Smoking on our Smoke Free Campus

As a member of the American College Health Association, Frostburg State University strives to promote healthy lifestyles and actions and has been a “smoke free” campus for over a year now (since August 1, 2011). But how smoke free is it really? I got some input from a few students, asking them how often they see people smoking on campus since the ban, and if they ever confront the smokers or see them confronted:

FSU senior Gavin Riley remembers people smoking on campus a lot more before the ban. He says, “Smoking has significantly decreased since the ban. Campus employees, professors, and students would habitually smoke outside of buildings together before the ban. Now, employees can get in trouble if they come in smelling like smoke, but the ban is otherwise mostly unenforced.” He added that someone confronted him once for smoking outside of Dunkle hall, but he defiantly insisted on finishing his cigarette and no repercussions came of it.

Sidni Giordano, a 2012 graduate of FSU, feels that the ban was not publicized enough at first, and she often saw people smoking on campus after it was enacted. “I only confronted people when I saw them littering their butts on campus or if they were literally next to the door so they could avoid the rain,” she states.

Four other students stated that they have only seen people smoking on campus one to three times a week since the ban, and that usually no one confronts them for doing so. However, one student saw a police officer politely ask the student to put the cigarette out.

What many students may not understand is that the university’s goal is not to stick offenders of the ban with heavy fines, but rather to discourage smoking and promote healthy lifestyles at FSU. Earlier today I met with April Baer, the coordinator for University Wellness. She stated that the school does not want to divert the university police's attention from their jobs and have them become “the smoking police.” However, that is not to say that repeat offenders will not be penalized. A first offense can result in a warning being issued and an official letter of documentation being put in the student’s file. From there, a second offense will result in a fine and an educational module. The third offense results in probation.

What I found interesting is the perception of smoking compared to the actual amount of smoking that goes on around campus. According to a survey of 676 Frostburg State University students given in Spring 2011, FSU students thought that a whopping 89.8% of students at the school smoked cigarettes. In reality, only 16% smoked, including those who had only smoked once in the previous 30 days! We appear to view the school smoking epidemic as much worse than it really is. Because this survey was taken before the campus went smoke-free, perception of cigarette use and actual cigarette use have likely gone down, but it will not be known by how much until the next survey is administered.

If you are a student who would like to quit smoking, the university offers FREE smoking cessation support through Brady Health. If you plan to keep smoking, at least be aware of the serious health risks, and remember to be courteous to those you smoke around.