Residence Life should ban smoking

Residence Life should consider adopting an ordinance Residence Hall
Assembly is backing that would make residence halls smoke free.

If approved, the rule would benefit smokers and non-smokers, as well
as the university from a recruiting standpoint.

RHA officials said last week they are again pushing Residence Life
heads Shaun Holtgrieve and Kim Voisin to act upon its smoke-free
request.

They said the proposal already was approved last year, but they will
resubmit it to Residence Life if needed.

The proposal would make it illegal to smoke in the residence halls.
It also would call for shelters to be built outside where smokers could
smoke in the event of inclement weather.

Smoking is someone’s prerogative; a person has every right to smoke
a cigarette or cigar.

However, the number of students who don’t smoke overwhelms those who
do; it’s those students’ prerogatives to not smoke.

The majority should rule in this matter. Second-hand smoke is never
healthy, and non-smoking students shouldn’t be subjected to it just
because their neighbors down the hall are puffing down cigarettes and
cigars all day long.

Holtgrieve and Voisin should approve the proposal because
non-smokers shouldn’t have to suffer. There’s no reason why a smoker
can’t walk outside and smoke a cigarette.

Plus, if the shelters are built, it will make it a little more
bearable for them in the winter.

But probably the best reason to make residence halls smoke free is
because of enrollment. More often than not, the new rule would be very
appealing to prospective students and — more importantly their parents
— when they visit campus.

A lot of parents despise smoking more than they do drinking alcohol.
Once they found out the places their children will live are free of
cigarettes, coupled with the fact the newest residence halls are
state-of-the-art, their chances of attending CMU are that much greater.

And who knows, maybe the new rule would be enough to convince some
smokers to drop the habit.