Gjoko Dungevski
Kelton Brooks
Brandon Red
Word Count:1201
Students Voice Their Opinions
A new influx of college campuses around the country are deciding to make their grounds a smoke free zone. According to the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation (ANRF), as of Oct. 7, 2011, there are at least 586 smoke free campuses across the U.S.
Different opinions flare at the University of Mississippi with the thought of their beloved campus becoming smoke free. As of today, Ole Miss is limited to “smoking zones.” These zones restrict students to be able to smoke in specific areas around campus.
While many might embrace a smoke free campus, a few outspoken Ole Miss students share their thoughts on the matter.
When Tyler Ferrell was asked about the new policy of creating UM campus smoke-free, he said “it’s not good, I don’t like it.” When he is with friends, though, he said that even then they use the designated smoking areas.
“I will stand up to it if the ban is enforced,” Tyler said. “I pay my taxes to the school and I’m entitled to have a designated smoking area.”
Unlike Ferrell, Sharon Miller, is a non-smoker. However, Miller sides with Ferrell on their disagreement of the potential school policy to become smoke free.
“Making campus a ‘smoke-free campus’ is infringing on people’s rights,” Miller said. “It’s not about smoking, it’s about being able to do what you’re entitled to.
Miller feels Ole Miss shouldn’t punish everyone because they have a lack of trust in a few individual students. Instead, she claims Ole Miss should embrace and encourage a person’s rights.
“Ole Miss should be proud that they are respecting people’s freedom to exercise their right to smoke,” Miller said.
Igor Zlatojev is a non-smoker, but believes the policy Ole Miss has in place at the current time is best suited for him.
“I believe that the designated smoking areas are far enough from the buildings,” Zlatojev said. “They need to be respected, but not removed.”
Zlatojev explains that Ole Miss makes decisions based on a few biased people.
“If people are allowed to drink on the grove at tailgating, then they deserve the right to smoke,” Zlatojev said. “Will they stop giving food to obese people just because of their physical appearance?”
Zlatojey, Miller and Ferrell agreed that if the university decided to completely ban smoking they’d stand together and protest Ole Miss‘ decision.
But why is Ole Miss, like so many other universities, debating a smoke free campus? One obvious reason is the negative health effects smoking has on the human body.
SMOKING KILLS
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking is the leading preventable cause of death.
The CDC reports that, on average, a smoker dies 13 to 14 years earlier than non-smokers. They die from cancer, heart disease, and lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic airway obstruction and bronchitis.
Kevin Cozart has seen firsthand what smoking can lead to. Both Cozart’s grandmother and father died from cancer.
“I have sensitivity to a lot of smells,” Cozart said. “People don’t seem to care and get far enough from the building entrances, so I totally support the ban on on-campus smoking.”
Sandra Bentley, director of student health pharmacy explains the importance of education on the negative effects of smoking.
“Smoking has many side-effects,” said Bentley. “From minor cosmetic effects such as yellowing of the fingers, teeth, appearance of wrinkles, to major cardiovascular effects and problems on the brain and lungs.”
She also added that secondary smokers are more at risk than primary smokers because of the “hot” smoke that is exhaled by a smoker. “It does a lot of damage to someone who’s a non-smoker,” she said. “It’s as destructive as being a primary smoker.”
Although she was unable to retrieve any numbers regarding the current smoker-population on campus, Bentley said that approximately five years ago 30 percent were smokers.
BODILY EFFECTS OF TOBACCO
Unfortunately for current smokers, a smoke free campus could mean future withdrawal symptoms while on campus.
Nicotine, the ingredient that causes the fatal addiction, has a crucial effect on the brain.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the typical smoker will take 10 puffs on a cigarette over a period of five minutes that the cigarette is lit. As a result, a person who smokes about 1 1/2 pack (30 cigarettes) daily gets 300 “hits” of nicotine each day.
A variety of different brain chemicals are altered each time you smoke. However, if a smoker decides to drop the habit, the reduced nicotine intake will disturb the balance of the central nervous system, causing withdrawal symptoms.
Smokers at the University of Mississippi could possibly experience withdrawal symptoms because of the smoke free policy on campus.
These symptoms include:
· tobacco craving
· irritation
· anger
· increased appetite
· weight gain
· concentration problems
· depression
· tiredness
· constipation
· insomnia
· anxiety
The student health center has established programs that help students to quit smoking.
The cost of the program depends on the medication one requires. For example, the nicotine patches would cost 25 dollars every two weeks. The treatment would last for about three months, but it doubles the chances to quit smoking, according to Bentley.
Furthermore, the inability to quit smoking could end up causing smokers thousands of dollars more throughout their lives.
Nowadays, a pack of cigarettes cost more than $5 a box, with some states tacking on additional taxes that raise the price.
For example, New York City’s local taxes have pushed the cost of a pack to about $10.
According to befreesd.com, a person who smokes a pack a day burns about $31.50 per week, or $1,638 per year. A three pack a day smoker spends nearly $5,000 a year on cigarettes.
SMOKERS CAUSE EXTRA LITTER PICK UP
Health reasons aren’t the only positive outcome of a smoke free campus. Several universities have recently banned smoking on campus because of litter problems.
According to Treehugger, at least 4.5 trillion filter-tipped cigarettes are deposited annually somewhere in the world. Most smokers believe cigarettes are biodegradable, but they aren‘t.
The University of Mississippi-Desoto, which became a tobacco free campus in August, has seen improvement in litter since the ban of smoking according to Chris McCommon.
McCommon joined the housekeeping department back in the winter of 2008. He feels the amount of outside clean-up has decreased significantly this semester.
“It’s less to pick up for the workers,” McCommon said. “There were several cigarette butts or smokeless tobacco that was lying around.”
According to McCommon, the campus stayed “junked up” with excessive cigarette butts.
“Some of the workers don’t even have to deal with spending time to clean up cigarette butts anymore,” McCommon said. “It seems like everything is looking up as far as cleaning up.”
Isaac Moore, a former grounds crew member of Ole Miss-Desoto talks about the inconvenience of picking up cigarette butts here.
Here at Ole Miss, the amount of trash and litter cigarettes accumulated is a serious concern for Olivia Waggoner.
“As long as smokers go to the designated smoking areas and don’t throw their cigarette butts around, it doesn’t bother me,” Waggoner said. “We have a clean campus and we should keep it that way.”
**** A Side Bar Note***
Word Count: 365
As a faculty member of Ole Miss-Desoto campus, Chris McCommon is figured to abide by campus policies. Unfortunately for McCommon, the Desoto campus is tobacco free and he enjoys an occasional mouthful of chewing tobacco.
“It’s taking away the freedom of people trying to smoke or the people that have habits,” McCommon said. “The campus is trying to say ‘hey, break your habit.’”
McCommon admits that while students are forced not to use any tobacco products on campus, that some faculty members actually sneak around to certain parts of campus to have a quick fix to their addiction.
“We have to be very secretive if we’re going do anything,” McCommon said. “It’s a lot easier to get caught now then when they first made the campus tobacco free.”
Kale Boyd, a student and part time maintenance worker at Ole Miss-Desoto feels it’s unfair to students and other faculty members that stick to campus policy.
“I find it hypercritical,” Boyd said. “Other faculty members don’t do it as much, but they’re a select few that don’t abide by the rules.”
Boyd explained that a certain group of faculty members would sneak down to the basement where all the other workers have break and smoke cigarettes.
A faculty source that requested to stay nameless in fear of occupational repercussions stated that the very people forcing the issues, campus police, are the ones sneaking around, smoking in secret.
“They’ll be outside where students can’t see them smoking cigarettes. If you see them they’ll act like nothing is wrong,” the faculty source said. “But as soon as they see a student or even a specific faculty member using tobacco they poke their chest out and threaten to write them a ticket.”
McCommon says he notices particular faculty members becoming “more snappy quicker” when they’ve be unable to have their nicotine.
“I can do with out it,” McCommon said. “I think other faculty members are really having a problem with it.”
Boyd emphasized he didn’t mind if the campus was tobacco free or not, he’d just like to see everyone treated equally.
“I think if you’re going have a tobacco free campus, it should be enforced on everyone,” Boyd said.
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