As my first semester of college comes to a close, there are a few things I’ve learned. One, manage your time. Don’t sit on Facebook and Twitter for 5 hours a day, you will regret it later. Two, it turns out I can actually do my own laundry. Three, smoking cigarettes on campus is prevalent. Really prevalent.
Although I am not a smoker and I plan on being able to say that for the rest of my life, I’m not going to lecture everyone about the dangers of smoking. I believe it’s a personal choice and by no means am I in a position to say that one way is better than the other.
My problem is the lax policies that Tulane has towards cigarette smoking and overall tobacco use. The signs around campus claiming that we are a “smoke-free campus” are laughable. We are not a smoke-free campus. I’ve been walking to class and have cigarette smoke blown in my face from the person in front of me way too many times. The other day, I saw someone walking up my dorm’s stairwell with a cigarette in his hand. The tables between Sharp, Monroe and the Business School, which my friends and I actually call the “smokers’ tables,” aren’t actually a designated smoking area, according to the Health Center and Tulane’s Tobacco Policy. It claims that “anyone smoking outside of these [designated] areas is in violation of this policy,” but I have yet to witness any student getting written up for violating this (Student Health Center).
The WELL is trying its best to stress its 20 designated smoking areas throughout campus, but we still need stricter rules. They encourage students to file complaints if they see smoking occurring in undesignated areas, and have put up signs throughout campus, but it’s still not enough. Plans are in the works to make Tulane a tobacco-free campus, but it will undoubtedly be a hard and long fight. On that note, I urge HerCampus Tulane readers who choose to smoke to be more considerate of others. If you choose to smoke cigarettes, that’s fine, just please try to not let it effect the health of those around you while you’re doing it.