Post Classifieds
Smoking ban needs to be implemented to be effective
By Colleen Young
On September 26, 2012
I've noticed the signs around campus that say, "Living Our Best Life - Tobacco Free." If I get close
enough, I can even read the signs through all the smoke!
I've experienced a lot of frustration and disappointment while watching students and staff smoke
around campus. How does that work?! Are the signs just decoration?
I do quite enjoy them. They are nicely designed, have a healthy message and are distributed throughout
the campus. But it seems that smokers around campus aren't taking the signs seriously, and don't have
enough respect for themselves or others around them to have a healthy school environment without
smoke.
The third phase of the Smoke-Free Tobacco-Free Policy Implementation Plan isn't yet under way. We're
waiting on negotiations between the human resource management office and some of the unions on
campus so that the plan's enforcement is effective, as reported last week by Record reporter Katie
Anderson.
I understand that those who are involved want to be sure the plan will be effective. Though, how can
it become successful if students already were able to start off the school year with cigarettes in their
hands?
While we wait for negotiations to take place and a decision to be made by the Smoke-Free Campus
Committee, Bengals are still destroying their health. This is an important, timely matter and I wish it
would receive the quick attention it needs.
Maybe, for example, it's time to take away the places for people to put their cigarette butts on campus,
such as outside the library doors. There shouldn't be a need for cigarette-deposit areas on a smoke-free,
tobacco-free campus.
It's time for faculty and staff to start enforcing the plan, and it's time for the students to start reminding
each other that we've agreed to it. Smokers need to take responsibility for their bad habit and realize
they've got a whole school supporting them on their journey to become healthier. Yes, this plan hinders
their ability to do something they're addicted to, but the plan will help them to be healthier in the long
run.
I'm not here to tell smokers that their habit isn't good for them. Most of us learned that in D.A.R.E. at
elementary school. I'm just asking that they don't make the rest of us suffer from their addiction right
along with them.
I don't like to hold my breath and strategically walk around puffs of smoke while venturing to class. I
value the health of my lungs, and I wish smokers would value theirs too.
I know smokers on campus would like to have a designated area to smoke in so that they don't have to
leave campus, but that option may quickly turn into a slippery slope. As with many limitations, people
could start to push the boundaries of where and when they can smoke.
This plan really isn't harsh. The school is going at it with a generous approach, implementing the plan in
a slow way as to not shock and anger the smokers.
There are many resources students can take advantage of to aid them in their effort to quit smoking,
which is something I recommend for all smokers. There's a cessation program, as well as support
groups, educational seminars and workshops, provided by the health promotions department. In
addition, the Weigel Health Center is providing services for students, including quit kits, medication and
counseling.
Smokers have a community right here that's ready to help them quit. I hope they honor and respect
their health, and really give a healthier lifestyle a try. I want to see a healthier campus, where people
can breathe easily both outside in the environment, and inside their own delicate lungs.
I commend and support Buffalo State in the effort to have a smoke-free campus. Though I'm
questioning the effectiveness of the signs and the plan so far, it will hopefully help smokers to kick their
habit once it's negotiated and completed. It could save lives.
I'm right here to encourage and support my fellow Bengals as they try to live a healthier lifestyle. I
believe that a smoke-free campus will contribute to everyone's well being, and that's something I truly
care about.
Colleen Young can be reached by email at young.record@live.com.
Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly
Recent The Record News Articles
Kids give new outlook on college
I think I speak for many college students, male or female, when I say that being a college student is hard, but balancing school with ...
Kerry's comments carry credibility issues
It appears as though John Kerry needs a vocal filter. In his first address to a foreign nation since assuming his current role as S...
Bathroom messages inspire hope in hard times
I have always struggled to understand the "bathroom stall graffiti" phase. Like most things that seem to be exciting for everyone ...
Discuss This Article
GET TOP STORIES DELIVERED WEEKLY
FOLLOW OUR NEWSPAPER
LATEST THE RECORD NEWS
- We've Moved to www.buffstaterecord.com!
- Obama divulges new higher education initiative during visit to UB
- Ailing Podolefsky steps down as president
- SUNY appoints Cohen interim president
- President Podolefsky announces leave to fight cancer
- Rappers put Pepsi in a bind
- Congrats to grads: take next step with gratitude
RECENT THE RECORD CLASSIFIEDS
OUTSIDE THE LINES
- A Story To Sing About
- The Gap in Gum Care: Why Caring For Your Teeth’s F...
- Top Tips for Signature Scents and Better-Smelling Laundry
- A Dog Trainer’s Top Tips to Support Pets Through Life S...
- Clear the Air of Indoor Pollutants This Spring
- Stroke & Dementia in Black Men: Tips for Staying Healthy...
- Hispanics and African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye...
- African Americans at Higher Risk for Eye Disease
- Infinity Kings: Final Book In A Favorite Fantasy Series
- What You Need To Know About Keratoconus and the iLink...
FROM AROUND THE WEB
- 7 Reasons Renting an RV Should Be On Every Family’s S...
- Don’t Let Diabetes Shortchange Your Golden Years
- No Child is Forgotten By Marine Toys for Tots
- Sweeten Your Springtime Salads With Healthy Chilean Grapes
- Young Author Translates 4,000-Year-Old Text to Reveal...
- Keeping Cool and Energy-efficient Amid America’s “...
- Addressing Sarcopenia with a Healthy Diet
- Subway’s New Wraps Elevate Eating on the Go
- Family Teacher Conference Topics Beyond Academics
- Youth Take Down Tobacco
COLLEGE PRESS RELEASES
- Shoff Promotions Comic Book & Sports Card Show
- Semiconductor Research Corp unveils 2024 Research Call, $13.8M Funding
- Charles River Associates Opens Second Scholarship Cycle, Expands to the UK
- BLUMHOUSE AND AMC THEATRES LAUNCH FIRST-EVER HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN FILM FESTIVAL
- THE GEN Z IMPERATIVE: LISTEN TO FEELINGS AND GIVE GEN Z A VOICE
