UNM's Smoke-Free Environment Committee is gearing up for its next set of forums this week.
The committee is seeking input from faculty and students on how to implement President David Schmidly's policy and make campus smoke-free, said Pug Burge, co-chair of the committee.
Burge said Schmidly has already set the tone of the initiative by saying that UNM will be smoke-free by August, at the latest.
The options the committee has developed range from having designated smoking areas to prohibiting any form of tobacco use on campus, Burge said.
But despite UNM's zeal, many on campus aren't sold on the smoking ban.
Second-year graduate student Wesley Campbell, who is a nonsmoker, is opposed to a ban on campus because he feels it infringes on people's rights.
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"If there is an available area in the open public, (people) should have the right to smoke," Campbell said.
Others who support the initiative, like senior Benny Martinez, said it is a good idea to have a smoke-free policy but that it will be burdensome to enforce.
"I think that enforcing the policy is going to be a huge problem because there are so many people who smoke, and what are they going to do to people who get caught smoking?" Martinez said. "Is it going to be grounds for expulsion, or are they going to start handing out little tickets and giving fines?"
Burge said the committee will open the floor to anyone who wants to voice opinions on the options and the initiative as a whole.
"We want the student, faculty and staff feedback on the options we have developed on what a smoke-free or tobacco-free campus will look like, so we know which options to run with and hopefully even get some new options out of it all," Burge said.
The committee is still collecting as much feedback from the community as it can before making anything final, she said. The committee will continue meeting regularly until August.
First Meeting:
Tuesday, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
SUB Santa Ana rooms A and B
Second Meeting:
Wednesday, Noon-1 p.m.
SUB Ballroom B
