Smoking ban on UND Campus?

[fightingsioux4life]

President Kupchella has proposed banning smoking on campus grounds to promote good health and encourage people to stop smoking. Smoking is already banned in all university buildings.

What does everyone think about this? I am all for banning smoking indoors, but I think this goes a little too far.

[ND Pride]

President Kupchella has proposed banning smoking on campus grounds to promote good health and encourage people to stop smoking. Smoking is already banned in all university buildings.

What does everyone think about this? I am all for banning smoking indoors, but I think this goes a little too far.

That is a issue that gets people polarized quickly. One concern on college campuses is the problem of people smoking near entrances and the haze that results or at least smoke blowing in the faces of non-smokers. When you get 3-5 or more in one space it can be rude, even outdoors. Of course, another issues, perhaps just a side issue, is the problem of many smokers who leave the entryways of buildings looking like garbage dumps for cigarette butts. Look around the ground near any major entrance and you will typically see cigarette litter all over.

The complete ban is a tough issue but I think the smokers have to be responsible for mess that many of them leave and they also have to have respect for non-smokers (many do but many do not). Some campuses have gone to the 50 or 100 foot rule. I think clearly they have to be moved away from building entrances - but at the same time that will be tough during the winter. The alternative is to try and stop which I think is the best choice from a health perspective.

[Sioux-cia]

MeritCare has banned smoking on it's grounds. Employees, in the winter, smoke in their cars. I don't know how they regulate patient/client/visitsor smoking.

Altru has a similar policy but I see what I think are non-employees smoking in front of the hospital all the time. I see their employees smoking under the evergree trees that line their back parking lot.

Tough decisions but smoking and second hand smoke do cause significant health problems which can lead to death. Banning smoking is a 'pro-health' statement. But smoking is not against the law and if a person chooses to smoke, they can. Question is where?

[PartTime]

Let me start off by stating that I am a non-smoker. As to the campus wide smoking ban that President Cupchella would like to see implemented, I actually think that might be a little to much. The campus already has a no smoking policy in effect for all buildings and what? within 20 feet of all doors right? To have the ban also include all campus grounds, to me is a little extreme..............just my opinion.

Also, on a somewhat related note, with UND wanting to increase their enrollment, I think making the entire campus smoke free would hurt that, maybe to the degree of a downward turn such as it did with the higher academic standards.

[ScottM]

I always got a perverse charge out of watching the smokers huddled around each other in January, with the wind howling, their hands shaking from the from the cold or their latest "nic fit", trying to suck in that last drag of smoke.

[southpaw]

Let me start off by stating that I am a non-smoker. As to the campus wide smoking ban that President Cupchella would like to see implemented, I actually think that might be a little to much. The campus already has a no smoking policy in effect for all buildings and what? within 20 feet of all doors right? To have the ban also include all campus grounds, to me is a little extreme..............just my opinion.

Also, on a somewhat related note, with UND wanting to increase their enrollment, I think making the entire campus smoke free would hurt that, maybe to the degree of a downward turn such as it did with the higher academic standards.

they don't really enforce the 20 foot thing, especially during the winter.

[HockeyMom]

I always got a perverse charge out of watching the smokers huddled around each other in January, with the wind howling, their hands shaking from the from the cold or their latest "nic fit", trying to suck in that last drag of smoke.

That by itself would make me quit smoking.

[Hammerhead]

Winter is the most important time to enforce the ban near the doors since the cold air rushes in when the doors are open.