UNT campus to go smoke-free in 2013

[Skipper]

Staff Reports Brief UNT's Denton campus could become smoke-free as early as Jan. 1, 2013, according to an email sent to the community by President V. Lane Rawlins Monday morning. Rawlins said in the e-mail that the decision comes after UNT administration conducted a “statistically valid surveys of students and employees. The details of the tobacco-free policy will be worked out over the summer and fall with input from the community. The university has been debating a smoke-free campus for the past year — last fall, UNT's Student Government Association failed to pass a smoking ban referendum. "UNT is a [...]

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[THOR]

interesting...don't know how many other universities that are smokeless...i understand the health/safety/smell issues, but i wonder if a university going smokeless is the right thing...i'm not a smoker, but have no problem with people smoking in designated areas

[Green P1]

Stupid.

[UNTflyer]

Are you sh&@ing me?

Edited May 8, 2012 by UNTflyer

[UNTcrazy727]

I'd be fine with it. I honestly think most students are for it, but the pro-smoking crowd is going to be as vocal as possible against the decision

[love north texas]

Stupid.

Have you tried to enter an academic building on campus when people are smoking right outside? I hate walking through smoke every morning just to enter my building. They did a random student/faculty/staff survey to see if people were in favor of this. I think most people are.

There are a decent number of universities that are already smoke free- http://no-smoke.org/pdf/smokefreecollegesuniversities.pdf.

[greenminer]

Have you tried to enter an academic building on campus when people are smoking right outside?

No. I swear, never.

[forevereagle]

i understand the health/safety/smell issues

It's not just that, it is also a campus appearance issue. Smokers tend (not all, but evidence suggests a lot) to throw their cigarette butts on the ground wherever they are at the moment. You make a choice to either spend a lot of money to clean the campus, or you make them go elsewhere.

[Green Mean]

Disagree with it. There should be designated smoking areas. If you want to limit the number of cigarette butts then you should have plenty of cigarette disposers and trash cans. The same thing goes for trash...if you have a lot more trash bins the less likely there will be a lot of trash on the ground in my opinion.

[MeanGreenTexan]

It's not just that, it is also a campus appearance issue. Smokers tend (not all, but evidence suggests a lot) to throw their cigarette butts on the ground wherever they are at the moment. You make a choice to either spend a lot of money to clean the campus, or you make them go elsewhere.

This is one of the many things I don't get about smokers.

What if I just threw my empty coke can on the ground/out the car window? Why in the world can most of them not keep their butts somewhere, i.e. their car's ashtray, and then throw them away once they find a real trashcan? As Kobe would say: "I wish we knew".

[forevereagle]

Why in the world can most of them not keep their butts somewhere, i.e. their car's ashtray, and then throw them away once they find a real trashcan?

[KRAM1]

I am all for a smokeless campus. I also think the vast majority of students AND faculty/staff will be in favor as well. Plenty of campuses are smoke free as are work places and many restaurants/bars these days. My bride works on campus and she tells me that everyone she works with is in favor of a smokless campus. Several not because they are so much against smoking but rather the trash it seems to create all over campus. Hey, I don't work there, just reporting what i am told by someone who does. I do notice this when I am on campus, however. Just last week saw a guy heading into a building and as he did he threw his still lit cigarette (less than half smoked) on the grass. Yes, I went over and crushed it out...no, I didn't pick it up for obvious reasons. Seems to me that often smokers are their own worst enemies in situations like this....

I wish smokers (in general here) were courteous enough to pay attention where they smoke and what they do with their cigarette butts as they discard them. But, I see too many who just seem to think it's OK to puff away anywhere and to throw their trash anywhere...even when still lit.

[meangreen]

I agree with this happening. My life expectancy probably just shot up 5 years. I swear you can catch the black lung just walking around campus.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Have you tried to enter an academic building on campus when people are smoking right outside? I hate walking through smoke every morning just to enter my building. They did a random student/faculty/staff survey to see if people were in favor of this. I think most people are.

There are a decent number of universities that are already smoke free- http://no-smoke.org/...niversities.pdf.

.

---The community college where I work does have areas that smoking is allowed but now well away from doorways and not in buildings anywhere... Those who smoke have no idea how much it bothers some people...(I have asthma) One of son's friends had a father that smoked and I could tell when the kid was in our house.... his clothes smelled that bad and he did not even smoke. I dislike it but if smoking areas are not near doors... then I have little problem with it. It will be nearly impossible to enforce a total ban... I had an uncle die at 63 of emphysema who smoked a lot.... his sisters and father ( none smoked ) made it until their mid 80's or 90's. It likely cost him 20-30 years of life.... plus he was miserable his last few years .

.

Edited May 8, 2012 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[UNTflyer]

I am all for a smokeless campus. I also think the vast majority of students AND faculty/staff will be in favor as well. Plenty of campuses are smoke free as are work places and many restaurants/bars these days.

At my work place or bar, I can go OUTSIDE and smoke, where an ashtray is located.

Telling people they cannot smoke on a college campus goes above and beyond accomodating non-smokers. It is overkill.

[EagleGreen]

I am all for a smokeless campus.

Kram is for government regulations?? Is this the Romney effect?

Edited May 9, 2012 by EagleGreen

[UNTflyer]

I wonder how many people are annoyed by all the people drinking and the loud music in front of the gates of Apogee.

It's easy to be in favor of banning behavior when it doesn't affect you, but keep in mind that this mentality can really apply to anything deemed "not good for you."

I try to be courteous to the non-smokers around me, and I never smoke near kids.

Edited May 9, 2012 by UNTflyer

[UNT90]

Kram is for government regulations?? Is this the Romney effect?

Not really government regulation. UNT owns the property on which the campus sits, no? Just an all American example of a property owner exercising their right to control what happens on their own property.

Nice try, though.

[UNTflyer]

Not really government regulation. UNT owns the property on which the campus sits, no? Just an all American example of a property owner exercising their right to control what happens on their own property.

Nice try, though.

A state university is not private property. It is state property, funded by taxpayers, subject to legislative oversight, and governed by a board appointed by the governor.

Nice try, though.

[Green Mean]

Certainly a lot of gray area here. While I am not a smoker (only on occasion) I don't think one side is completely right.

[THOR]

I wonder how many people are annoyed by all the people drinking and the loud music in front of the gates of Apogee.

It's easy to be in favor of banning behavior when it doesn't affect you, but keep in mind that this mentality can really apply to anything deemed "not good for you."

that's the thing and it's so true...people only get pissed when it affects them or they don't agree with it...that can't be the guidelines for banning something...either it is always offensive(i don't understand being offended)/unsafe or it isn't! it can't be only when an individual doesn't like it

[hickoryhouse]

At my work place or bar, I can go OUTSIDE and smoke, where an ashtray is located.

Telling people they cannot smoke on a college campus goes above and beyond accomodating non-smokers. It is overkill.

Restaurants and bars should be able to make their decisions based upon the will of the owners, a state run university has no such equivalent figure. I think that this is a situation that should be put to a vote. If the smokers win then the university still has the option of creating new designated smoking areas, adding new ash trays and trash cans etc...

[KRAM1]

If only all smokers were as courteous as Flyer claims to be...and I have absolutely no reason to doubt him, but, alas, that is not the case...and.....smoking does effect me and others in a negative way even though I have never smoked. I am not in favor of banning smoking in general by any government agency. However, in this case, and since it effects so many people in such a negative way, I'm good with it. It's a "compromise" of sorts I guess. Everyone is definitely free to form their own opinions on this one. I would, however, suggest that the trend is not looking good here for the smoker crowd on the UNT campus.

[Courtney Austin]

Cannot wait for this! Some say it's not fair to take away smoker's rights, however, smokers are taking away my rights to clean air. I'm so sick of having to breathe in smoke while walking around campus and to class. Creating more smoking areas/ash trays WON'T fix the problem.

[Green Mean]

Cannot wait for this! Some say it's not fair to take away smoker's rights, however, smokers are taking away my rights to clean air. I'm so sick of having to breathe in smoke while walking around campus and to class. Creating more smoking areas/ash trays WON'T fix the problem.

I think it's a little bit exaggeration when you say you're breathing smoke walking around campus...I walked on the campus for 4 years myself and never had a problem or issue that I was walking in a smoke filled campus outside. Again I am not saying you're wrong but I don't see this as a one side is right situation. I think there needs to be enforcement of smoking designated areas and over time it won't be a nuisance for those who oppose smokers but the enforcement needs to be critical and repeated for everyone to "get it".