Butt In or Butt Out: Looking for a Solution

October 27, 2009

Citations: this seemed to be the main focus of the Butt In or Butt Out discussion held on October 27, 2009 at 11-1 pm in the Decker 201 lecture hall. (If you missed this lecture, there is another one being held 3:00 – 5:00 pm on the same date.) The discussion centered around the problem of smoking on campus. 11 people gathered to shed some of their ideas and opinions in the matter, including two Health Department Officials, Director of Campus Safety, Joseph O’Connor, and a mother of a Broome Community College student.

Four different “potential” recommendations were printed out and discussed about the smoking policy on BCC campus.

1) Change nothing about the current smoking policy- the current smoking policy entails that there are signs on every building saying that the smokers are prohibited within 25 feet of the building entrance while smoking. There is no indication of where this 25 feet mark is and no enforcement of the rule itself. Between the opinions of those in attendance to the lecture, the majority said that this option was irrelevant to the smokers because no one obeys the signs with no enforcement.

2) Demarcate and enforce the 25-foot no-smoking zones- this proposes that lines be painted on the sidewalks to indicated the 25-foot whereabouts and that when not standing behind those lines, citations can be given out by Campus Security. The majority thought this may help for a short while, but there are those who do not want to obey such rules. “The average students here at BCC are 17-20 years old. They are in the prime years to be rebels and probably will eventually not pay any attention to simple line just drawn on the sidewalk,” Said one BCC student and smoker.

3) Limit smoking to designated areas- This idea suggests that there be marked areas around campus that are just for smokers. While the handout suggested the parking lot as one place, people also named places like the gazebo, the back entrance of Titchener, the big grassy area in front of the Student Center and the area between the Business and Mechanical Buildings. “This is not going to stop people from smoking where they want to,” Said the mother of a BCC student whose daughter has a lung problem where only 40% of her lungs are workable. “No matter where these designated areas are located, there are cannot filter away the smoke. People still have to walk by the smokers and inhale. Options 1, 2, and 3 are not acceptable!”

4) Create a smoke-free (or tobacco-free) campus- This option suggests that the campus not allow any smoking on BCC property at all. “This would mean that, me as a smoker and all the other smokers who are on campus for long periods of time would have to walk to Starbucks, Regal Parking lot or Valero to have a cigarette,” said Tyrone Heppard, a BCC student and smoker. “That is just a little ridiculous I think.” However, the other place allowed would be the sidewalk right on front street which is considered public property. “That is still too far from any buildings that I have class in. That would only be accessible and reasonable for people taking classes in the Front Street building,” Heppard added.

The only options that offer citation usage are numbers 2 and 3, however most of the people present at the discussion seemed to think that citations would a good way to keep the boundaries set and enforced.