From the time I went on my first campus tour, I’ve been hearing about the proposed smoking ban. In my acceptance package I was advised to think carefully about how important smoking was to me and to make my decision accordingly. According to The American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, a non-profit lobbying organization, this is a decision that many more prospective college students will soon have to be making. At least 60 college campuses nationwide already have bans in place. According to The New York Times and the New York Post, cities in California, Louisiana, Maine, Utah and Illinois have no-smoking bans in public parks. New York City is in the process of implementing a similar ban.
I don’t know what kind of reaction the bans were met with in those cities and on those campuses, but I do know the bans proposed at Guilford will be met with great resistance. I can’t imagine Guilford without smoking because it is like any other assemblage of people when it comes to smoking-it’s a prevalent social activity. People gather in places to smoke and talk. They share cigarettes and lighters and sometimes just drags.
I’m not saying that smoking is the Guilford way, but I am saying that smoking helps to perpetuate the friendly image of Guilford students and build a stronger sense of community. I can’t imagine any positive reactions from the students and faculty who, if the ban is implemented, will become second-rate citizens in the Guilford community.
First-year Geoff Merwin’s reaction would be the exact opposite of positive – he would seriously consider transferring, a sentiment he believes a lot of smoking students share.
There are obviously some advantages to the ban for smokers and non-smokers alike.
Undoubtedly, the proposed ban could cause a lot of people to quit smoking. Quitting would save a pack-a-day smoker like Merwin almost $1,500 year, which is a substantial amount of money, especially in the current economy. But it’s still not enough of a reason for Merwin to quit.
The ban would also eliminate the presence of second-hand smoke on campus, which is supposedly dangerous in enclosed spaces.
Dr. Neil E. Klepeis, a human exposure and environmental health scientist, has done studies about the health risks associated with outdoor smoking, but the results don’t seem to offer a clear risk. Because conditions vary so much outdoors due to wind speed, direction, and the number of smokers, it can be said if you stand far enough away or even upwind you can dramatically reduce the risk of exposure to smoke.
Whatever Guilford’s reasons may be for considering implementing a smoking ban, I don’t think they’re good enough. Banning smoking means changing the image of Guilford, even if some members of the community are unwilling to admit that it is part of the image at all. By singling out a demographic for special treatment it would also be going against Guilford’s commitment to equality, which is something no one at Guilford wants to compromise.