What it is and Who it affects
A new smoking policy has been instituted at the University of Dallas, which requires that students who wish to smoke do so in designated areas around campus. In particular, students are being asked to remain away from main entrances of buildings.
Dr. Jonathan Sanford, president of the university, said, “It’s a matter of being polite. It’s not an anti-smoking policy, it’s a restricted locational policy, and so rather than the morally charged language that sometimes gets put around smoking and anti-smoking, I’m putting it onto the plane of good manners.”
The policy was implemented to accommodate those who have adverse reactions to smoke and smoking.
In his note on the smoking policy sent to the student body, Sanford said, “The policy concerns the where, not the whether, of smoking on campus.The reason for the policy change is the overall well-being of members of our community. It is frequently impossible for those for whom being in the presence of smoke is a hazard to avoid walking through it in order to approach buildings that need to be entered. Everyone should have full access to main thoroughfares.”
Smoking itself has not been prohibited on campus. Dr. Gregory Roper, dean of students, said, “There was no desire to ban smoking from campus. We want to give smokers a space.”
While there are UD students who enjoy smoking, there are also students who wish to avoid cigarette smoke for health reasons or out of personal preference.
Many students on campus are grateful for the new policy.
Sarah Rondeau, senior education major, said, “I really appreciate it. [I’m] allergic to smoke and incense, to the point that I’ll slowly stop breathing and pass out, which is really unfortunate when I live on a campus like UD, wherein smoking is super common. For those reasons, I really appreciate the new smoking designated rules that we have implemented here on campus.”
Other students are unhappy with the new policy’s effect on mall life.
Christian Khor, junior politics major, said, “I strongly disapprove of the designated smoking areas because they are confined to places that are really away from everything else on campus, especially the mall. In the past, mall culture has been a really defining trait about UD, especially between classes, during lunch because people would gather on the mall to talk, socialize and meet new people. A lot of that was because of that smoking culture.”
Some students feel that one of the repercussions of the smoking policy has been a decrease in socialization and Mall life. The mall has been more vacant in these past few weeks and whether that is because of the new smoking restrictions, the outdoor dining restrictions, or some combination of both, the absence of large groups of students congregating together on the mall has been noticeable.
Roper said, “There were constant complaints that the smoking wasn’t far enough away from Braniff to keep it from getting drawn into those air intakes down in the floor. The mall is our living room – that’s our Piazza, that’s where UD life happens. There were a lot of people who just didn’t feel free to use the space in that way.”
When asked for his thoughts about the changes in campus culture in the aftermath of the new policy, Roper said, “I think it’s a change, and I think people can adapt to the change.”