Cameron Cyprain Contributing Writer
Leaders of Pierce College Fort Steilacoom have been considering making it a violation of campus policy to smoke tobacco and other potentially harmful substances on school grounds. Such a decision could instigate debates about student and employee rights, as a sizable number of individuals choose to frequent the few designated smoking areas placed around the campus.
Most establishments designate smoking areas as a compromise to accommodate smokers as well as non-smokers, who may have health concerns. Often encountered in classrooms, restrooms, and hallways, electronic cigarettes that emit water vapor with or without nicotine in place of toxic smoke have become increasingly popular. Many students have voiced their concerns about whether or not a relaxed approach on these alternatives could compromise the learning environment, pose health risks to second-hand smokers, or even encourage people to begin smoking beyond the bounds of designated areas.
For many years leading up to the 2011 academic year, Fort Steilacoom struggled to enforce its District smoking policy, as groups of people were frequently found smoking behind vehicles and storage containers near doors. The Pierce College District policy states that smoking shall take place at least 30 feet away from any entrance of a building. The legalization of marijuana in 2012, medical or otherwise, required less effort to restrict since Pierce College is federally funded and must therefore adhere to federal guidelines concerning public places.
Despite the typical rift that occurs between smokers and non-smokers on the issue, resistance among smokers themselves has received little attention. When asked why he disapproves of those who ignore rules that were put in place to keep everyone content, student John Stauder said, “You see them over by the parking lot, by the drains, and then where do you think it goes? To the lake. That’s what the ashtrays are for.” Two other students, who chose to remain anonymous, also voiced their displeasure, stating that the impolite smokers “gave them a bad name.”
At present, smoking is the most widely practiced form of cigarette tobacco consumption in the world, and one of the most popular forms of consumption in general. Owing to the extraordinary number of additives found in the typical cigarette, which are known to cause a plethora of health effects including heart attacks, strokes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, policies that limit and dictate the act of smoking tobacco and various other substances in public places have become commonplace throughout the nation.
E-cigarettes are also still largely unregulated, and the potential negative health effects they pose to both users and non-users may provide enough leverage for an effort to completely ban the act on campus.
