continue to smoke in front of doorways.
As of now, if security sees a smoker by a doorway, he or she will just be asked to move, if the smoker isn’t punished, what will stop the smoker from smoking there again?
Spohnholz thinks that “if people are caught smoking next to doorways, their first offense should be a warning where security takes their student ID number on file, but if a second offense occurs they should be fined, and if a third offense occurs they should be fined even more.”
People need to know they won’t get away with breaking the rules.
The next thing our campus needs to do is ban outside smoking except for in designated smoking areas. This way, people can still smoke on campus, but non-smokers will have an easier time avoiding the smoke clouds.
As of right now, Green River is undecided on whether to have only designated smoking areas. However, on the campus website under developmental programs, the facilities master plan does include smoking shelters which would be located next to the busiest buildings where the highest student activity occurs.
These shelters will “be of a size that will accommodate a reasonable number of students. They shall provide protection from rain and other elements. Shelters shall be well vented and have appropriate lighting. Seating shall be provided both under cover and not. High visibility into the shelters shall be provided so the shelters are safe and can be passively monitored by security.”
Although these shelters are mentioned on the website as a way to solve the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, there is no date given as to when we can expect them.
When walking through our beautiful campus it’s nice to enjoy the scenery and greenery. It’s nice to take a breath of fresh air and feel the sunshine on your face.
But this is all ruined when you realize your breath of air is not fresh at all because you just walked through someone’s cloud of smoke.
4 comments
Many times, especially now that construction has left only two paths across campus, I have been in a situation in which I was denied a choice whether to breathe smoke-polluted air or not. If I am passing a stationary group of smokers, I can usually hold my breath long enough to pass by them. I don't enjoy it, but I can. However, when one or two people in the corridor smoke -- and walk -- I cannot hold my breath long enough. I have to inhale their nasty, disgusting, foul-smelling smoke. I have to allow those poisons into my body, and it displeases me greatly.
When there is a situation in which one group of people's voluntary activity interferes with another group's necessary activity, it is no injustice to require the voluntary activity to cease.
If bringing up new buildings just for smokers makes people feel better then so be it but if you truly want to resolve this problem we need to go back to the first problem. I agree that there are laws. Real laws stating you can not smoke in door ways but it will, if that is pushed could move to near cars bothers people, near favorite eating areas and so on and so on. It is a deeper issue and when we all are aware of that and all work to fixing that then that is where the true healing can begin.