UB students are no strangers to exiting classrooms and walking through a cloud of smoke. This is enough to irritate many students or send them into a coughing fit.
For many years, UB has taken administrative measures to address the issue of secondhand smoke.
According to the University Police Web site, the smoking policy currently in place prohibits smoking in all University buildings and near doorways and loading areas. Students have to be at least 50 feet away from the doorways of both academic buildings and residence halls before they light up.
UB has designated smoking areas on both North and South Campus, where tall plastic cigarette butt dispensers can be found. These designated areas are near high-traffic areas, such as outside both the Lockwood and Capen Library entrances and outside of Knox Hall. Often, students are subjected to wind-blown smoke, particularly in semi-enclosed areas such as the walkway outside of Capen.
"(Placing smoking areas) near Capen are a bad idea," said Valisa Flowers, a senior communication major. "The smokers stand outside the library, you get a whiff when you walk by and it's annoying."
Capen isn't the only heavily traveled area where students are lighting up. Many tend to crowd the doorways of the Student Union, as well.
"People smoke - you can't stop them from smoking," Flowers said.
According to Sherri Darrow, director of Student Health and Wellness, UB is a smoke-free campus except for designated areas.
"We'd like to change (that) because secondhand smoke is a threat to health," Darrow said.
Many students are bothered by how laxly enforced the policy is that prohibits students from smoking within so many feet of certain buildings. They are still subjected to secondhand smoke en route to class or to their cars.
"It bothers me to have to walk through the smoke to get to the doors," said Jennifer Trenchard, a freshman biomedical sciences major.
While many students are concerned about the health risks of secondhand smoke, many also take into consideration that banning smoking on a campus as large as UB would have a positive impact on the environment.
"There is the UB Green campaign to clean up our campus, and one of the major issues has been cigarette butts," said Jim Simon, the associate environmental educator of UB Green. "If there was a campus-wide smoking ban, that would have a positive effect on the campus landscape because there would be less cigarette butts on the ground, and that would be an environmental benefit."
According to the National College Health Assessment conducted at UB by the American College Health Association, 85 percent of the student body doesn't smoke and neither does 75 percent of employees. Since the majority of the campus is composed of nonsmokers, many feel that enforcement revisions need to be considered for the health of the UB population.
Schools similar to UB in student diversity and academics, such as SUNY Albany, implement similar policies that are actually enforced.
According to Darrow, the Student Health and Wellness Center is encouraging students to speak out.
"There are obviously places on campus where students would have to help by raising to the administration that this is a problem for them," Darrow said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
