University needs a new approach to restricting smoking on campus
Central Michigan University has several smoking restrictions, notably a 25-foot bubble around each building where smokers cannot light up.
That rule usually is violated every day around campus.
But these restrictions are not up to CMU Police to enforce all the time. It is up to the faculty and other students to voice complaints.
If CMU wants to put restrictions for smoking on campus, the university need to change its approach.
There are red “No Smoking” stencils painted on the sidewalk, 25 feet away from every building on campus, notifying students how far away they have to be every time they want to smoke. But most of the ashtrays around campus are right next to the buildings. If the university is serious about enforcing the 25-foot rule, they need to move ashtrays near the sidewalk stencils, since smokers tend to hover around the ashtrays.
Since smoking is not banned on campus, CMU Police cannot write tickets to students who smoke to close to the buildings. A faculty member or a student can voice their complaints to the administration. The most that would happen is the smoker would be asked to leave and smoke somewhere else.
Smoking anywhere on campus is banned at Grand Rapids Community College. Police officers have the ability to issue $30 tickets to anyone breaking that. One method to fix any smoking problems on campus would be to enforce a similar ban.
But if CMU wanted to allow smoking on campus and keep smokers away from the buildings, the university could set up designated smoking spots on campus. The spots should be away from other buildings and most of the student body. The campus is very open, with enough breathing room in between buildings, so setting these spots up would not be difficult. This would keep everybody happy, allowing the police to focus their attention on more prevalent issues. Smokers would know what is expected of them and nonsmokers would be separated from cigarette smoke as they walk to class.
As it stands, the smoking restrictions on campus seem more like guidelines with no real consequences. If the university is serious about curbing smokers or separating them from the buildings, they should let smokers know where cigarettes are acceptable, if they are at all.
