Editor,
Since the Lobo has been discussing the issue of smoking on campus recently, I wanted to bring up a few additional points.
First, smokers are not respecting the “no smoking on campus” policy.
There are plenty of smokers lighting up cigarettes as they are walking to class, walking along Smith Plaza, and standing outside their dorms — all in non-smoking spots.
Second, there is no reprimand for a smoker breaking the non-smoking policy. It is not fair to the campus that these violations go unnoticed and unpunished, yet if a car is parked in a place that doesn’t coincide with the car’s permit the tickets are issued immediately, and the same goes for parking meters. Parking should be free and it isn’t. Yet breaking and violating the non-smoking policy is?
Third, secondhand smoke is not the only concern for some students, such as myself. I have an intense allergy to cigarette smoke. When I’m around the horrid stuff, I literally cannot breathe, and it immediately starts affecting my throat — it has caused me to develop pneumonia in the past. Isn’t being able to breathe and be well instead of suffocating and becoming sickly most important for the student body? These smokers think they have the right to smoke, and they do, but not at the expense of someone else’s health. Everyone has a natural right to be able to breathe oxygen and not get sick from polluted air. Smoking is a privilege, not a natural right.
There’s a lot more about this issue than just designated smoking areas and secondhand smoke. There’s more that needs to be said about respect for others, obeying the rules and policies and being reprimanded for breaking all policies and not just a select few, etc. These issues, along with the others that have been brought up, need to be discussed.
Students like me are paying tuition just like everyone else, yet we have to watch where we go in order to protect ourselves and almost live as prisoners, while the smokers get away with their antics. What’s wrong with this picture? The smokers may think it an inconvenience to walk to the designated areas, but isn’t it more inconvenient for those of us who can’t even walk to class because a smoker is walking the same path we are and making it difficult to breathe? Which is the bigger evil?
This smoking issue needs to get under control — now.
Brenda Stephens
UNM student
