Advocates mull smoke-free status for MU

Some students say the policy would infringe on their rights.

By Krissy Tripp

Published Oct. 24, 2008

A smoke-free campus could become a reality in the future.

Kim Dude, director of the Wellness Resource Center, said the university might consider having designated smoking areas as a compromise to eventually phase out smoking at MU. But, Traci Harr, president of Peers Advocating Smoke-free Solutions, said the overall goal of the program would be to completely rid the campus of smoking.

Dude said the idea is only being tossed around at this point, but, in her opinion, it's a step in the right direction. Like Harr, Dude advocates a smoke-free campus because science proves smoking and secondhand smoke is harmful. Even the seconds of walking past someone near a building entrance has a certain degree of harm.

"I don't think it will decrease enrollment at all," Dude said.

Other schools report the program efficiently encourages smokers to quit.

Harr said it's important for MU to make the transition in order to create an environment of success and to keep up with other universities. Several unpublished surveys from multiple years imply the majority of students surveyed support going smoke free and 94 percent of MU students don't smoke on a daily basis.

In Harr's opinion the majority don't see a smoking ban as a threat because this generation has grown up in a society where smoking isn't as readily accepted. There are 29 states that require smoke-free workplaces, restaurants or bars. Thirteen of those states require all three to be smoke-free. Although Missouri doesn't have statewide smoking bans, MU does pride itself on being a flagship university and likes to stay a head of the curve.

To aid the quitting process, Harr said MU would take an educational approach. Students will most likely not be punished for smoking. The program would be geared more toward actively promoting the smoke-free status and educating those who disregard the policy about the dangers of smoking. Also, smokers who wish to quit would, ideally, have free resources to ease the process.

Not everyone is excited about the possible policy. Freshman RHA representative Jon Cleair, who co-authored a resolution and contacted Residential Life in order to clear up a misunderstanding that occurred earlier this year about students' smoking rights, said he finds a smoking ban an infringement of rights. He said if students aren't doing anything illegal, it's important to let them make the decision for themselves.

Cleair said he uses tobacco products irregularly, but doesn't smoke cigarettes. He considers himself a non-smoker who is disturbed MU would implement such a policy.

Freshman Sean Nahlik, a non-smoker, says he still supports the rights of smokers. He said MU doesn't have the right to ban something that's not illegal for anyone on campus. The drinking ban makes more sense, he said, because a large number of students aren't legally allowed to drink.

Only a few exceptional students at MU are under 18, he said. He also said smokers are more of a nuisance than a danger to non-smokers when outside.