I quickly browsed through an e-mail from Miami University of Ohio for its alumni. At the bottom, there was a news story on Miami becoming a smoke-free campus. This ban on smoking extends to all university grounds, not just buildings and doorways! Has anyone else heard of any other such bans? I respect dry campuses, and I am a cheerleader for smoke-free restaurants, work places, and not having to walk through other people's smoke when I go through a door. However, this means any smoker has to walk off campus to get relief! Miami has about 17,000 students and is a fairly large campus that is surrounded on two or three sides by woods. For students who live on campus, this means they will struggle 24 hours a day, or at least many 40-minute round-trip walks. I guess their bodies will be in good shape even if their lungs aren't (please imagine a sarcastic tone to that).
Give smokers reasonable options (including shelters away from main doorways), but it's not the university's job to force someone to quit.
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We're smoke free here at Wartburg along with the whole state of Iowa. No smoking in any public place that contains more than 20 people, no smoking at any workplace (including colleges), and no smoking in restaurants and bars. The only place that people can smoke in public in Iowa is pretty much casinos and American Legion Halls. I really don't know how students are going to like this law come the fall. I'm guess there will be an increase in applications for off-campus housing. They can't even smoke in their own car in a parking lot. In order to smoke in a car, the car needs to be in motion.
I work for a small nursing and allied health college and there is no smoking at all either and no alcohol whatsoever.
However, we are part of a large health system where there is no smoking on health system grounds (includes 1 hospital, several clinics, a foundation) so I think the overall thinking is that this will promote good health and makes us look respectable in the eyes of the community.
I don't really agree with the concept either, especially if students can't smoke in their own car while it is on property.
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