Smoking bans have been around since the 16th century, shortly after tobacco first gained popularity in Europe. Since then, smokers have been banned from smoking on international airplanes, lighting up at local bars, and now, from puffing on most of the Guilford campus. The reasons for these bans have been widely cited: from health issues, to non-smokers’ rights and rebellion against “Big Tobacco.”According to Aaron Fetrow, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, the enforcement of the smoking policy at Guilford has changed because this is “largely a second-hand smoke issue, especially with entrances to academic buildings on the quad. You literally had to walk through clouds of smoke to get in or out of buildings during class change times.”

As a CCE student and former smoker, I was somewhat surprised that Guilford’s previous smoking policy was so liberal. Because smoking in restaurants and bars is now banned in Greensboro, it becomes second nature to seek a safe place to smoke or to expect a smoke-free public place.

The American Heart Association estimates that only approximately 20 percent of Americans smoke regularly, so it should not be a big deal. After all, smokers are provided with five designated smoking areas on campus. Okay, so the areas are spread pretty far apart and can be considered somewhat close quarters for our smoking peers. Is it realistic to think that student will trek across the campus for a quick cigarette between classes?

To a casual observer, many students can be seen puffing covertly as they walk to and from classes instead of milling around entrances. I am not as opposed to the walking smoker as I am to the clusters of folks hovering under the shelter of building entrances. Frankly, I do not want my clothing and body to smell of second-hand smoke. For others, smoking-induced allergies are all too real and result in full-blown asthma attacks.

Fetrow reveals that the plan is to add shelters on the periphery of the campus.

“We are discussing with Senate the precise locations and I am open to adding another location or two if they remain on the periphery of campus,” Fetrow said. “We are currently working with our maintenance staff to design and build covered benches for the locations.”

While smokers do have rights, so do the non-smokers. This is not a matter of changing the rules to suit the majority – it is more about changing to respect the community we live in. We are respecting the rights of our entire community by providing everyone with places to smoke or not smoke based on their preference. By limiting the locations that smokers can use, non-smokers are protected from health concerns and odors of second-hand smoke.

“And then there was the litter on a campus that places a high value on sustainability and that is in the midst of a theme year based on sustainability,” said Fetrow.

We are also controlling the amount of litter and our impact to the environment, since cigarette butts do not biodegrade. We are mirroring the world we live in and rising to the challenge of our core value of stewardship.