On August 15th, 2015 Southern Connecticut State University became a Tobacco-free campus. By being tobacco-free, Southern promised that all forms of smoking and tobacco use were “prohibited in all facilities and outdoor areas of campus, without exception.” This should be a major triumph, and great leap forward, for the university’s on-going goal to become as eco-friendly as possible. However, there has not been any noticeable enforcement of this policy, even though it was made very clear that “those who violate the policy may be subject to disciplinary action or may be in violation of state law.” Therefore, although this policy is respectable, it is undoubtedly failing due to it not being enforced on campus.
In the past 4 months, I have been walking through the Georgia State University courtyard to get to all my classes. Not once have I seen the courtyard not filled with students smoking tobacco. If the courtyard were to be described, it would be described as a cloud of smoke. Although, Calvin Warner states that the university code of conduct does set a rule stating that students are prohibited to smoke within 25 feet of all GSU buildings, and there are signs all over campus saying “Tobacco Free”, students are smoking right in front of the signs. Why are there tobacco free signs around campus, if the university itself is not? If we are a tobacco free campus, then why is the university not implementing it? Smokers on campus are leading nonsmokers into becoming secondhand smokers, which is as harmful as being the original smoker. Smoker or secondhand smoker, what is being harmed is the person’s health, which is affecting an individual’s ability to live a longer and healthier life. It is absolutely great that the school is referring to itself as a tobacco free campus, but they do not seem to quite understand the meaning of it. It is understandable that there are many barriers to really implement this policy but it is not impossible. As many barriers there maybe, there are twice as many benefits. Georgia State University is claiming to be a tobacco free campus. However, they are not implementing to be tobacco free, which is affecting many people’s health indirectly.
Did you know, smoking causes more than” 440,000 deaths” per year? (“Effects of Tobacco” 1). That is an overwhelming number of deaths that could be prevented if only the individuals did not use tobacco. As of 2008, East Tennessee State University has adopted a tobacco-free policy for not only the safety of students, but their overall mental and physical health as well. That policy has been increasing on college campuses at a nationwide level. As of 2009, the American College Health Association adopted a position statement on a no tobacco use policy that encourages colleges and universities to become 100% tobacco free. As you can assume this has caused major debates on whether these policies should be established or not. In our current society, because of the policy many schools have chosen to be a part of that movement. There are 1,713 smoke free campuses and 1,427 100% tobacco free campuses in the United States. These numbers are substantial. There are many reasons that campuses should adapt tobacco-free policies on their university school grounds. Tobacco should be banned from ETSU, and other college campuses because it is a health hazard to the smokers and bystanders, it encourages individuals to stop smoking or never to start, and it makes the transition from school to the career field much easier.
In today’s day and age, there has been many rules and policies put into place to limit the amount of tobacco that is being consumed in public places such as work and school grounds. York Technical College is no different. York Technical College prohibits the use of all tobacco products including “vaping dispensers” and “electronic cigarettes”. The tobacco policy that is stated in York Technical College Catalog & Handbook is concise and reasonable. Not only is the policy clear as it is also up to date with the new inventions of smokeless tobacco.
In today’s society we have come to the freedom of choice. That includes freedom of choosing schools you wish to attend or what you do to your body, including smoking and using tobacco. At FSU they are taking steps in becoming a tobacco free campus. Tobacco products are a harm to your because they will hurt your mind and body. They can corrupt your future and change your whole career goals. They can detriment your family now and your future family you plan on having later. Banning tobacco and smoking at FSU and on school campuses will help everyone now and in the future.
Although it was found that people at four year colleges smoked significantly less than those who went to two year colleges or didn’t go to college at all, almost a quarter of the participants at four year universities had smoked within the last thirty days, but only 20% considered themselves smokers. People who attend college seem to shy away from admitting that they are smokers, possibly because of their exposure to people who are more health-conscious that make admitting that they regularly smoke intimidating. Their denial not only causes the number of college students who are smokers that have been found in other studies may be lower than reality, but also contributes to the overall resistance to quitting. If people that smoke do not consider themselves smokers, they are not going to see smoking as something they need to quit. Adding to that, most of the student smokers surveyed f interest in wanting to quit within a year, but significantly less had attempted quitting in his or her lifetime (46%). This data shows that most smokers want to quit but have not actually taken the steps to do so. With cessation programs and other various forms of encouragement, some of these students might be able to quit smoking for good. If policies are to be implemented to encourage students to quit smoking, the policies must be
Advocating for a smoke-free campus to a greater extent would address some issues that we the students get from the effects of tobacco use and smoking cigarettes.it is also of much significance for the policy makers within the school authoritative bodies to enact and implement policies (Wechsler, Lee & Rigotti, 2007). On the other hand, students need to be sensitized to the aspect of smoking by health practitioners coming and talking to students and staff as a whole. Lastly, it is also a recommendation for the campuses to put into their curriculum studies regarding matters of health especially smoking and taking of alcohol (Moore, Yeatman & Pollard,
Over a third of college students smoke tobacco on a daily basis (A Third of College Students Smoke. (n.d.). Retrieved September 12, 2015, from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=118065). Students face multiple stressful situations while in school, sometimes students use smoking as an escape from the stress or to calm themselves down. Smoking may help with short term stressful situations, but in the long run smoking can lead to many serious health problems. The smoke does not only affect the user, but also anyone in close proximity to the smoker. Use of tobacco or any other smoking products has a very long list of negatives but very few positives. This shows that smoking should not be allowed on college campuses.
The next reason why Bowling Green State University should ban smoking on campus is that it will create a better campus environment. Having a great campus environment for all students should be at the top of the university’s list of goals. By passing this smoking ban, it allows non-smoking students to walk around campus in peace knowing smoke won’t be entering their bodies. Now this is where smokers have the biggest argument. The university must still remember the smokers; this they do by giving the smokers the ability to smoke in designated areas. Of course this will still take away some of the smokers’ rights, but it is a fair trade if it possibly keeps major life changing diseases out of young college students’ bodies. Also doing this helps
The smoke-free policy at the University of Texas at Austin and the presence of such signs around campus helps prevent college students from beginning to smoke, contributing to the future health of students, and prevents the ill effects of secondhand smoke on everyone on
Several students smoke in all areas on campus regardless if there is or no sign of “No Smoking”; however, “We’re not trying to make people quit smoking. If people decide to quit, that’s great. If not, they can smoke, but just not on campus” (Paul Bradley par. 4). Many students don’t follow these rules and it seems that these students are not fined. In order to have a healthy environment on campus, OCC should punish those students that break the policy. If students continue to break the law, then they should be suspended or expelled from school. Orange Coast College must rethink to prohibit all areas on campus to have a beneficial environment at this
One of my first memories in the United States was taking a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) class. I was in sixth grade and a top student, as talking about drugs and alcohol and the way they affect us was fascinating to me. This is why, the following year, I volunteered to become a peer educator in Teens Against Tobacco Use (T.A.T.U). For a couple of years, I gave presentations to young students which included facts, demonstrations, and games, to spread the knowledge that tobacco is harmful and that staying away from smoking prolongs life expectancy and increases the quality of life. It should come as no surprise, then, that I consider myself a big proponent of staying tobacco-free and encouraging others to quit smoking as a great way to promote health. I remember watching my mom and sister as they took part in their nightly ritual of smoking a few cigarettes to unwind. “Did you know that a main component of cigarettes is used as rocket fuel?” I would ask them, as I opened the window and they stared back at me blankly. “We know, we know” was the answer every time. I knew that convincing them to quit was no easy task, but I was committed. Day after day, I proudly stated a new fact about the evils of smoking. Finally one day, they quit. At first, they attributed it to the cost. Since we had just immigrated to the United States, the cost of cigarettes was simply not something they could afford. I didn’t believe it. I proudly
Many smokers, like Sload, take their first puffs in college. Other students experiment with cigarettes in high school but start smoking heavily in college. Everyone I surveyed and interviewed is aware that smoking was responsible for the deaths of many people every year. They know it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke and adversely affects breathing and the lungs. And like smokers of any age, many college students are actively trying to quit. Mandie Sload knows that for or five cigarettes a day were four or five too many. She plans to quit someday. She understands that if she quits her breath will smell better;
Smoking at Ashland University is a problem. However, the problem of smoking has been raging for nearly 200 years. The reason this problem keeps raging is because there is not an easy solution. The problem of smoking and the arguments against it touch almost every aspect of life. There are not only scientific arguments, but ethical, legal, medical, social, and a host of others fronts that can be used for and against tobacco and smoking. At Ashland University it is no different. There are many factors that must be considered before making a decision to ban all smoking on all outdoor areas of Ashland’s campus.
Most college students are unaware of the dangers that smoking really has. The nicotine in a cigarette is one of the most addictive parts. When someone smokes, they are automatically putting themselves at a greater risk for heart disease rather than a non-smoker. The heart disease can lead to an even more serious problem, a heart attack. It is predicted that a person who smokes puts themselves at twice the risk for a heart attack verses a non-smoker. When a college student enters college, they are surely not thinking of their death date. If the college populations is unaware of the real dangers of smoking, they put themselves at a higher risk for death. In college life, one of