Have you ever taken a stroll around Temple’s campus and ended up walking through a cloud of smoke? Here at Temple, we are lucky enough to be surrounded by our aesthetically pleasing campus which can almost be therapeutic to walk around. Most of the time on these walks, you may see birds chirping, cars driving on the street, or students exhaling a cloud of smoke while walking to their class.
On Temple’s main website, in the “Life at Temple” section, there is a page called “Tobacco Free Temple” that explains how Temple is handling the smoking epidemic happening on campus. They strongly emphasize how they “will not permit the inclusion of any tobacco-related advertising in any Temple-produced publications, marketing or social media, subject to constitutional limitations” and “Tobacco use by students on all university property is prohibited and is a violation under the Student Conduct Code. Violation of this policy will be handled in the same way as other violations.” This essentially means that if this policy is violated, it will have the same effects as other violations, like getting caught with alcohol or drugs. This seems to be understandable until the students on campus experience how ineffective the Temple’s ban on smoking really is.
Temple’s “Tobacco Free Temple” page explains that nicotine is prohibited in the Temple-affiliated buildings, parking lots, pathways, covered entrances, sports/recreational facilities and stadiums, Liacouras Walk, Polett Walk, Beasley Walk, the Bell Tower and adjacent lawns, O’Connor Plaza, and any other campus walkways or plazas. This list makes up the entirety of the campus, yet people can still be seen smoking as they are exploring campus or just casually walking to their classes. This could be because smoking now is easier to conceal than it has been in previous years. For example, vapes can be no bigger than a hand that can be easily hidden inside a sweatshirt or even in the pocket of a book bag. The only problem would be that Temple doesn’t have the authority to unlawfully search the student’s bags unless they were entering a Temple building. Although it can be challenging to break the ban on tobacco and nicotine use, there are many resources that Temple provides to help smokers quit their addiction.
Multiple resources were mentioned on the “Tobacco Free Temple” page to make the process of quitting easier for student smokers. Temple provides links to various resources needed to aid smokers during their withdrawal and quitting process. Some of the first links they provided on the page were ones to a Wellness Resource Center and the Tuttleman Counseling Services. The Wellness Resource offers consultations on the student’s mental health and stress management while the Tuttleman Counseling Services offers therapy sessions with specialized counselors. On the page, Temple also included a few different free apps to help students quit smoking. A few of the apps included were called “QuitNow!”, and “Smoke Free.”
“QuitNow!” is known for coming in 44 different languages and sending users alerts of the amount of money they are saving when they aren’t buying a tobacco product. The app, “Smoke-Free” has the user log the days when they crave nicotine so they can see if there are any triggers that cause the cravings. These resources not only help students quit harmful smoking products, but they also can help them save money during a time when it is most needed.
There are signs all over Temple University’s Campus that say “Tobacco Free” but I have yet to walk to a class without seeing someone pull out a vape or smoke a cigarette. Could it be because Temple simply isn’t doing enough, or is this smoking epidemic just impossible to conquer?