Smoke Free Campus?

Despite the large smoking population within the student body, some members of the Concord community are pushing for a smoke-free campus. 
Photo courtesy of safetysource.co.nz

It’s no secret that smoking causes serious damage to the smoker’s organs and can potentially lead to cancer, but scientific evidence and a multitude of studies suggest that secondhand smoke is more harmful to those around us than those inhaling smoke directly. Many smokers argue that they have the right to kill themselves at their own liege; however, those who walk past the smokers standing too close to entrances and absentmindedly inhale secondhand smoke, and cough, sneeze or must use inhalers to calm their own lungs are also put at risk.

Concord has taken action by placing “Smoke-Free Entrance” signs outside each entrance on campus and providing smokers with designated areas approximately twenty-five feet away from doors to smoke. For example, smokers are encouraged to use the gazebo outside the Alexander Fine Arts building and the gazebo outside North and South Towers to shelter them from the elements while they take their smoke breaks. Unfortunately, smokers continue to smoke too closely to entrances and consistently huddle in groups outside the Student Center, Marsh Hall and all residence halls. Rumors circle the campus that Concord is considering enforcing a smoke-free environment and several students, both smokers and non-smokers, are outraged and have several concerns. Some wonder if vape pens, which have controversially been called cleaner alternatives to traditional cigarettes, would be allowed on campus and others question the possibility of Concord becoming a completely dry campus [alcohol free] as well.

Preston Bennett, Concord student and smoker, says “Concord is lobbying to make people stop doing something they want to do, but don't give them [smokers] a viable option for an alternative. The smokers here are like a clique unto themselves, so I feel like the sting of a smoking ban could be alleviated if they offered to fund a smoker's lounge or something, where people could smoke and hang out and talk, but just straight up banning it is a bit overzealous I think.”

After hearing about this potential change, the Concordian asked several Concord students and a few faculty members, smokers, non-smokers and vapers, what they thought about Concord proposing a smoke-free campus. Dr. Adriana Falco, Assistant Professor of the Department of Psychology, has done research on the behavioral and neural effects of nicotine, believes that Concord should push for a smoke-free campus. She said, “"The positives of any public place going smoke-free are really hard to keep brief. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), over 480,000 Americans die every year due to tobacco related illnesses. That’s approximately 1 in every 5 deaths that is attributable to smoking related illness. So, why make Concord University smoke-free? Well, 41,000 of those 480,000 deaths each year are due to secondhand smoke, which some people may come into regular contact with when smoking is allowed in public places. In addition, quitting smoking before age 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking related illnesses by 90%. So, it may not be that every Concord student quits as a result of making the campus smoke-free. But, for those for whom this policy makes the difference in choosing to smoke or not, the intervention may be occurring at a time when it is easier to quit and when quitting can make a huge difference in long-term health.”

In detailing her research a bit further, Falco said, “I have used rats as a model for how humans behave to nicotine (which is believed to be the main psychoactive ingredient in tobacco). While I have studied numerous behaviors, most of my interest has been to understand how individuals who are anxious react to nicotine. There is growing evidence that individuals who are highly anxious may find nicotine more reinforcing or rewarding than those individuals who are not as anxious; a finding which my own research has supported. This relationship may be particularly strong during adolescence when nicotine already has an increased rewarding value."

The health benefits of quitting smoking are obvious; however, some people cannot quit cold turkey or simply do not want to quit and feel they shouldn’t have to. Many students were either against the change or indifferent. While Haley Lewis, nonsmoker, says “I liked that Concord put up the signs, but I don’t really care about this problem because I don’t smoke,” Jessica Phillips, smoker, says “I am old enough to smoke cigarettes and I’m old enough to make my own decisions. I pay to go to school here and I expect to be treated like an adult.”

Some are frustrated that there are not enough locations for smokers to use during the harsh weather. The lack of covered areas forces smokers in front of doors and within crowded areas making it hard for nonsmokers to escape the smoke. Anonymous individuals spoke about the issue on Yik Yak when the question, “What do you think about Concord becoming a smoke free campus?” was proposed: “There are signs up that most of the smokers don’t pay attention to. If they wouldn’t smoke in front of the doors and common places then it wouldn’t bother me. I’m just asking you all [smokers] to be polite about doing something that harms your heath and my health.”

Another anonymous individual on YikYak says that Concord should not be “entirely smoke free, but I think there should be designated areas for smoke. I personally have severe allergies to the stuff and since coming here, [I] have stayed sick from having to be around so much of it. Designated areas for smoking is the way to go.”

Others mentioned that Concord may lose students if they choose to implement a smoke-free campus. Jake Trump, a student who quit smoking last week and now uses a vaper, says, “Making Concord a smoke-free campus would upset a lot of students. Some will smoke no-matter what the school tries to do. A lot of faculty members smoke and will continue to smoke as well and enrollment could go down. We already lost the pool – now this?”

While Concord seems to have the best intentions for the school, the majority of the student body is against a smoke-free campus. After talking with students, the main issue nonsmokers have with smokers seems to be that they smoke too close to entrances. I think most smokers would agree that if alternative areas, covered and with walls, were designated specifically for smoking, they would refrain from smoking in front of doors and there would be no need for Concord to implement a smoke-free campus.