Life is good inside the AU bubble. We have our own idyllic world here in the suburbs of D.C., secluded from the hustle and bustle of the city and yet close enough to still be a part of it. Just walking onto the quad before an early morning class is enough to make any student realize what an oasis we have here. To be able to have an arboretum as our campus is an incredible privilege. However, it has become clear that far too many students do not recognize this.
If you look closer at the flowerbeds, bushes or bases of tree trunks around campus, you’ll notice cigarette butts littering the ground. In fact, take a look at the LA Quad and the steps of Ward while you’re at it. There are cigarette butts everywhere. This isn’t just littering, it is detracting from the natural environment that is AU. And that’s not okay with me.
I was shocked in my first few days on campus by how many students smoke cigarettes. Walking into or out of any building on campus, you’re greeted by a cloud of smoke that follows you until you’re either well into the building or far from the smokers’ perch. Where I’m from — outside of Philly — smoking just isn’t that prevalent. In fact, it’s more of an anomaly than it is a rule. A smoker who lights up outside of the Wawa or Ice House in my town is far more likely to get a couple of angry looks than they are to find another smoker looking for a light. So, to come to American and be greeted by a cloud of noxious, cancer-causing fumes whenever I leave my dorm, get out of class or go to dinner at TDR, is just not okay with me. I have made a personal choice not to smoke because I have no desire to die prematurely from any one of the numerous cancers that smoking causes. As much as I respect smokers’ personal rights, I just don’t think that their right to smoke should outweigh my right to breathe clean, fresh, carcinogen-free air. This is why AU should implement a smoking ban on campus grounds.
Now, I don’t propose that we ban smoking completely on AU property, like it has been done for all Pennsylvania public schools. A specific area (or areas) should be designated for smokers who want to light up on campus. However, these areas should be well out of the way of the quad, dorm entrances and class buildings, so that those who choose not to smoke will not be affected by those who do. Hopefully this policy will help wean AU students away from cigarettes. Seriously, though, to all of the smokers out there, pick up a paper — from the 1960s. Everyone knows that smoking kills. It’s time to be responsible for your own health. AU has free smoking cessation programs for students, faculty and staff. Take advantage of this resource. Hopefully, one day there won’t be any smokers. Until then, a smoking ban would keep us all healthy and preserve our campus’ natural environment. A smoking ban: it’s green; it’s progressive; it’s totally AU.
Erin Cady is a freshman in the School of Public Affairs and an AU Affairs columnist for The Eagle. You can reach her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
32 Comments
Alex Knepper
Nov 12 at 1:54 AM
Smoking should be banned on campus.
It’s a revolting, life-destroying habit, to begin with, in addition to being completely trashy.
It is incredibly inconsiderate, as well. I’ll be walking to class and some asshole with a cigarette is blowing their smoke in my face like I want to smell that shit.
And then it makes the campus look gross when you see cigarette butts on the ground.
The ‘progressives’ can get on board with this one, with me; they can peg it as taking down a business or something. I’ll peg it as being in support of human beings. OK thankzzzzzzz
Disgusted
Nov 12 at 2:25 AM
I hate to agree with Mr. Knepper but to Erin Cady I whole heartedly say, Preach! (with a bit of a finger snap too)
And honestly, I understand if you’re addicted, it’s a difficult habit to break. But do you really have to throw your used cigarettes everywhere? There are actual places to dispose of your cigarettes other than the ground or the steps or wherever you’re standing when you finish your death-stick.
Ian
Nov 12 at 2:29 AM
I think we should ban bottled water on campus. People drown when they drink too much water, and those damn empty plastic bottles which everyone leaves on the ground around campus are destroying the ambience at AU.
To hell with the water-drinkers.
CAS Student
Nov 12 at 3:07 AM
Alex Knepper,
How can you blame the lifestyles of others? I thought your were supportive of limited government. Restricting the right to smoke at AU, limits personal liberties to choose.
Cigarettes are obviously unhealthy and vile but we should not impose our views on others. Smoking is not a civil right. However, it should not top our priorities of things to ban/restrict. If you want to reduce smoking on campus, as I do, educate people about the dangers of smoking. Let them have the right to make the decision for themselves. As adults we have every right to make personal lifestyle decision.s
CAS Student
Nov 12 at 3:08 AM
FUCK. Ok disregard, the misplaced period in the last word.
Thanks
Alex Knepper
Nov 12 at 3:50 AM
CAS Student: Um, hello? American University is a private campus. It has the right to ban smoking if it wants.
Also, I have no goddamn patience for people who say “Oh, it’s so hard to quit, I’m such a little victim!”—Bitch, I lost eighty goddamned pounds in high school, don’t tell me that shit can’t be done.
CAS Student
Nov 12 at 4:18 AM
Thanks Alex for that wonderful clarification. I am well aware that AU is a private school, thanks.
My point in my last comment is that those who value limited government should value restrictions on any form of authority including the authority of private schools. The administration at AU may not constitute a “government” but the administration does constitute an “authority” that can infringe upon the rights of individuals. Yes, private schools have the right to decide what happens at the school.
However, you forgot that we attend AU. As a community we have the ability to help decide the policies at this school. We should decide based on caution. What is the difference between the government banning homosexual sex and AU banning smoking? Both situations constitute times when a recognized “authority” works to limit individual rights and liberties.
You may not like smoking, but you should tolerate it. Think about all the things you do that others do not like. Should they ban or restrict your right to do what you want simply because they don’t like what you do. I don’t support smoking, but I believe that we may be headed downward on a slippery slope if we do ban smoking at AU.
Alex Knepper
Nov 12 at 4:49 AM
CAS Student—You are conflating terminology. It is not “authority” that I oppose. It is the governmental imposition of force. Individual liberty in the context of politics refer only to government.
The government banning gay sex would be stepping outside of its proper role—defender of natural right—while American University has every right to ban anything they damn well please based on the merits. Government should not do things based on the merits or the virtue, but by whether it aligns with man’s rights. That’s not what businesses, universities, etc., exist for.
I have no such taste for individual liberty in the political sense on private property, in other words.
Alex Knepper
Nov 12 at 4:50 AM
Oh, and slippery slope arguments are always of dubious merit. The fact that you can see the difference between the top of the slope and the bottom makes it so.
Kogod Junior
Nov 12 at 11:00 AM
NO ONE should have to tolerate smoking. If you smoke, that’s your decision, and you shouldn’t impose it on me.
Smokers are very selfish when they ask for the right to smoke when and where they please. They are too cowardly to admit they have a problem and to try to get over it.
If AU can ban drinking on campus, it can definitely ban smoking. This isn’t a huge matter of BIG or little government. It’s an issue of health and making healthy decisions. If you choose to smoke, do so in your own home. When you are in public, be considerate of others.
nonsmoker
Nov 12 at 11:17 AM
I find this obnoxious. I’ve been here for three years and I’ve been amazed by the small number of smokers on campus. The LA quad and the area outside Ward seem to be unofficial smoking areas, but you are unlikely to encounter cigarette smoke anywhere else. Yes, smoking is stupid. Some people smoke. Get over yourselves.
Alex Knepper’s belief that coercion is somehow abhorent when it comes from the government but ok under so many other circumstances is naive, and one of libertarianism’s main problems.
another nonsmoker
Nov 12 at 11:44 AM
AGREED with Kogod Junior.
I hateeeee not being able to walk into MGC without breathing in a large amount of secondhand smoke. I chose not to smoke, so don’t impose your bad habits on me. Thanks.
Samuel Adams
Nov 12 at 12:45 PM
I have heard all of this before. This debate took place two years ago, and as always, SG failed to listen to its constituents and passed bills. In the end the administration under Kerwin was unwilling to do anything, the SG was unable to do anything, and the campus police said they had better things to do.
Also their are already laws in place which prohibit smoking close to buildings in DC, but they are disregarded and unenforced.
Trying to limit smoking is pretty much impossible and a pretty silly idea to begin with
Samuel Adams
Nov 12 at 12:53 PM
Sorry if you wanted to feel original guys…
Nick F
Nov 12 at 2:35 PM
“Alex Knepper’s belief that coercion is somehow abhorent when it comes from the government but ok under so many other circumstances is naive, and one of libertarianism’s main problems.”
I don’t think you understand what coercion is. You voluntary came to AU. You could have gone to another school or not gone to school at all. In other words, there is CHOICE. No one coerced you to come to AU. You decided that AU’s program(s) fit your needs and that you are willing to abide by their policies. If your view changes, you are free to leave and take your credits and money elsewhere.
When the government institutes a policy, let’s say they make it illegal to ban smoking (in order to stop discrimination against smokers of course), there is no choice. If you decide that your restaurant will be non-smoking, the government is able to use violence to force you to allow smokers. This is coercion. There is no choice.
That said, I think the freer an academy, the better. I know AU wants to be one of the best. A campus smoking ban would be difficult to enforce. It really isn’t that bad now, every year there are less and less smokers. If anything, designate smoking areas.
Zach
Nov 12 at 3:17 PM
Hey, I love freedom. I may be a socialist commie hippie (being a college student and all) but I love individual freedoms. I’m, shall we say, “down with freedom.” (Oh, that came out wrong. You know what I mean.)
But I CANNOT STAND smoking. Smoking isn’t just an individual issue - this isn’t just about the rights of smokers. If you want to ruin your lungs, that’s your choice, but I would rather my lungs stay pink. This is a greater health issue. It affects the entire campus.
doctor carcinogen
Nov 12 at 6:05 PM
You definitely don’t inhale enough smoke in the 12 seconds that it takes from walking out of MGC to the quad for you to experience any adverse long-term medical effects. Even every day for four years. No, really.
nonsmoker
Nov 12 at 6:58 PM
Nick F,
Choices and meaningful choices aren’t the same thing.
Another Socialist Commie Hippie
Nov 12 at 7:58 PM
I love freedom. I think a smoking ban would limit that freedom. If you don’t like smoking or smokers, don’t stand near one. It’s not that difficult. If someone blows smoke back into your face, maybe tap them on the shoulder and ask that they try to avoid that. Or walk faster and pass them. Either way, they’re probably not doing it on purpose.
I am not a smoker - I made that choice because I have the right to do so. I would not choose to restrict anyone else’s choice. Live free or die! (or in the case of smokers, live free and die?)
QuadRat
Nov 12 at 8:26 PM
I can’t believe there are no smokers on here commenting, so I guess I’ll be the first. McDonald’s is bad for your health and nation wide obesity rates are higher than the incidences of lung cancer and I don’t see people pushing to get rid of that. If I want to engage in unhealthy behaviors let me do so, its my body. Besides where would we go if there were a smoking ban? Off campus? yeah I’m sure the neighbors would love that. I’m just so sick of being judged for my life choices. If I want to walk to class and have a cigarette that should be my own business, just as if you chose to walk to class carrying a high calorie sugary energy drink.
Mish
Nov 12 at 9:54 PM
Reading this article, and the responses to it, has brought a serious issue to my attention - one that has significant negative ramification for all of us.
The issue I’m addressing - you guessed it - is that y’all aren’t too bright. The writing here suggests an alarming inability to grasp logic on behalf of the participants of this debate, as well as an aversion to lucidity.
Erin Cady’s arguments - tired and trite - reflect both on the sad state of the Eagle and on the constantly declining quality of American education. But Erin is yet a freshman and, in an country virtually devoid of high school education, her abuse of language and logic may be excusable. But that her crimes are copied by the other participants should serve as a distress signal: tomorrow’s bureaucrats and camera-men are hopefully inept.
Alex Knepper
Nov 12 at 9:59 PM
McDonald’s analogy is fucking retarded; there’s no second-hand smoke equivalent.
sally student
Nov 12 at 11:10 PM
the above comment shows how little knepper knows about how healthcare works.
and dont post 50 comments on a single thread. thats just sad
Non-Smoker
Nov 13 at 1:49 AM
As a non-smoker, I respectfully disagree. I don’t think we should ban smoking.
Alex Knepper
Nov 13 at 4:37 AM
“the above comment shows how little knepper knows about how healthcare works.”
Um. You gonna say why?
Secondhand Smoke Kills
Nov 13 at 5:54 PM
“You definitely don’t inhale enough smoke in the 12 seconds that it takes from walking out of MGC to the quad for you to experience any adverse long-term medical effects”
Incorrect. There is an overwhelming body of evidence supporting that there is no safe level of exposure to SHS.
A 2006 U.S. Surgeon General’s report stated, “the scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand
smoke.”
And it isn’t just about cancer either. SHS causes more than cancer.
A report released by the Institute of Medicine just last month found smoke-free laws actually reduce the number of heart attacks. Additionally, the report found conclusive scientific evidence that secondhand smoke causes heart disease. It also suggests that even incredibly brief exposure to SHS can lead to a heart attack.
You can find the report here: http://www.iom.edu/en/Reports/2009/Secondhand-Smoke-Exposure-and-Cardiovascular-Effects-Making-Sense-of-the-Evidence.aspx
And you can also find more information about the harms of SHS here: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0103.pdf
ALEX SHOULD STOP WRITING. PERIOD.
Nov 14 at 8:52 PM
ALEX KNEPPER SHOULD STOP WRITING FOR SEVERAL REASONS:
1) if you’re going to be a “columnist” representing our university, you should have SOME sense of professionalism. Seriously, man. Lacing your ignorant comments with vulgar profanities AND the word “retarded” is unbelievable and really embarrassing to our university.
2) You have no intelligent arguments.
3) See #1. AGAIN.
BadReligion
Nov 15 at 12:57 AM
The “choice” argument regarding private coercion is fallacious. Abused, exploited workers might not have much of a choice when the only other option is starvation.
In the case of smoking at AU, good arguments can be made regarding public health, as well as the appearance of our campus. If you’re harming someone else, you don’t have that liberty.
Miss Anthropy
Nov 15 at 2:02 AM
I can only hope second hand smoke causes cancer. Fuck all of you.
Nathaniel Turner
Nov 15 at 6:07 PM
Hey, so I usually go the socially liberal “protecting people from themselves” route when it comes to an issue like this. However, I just really have a problem with the idea of banning smoking on campus. First of all, you have no “god” given right to clean air. Nor do you have one legally. No really, nothing in the constitution about providing you with carcinogen free air. Second, there are very few smokers on campus. Yes, they do congregate around certain areas, but most smokers do not go out of their way to blow their smoke on you, and many will actually do just the opposite and go out of their way to keep it away from non-smokers.
I smoked my freshman year, but have quit (which incidentally, is NOT hard to do, you just actually have to want to do it). I always tried to be mindful of people who didn’t smoke, and tried my best to keep my fumes away from them. So what I’m trying to say is that AU needs to have more mindful smokers, yes. But, banning is just going way to far.
Why am I responding to an 'Eagle' thread from Euro
Nov 19 at 7:09 PM
Second-hand smoking is harmful. Smoking cigarettes is personal decision. Most people at AU that smoke cigarettes are aware of the harmful longterm health effects, but choose to smoke anyway. We can compromise, and protect the non-smokers from second-hand smoke while ensuring the smokers’ rights. Why not just pass a rule that says cigarettes should not be smoked within ‘x many’ yards of an entrance to a building (front entrance, that is)? doesn’t that seem fair, and perhaps logical?
Student for a Smoke-Free Campus
Nov 20 at 12:27 PM
“We can compromise, and protect the non-smokers from second-hand smoke while ensuring the smokers’ rights. Why not just pass a rule that says cigarettes should not be smoked within ‘x many’ yards of an entrance to a building (front entrance, that is)? doesn’t that seem fair, and perhaps logical?”
If people aren’t allowed to smoke within, let’s say 10 feet, of a building…they will all just move to the 11 foot mark. It creates the exact same problem that we started with.
Furthermore, this doesn’t protect nonsmokers from getting faces full of smoke as they walk to and from class. Since I have asthma, I try my best to avoid exposure to smoke, but it’s nearly impossible at AU. No matter how hard I try, I always end up walking through clouds of smoke to and from class. If smoking is allowed everywhere on campus, how am I supposed to know which path to take to avoid it?
There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. It contains over 4,000 known chemicals and 69 carcinogens. I’ve chosen NOT to smoke after watching many of my loved ones die from lung cancer and it is unfair for smokers to impose their unhealthy practice on others.
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