We appreciate the concerns voiced in “DU is Smoke Free in name only” and “A genuine attempt or politically correct?” last week.
The origin of the Smoke Free policy was to promote a healthier, greener campus. The initiative was approved by the Undergraduate Student Government as well as Chancellor Coombe and the Board of Trustees.
While the Smoke Free policy took effect on January 1, 2010, there are clearly some issues that still need to be addressed. Students and staff members are working on these inconsistencies.
Many people have noticed the ash cans scattered around campus – this has been a concern of ours as well and something that Facilities has began aggressively removing.
The two designated areas on campus have also been a concern. Designated smoking areas were never included in the original Tobacco Free proposal and recommendations supported by the Student Tobacco Taskforce and the Undergraduate Senate.
These locations were added by upper administration at DU to appeal to outside community members attending events on campus. If you would like to address this issue, we urge you to email Chancellor Coombe at chancellor@du.edu.
Was this a political move for DU to bolster a positive image of the university?
While we would love to believe that our Smoke Free campus is a positive selling point, the reality is that this type of policy is controversial and not something tobacco/smoke free universities use to attract prospective students (it is our understanding that most people also don’t choose a school because of the smoking policy).
All of this aside, enforcement continues to be a hot topic. The bottom line is that this policy is like any other – compliance is expected and when people knowingly violate it there are consequences per Citizenship and Community Standards.
The policy was purposefully designed without punitive fines and tickets which can seem demeaning.
Even if it seems impossible to enforce a policy, it doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a policy (think about alcohol on campus – can it be enforced all the time?)
We agree that there are several issues that still need to be addressed concerning this new policy but we believe they will eventually be resolved as the campus culture changes.
Even with concerns, we’re happy to report that we’ve noticed a decrease in smoking on campus.
