I am a smoker. I am seen as a litterer, a self-abuser, an addict and a rule breaker. Maybe some of those things are true about me; they are certainly true of some other smokers on campus. However, with the university’s decision to remove all ashtrays from campus, smokers and non-smokers alike are frustrated with the noticeable increase in cigarette butts that now litter the porches and lawns. I am writing this piece in hopes that hearing both sides of the argument can help bring a sensible solution that will make the non-smokers happy about seeing less litter on our beautiful campus and that will appease the smokers who feel discriminated against.
By Cody Naylor
Staff Writer
I am a smoker. I am seen as a litterer, a self-abuser, an addict and a rule breaker. Maybe some of those things are true about me; they are certainly true of some other smokers on campus. However, with the university’s decision to remove all ashtrays from campus, smokers and non-smokers alike are frustrated with the noticeable increase in cigarette butts that now litter the porches and lawns. I am writing this piece in hopes that hearing both sides of the argument can help bring a sensible solution that will make the non-smokers happy about seeing less litter on our beautiful campus and that will appease the smokers who feel discriminated against.
Last semester, a committee was formed to review and revise the tobacco use policies of Seton Hill University (SHU). This group was made up of faculty, staff and students and included both smokers and non-smokers. The main changes that were brought to the policy as a result of the committee’s meetings were the removal of the ashtrays and the new rule about having to be 25 feet away from any SHU building in order to smoke a cigarette.
When that new ordinance was announced, it was met with much hostility by SHU’s smoking community. Concerns about where we were to smoke in the winter or in the rain and whether or not SHU was seeking to become a smoke-free campus were prevalent topics of discussion.
Tony Greendoner, a sophomore and smoker, still remained puzzled by the decision when he said, “I don’t understand why the committee decided to remove all the ashtrays and have us stand further out in the cold and snow in the first place.”
Greendoner is not alone in his curiosity. I paid a visit to university president JoAnne Boyle in search of some answers. “My understanding,” explained Boyle, “is that we were getting a lot of complaints from faculty and some students about smoke seeping in through the windows from outside.”
There are faculty and students with conditions such as asthma that make it difficult to breathe when they inhale cigarette smoke and even more who are worried about the negative effects of second-hand smoke in general. Others still expressed disgust at seeing the ends of cigarettes being carelessly tossed everywhere around campus.
Carol Zola, administrative assistant to the president, is a volunteer gardener at SHU and is frustrated with smokers’ apparent disregard for her work. “We just put a new flower bed in and I can’t tell you how many cigarette butts I have to pick up and throw away before I begin to plant,” said Zola.
Dr. Boyle has shared similar experiences with litter. “I actually have a glove,” said Boyle in all seriousness, “that I slip on whenever I see a stray cigarette end because I just hate to see the litter.”
It is the president’s hope that if and when smokers and litterers in general see her in that act, it will make them think twice before just tossing the tips of their cigarettes anywhere they please.
Boyle did express sincere regret upon learning of the feelings of discrimination felt by the smoking community, but ultimately feels that “when the interests of those who have health and litter concerns are weighed against the complaints of those who smoke, more logical reasoning can be seen on the side of the non-smokers.”
In an effort to find a solution to this problem, I asked Dr. Boyle what she thought about the possibility of placing ashtrays in locations that are 25 feet away from SHU buildings such as near the picnic tables and benches outside of Reeve’s library and the tables outside of Lowe.
“I think it’s a fine suggestion,” Boyle said, “it is something that we should convey to members of the committee.”
It should be added that in light of the university’s decision to crack down on the smoking policy, efforts to offer optional, educational programming for smokers are being spearheaded by Director of Counseling, Disability and Health services Terri Bassi, and Health services nurse Jan Beckage.
“We want to put an emphasis on helping people understand that there are harmful effects and we would like to ultimately help them stop smoking,” said Boyle.