<p>As I implied - no matter what my personal views on smoking are, I can understand smoking not being allowed indoors, even in public buildings. However, as long as it is legal to smoke, I believe that it a person’s right to smoke on his own or on public, including federally funded, property.</p>
<p>Mankind’s other favorite legal vices, drinking and pornography, are in similar legal limbo. Some campuses are “dry”, but perhaps that is less controversial because the drinking age is 21. Access to internet pornography, in most cases, cannot be banned in public libraries.</p>
<p>UNC Chapel Hill doesn’t allow smoking within 100 feet of any building. Since this rules out pretty much the entire campus, you see a lot of smokers huddled around the flag pole, one of the few places where they can smoke.</p>
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The IT Crowd did a brilliant bit on this.</p>
<p>During her college tours (all NE from Boston to DC) my daughter and I visited over a dozen college campuses. On every tour, we were shown their blue light security system with less than five minute response times. Most schools boasted about their environmentally-friendly campus with Green certified buildings. Several prided themselves on their healthy vegetarian and vegan dining options. At least one campus claimed to be dry, with no alcohol allowed even for students of legal drinking age. However, not one college was smoke free and we witnessed students puffing away on their cigarettes on almost every campus. I strongly believe that if our colleges truly cared about the well-being and future of their students, they would all implement smoke-free campuses.</p>
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<p>I’m not sure that will happen. I’m at a large 40,000 student campus, about a 1/4 are technically international students, and maybe as much as 50% were born overseas. I am not sure if there is a policy for outdoor smoking, but in 13 years of working on this campus, I can remember maybe once or twice noticing smoke outside. Extremely rare to see anyone smoke. I think it’s a lot of fuss about nothing.</p>
<p>It’s banned on campus at Wash U. It’s not just a health concern, there’s some financial incentive, since the school gets lower rates on insurance. Also pretty similar to how the smoking ban in bars is more meant to protect employees than customers, with the right to a healthy workplace.</p>
<p>UC’s join the pack (or rather pack-free)</p>
<p><a href=“http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/news/general/yudof-memo-to-chancellors-smoke-free_policy-010912.pdf[/url]”>http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/news/general/yudof-memo-to-chancellors-smoke-free_policy-010912.pdf</a></p>
<p>I hadn’t really thought about this topic much, but now that my son has several acceptances in his pocket and is getting closer to a decision, it’s come up. His dad died of lung cancer (my son was only 8) so he cannot stand being around smokers. Unfortunately his top 2 choices are Tulane and Miami, neither of which is smoke-free. On the Tulane board it says that ‘smoking is everywhere’. Ugh.</p>
<p>I thought college students were supposed to be smart?? As someone else points out here, smoking doesn’t just affect you…it affects those around you. And as our personal experience sadly shows, smoking-related illness and death also affects your loved ones in a profound and irreparable way.</p>
<p>Really disappointed that this is even an issue (living in NYC and surrounding areas, we’re pretty spoiled…almost no one smokes here).</p>
<p>The list may be growing - I know that Northeastern has put together a group to study going smoke free in the future.</p>
<p>Babyfrog’s school has designated outdoor smoking areas, away from buildings and walkways. She is a severe asthmatic who can’t cope with smoke, is in her second year there, and has never had a problem with even having to change her walking path to avoid smoke in the air.</p>
<p>Her campus is currently considering being 100% smoke free, including no smoking in private cars, etc. She is very much opposed to this, as she is concerned those who smoke will start to designate their own “smoking areas” – such as bathrooms and stairwells, etc. Currently, those who choose to smoke respect the boundaries…but I definitely understand her concerns…</p>