A year and a half ago, North Carolina’s legislature passed a landmark bill that would make it the first tobacco-growing state to revamp restaurants and bars into smoke-free businesses. Becoming the 26th state to do so, North Carolina carried the torch in a nation-wide trend to crack down on smoking.
Today, it continues. Among many other tasks, working hard to ban smoking in city parks has made its way onto the Raleigh city council’s to-do list. However, pushing for a healthier city will not be cheap. Running into unexpected costs, such as a possible $25,000 out of the council’s pockets for no-smoking signs alone, have stymied the committee’s progress. The proposal remains suspended.
What started as a national trend may now be trickling down to college campuses. The question now is whether this is cause for concern for smokers on the N.C. State campus. Several students react to what seems to be a legislative trend to ban smoking.
“It would be a major problem,” David Iezzi, freshman in mechanical engineering. “Not many students will actually go off campus to smoke. Logistically speaking, it will be very difficult.”
According to current University smoking policies, “smoking is prohibited within 25 linear feet of all university buildings. Smoking may be prohibited in other outdoor spaces (beyond 25 feet) for safety or health reasons.”
However, policy making and enforcement are two distinct things.
“The [University’s] regulation does not specifically addresshow the rules will be enforced,” Jack Colby, assistant vice chancellor for facilities operations, said. “However, a violation of University policy by an individual is typically addressed through the disciplinary process that is appropriate for the individual involved.”
Each specific campus facility is responsible for implementing the University’s smoking policies on students that appear to be infringing the regulations.
Other than occasional reminders from their Resident Advisors, the University has not been stringent on keeping student smokers in line. “The RAs will come by and tell us to move away from the building,” Guillaume Caramalli, senior in economics, said. “Other than that they don’t really enforce it.”
Although the city of Raleigh is tightening its reins on smoking with its proposed ordinance, student smokers will be relieved to hear that no change in the University’s disciplinary enforcements is in sight.
“No modifications to the existing regulation arecurrently being considered,” Colby said. According to Colby, the city of Raleigh does not have jurisdiction regarding smoking policy at N.C. State. “[The University] is not subject to City ordinances of this type.”
The truth may be that the city’s pending legislation will pose no threat to smokers on campus, but Dr. Christopher Austin, Assistant Director of Health Promotion at Student Health Services, still discourages tobacco use.
“Of course, there is the possibility of [lung] cancer, but smokers can also experience wrinkles, lose longevity, and [lessen their] quality of life.” It’s no news, but student health remains the Student Health Services biggest concern, especially when approximately 21 percent of men and 10 percent of women on campus have smoked cigarettes, according to the American College Health Association.
For the time being, the University policy will remain the same, but procurements for stricture campus smoking policy will continue to raise debate in the future.
