OUR VIEW: The gloves are off: smokers v. non-smokers

There are two words that make a large percentage of the student body moan and grumble:

TSC patio.

Year-round you can find groups of students using the patio as a good place to sit and smoke with friends or a newspaper. The area always smells distinctly of cigarettes, which bothers many of the students who pass through the patio on their way to class.

The problem is the patio is usually the most convenient way for students to get from the TSC to class or the dorms. It’s also the most convenient place for those students who smoke.

So who wins out?

Smoking regulations state that smokers cannot light up closer than 25 feet to a building entrance. Some people who use the patio don’t follow this regulation.

A new “awareness campaign” by USU’s Tobacco Task Force is designed to remind people of that standard, as well as push a proposal for new regulations that would ban smoking in high-traffic areas and anywhere smokers are highly visible, increase anti-tobacco advertising and stop the sale of tobacco on campus.

Following federal regulations is issue number one. Promoting public health isn’t a bad idea either.

But, it’s not fair to banish smokers to some unseen corner of campus like they’re lepers. Though a restriction on smoking in designated high-traffic areas would help settle the issue, not allowing people to smoke anywhere they may be seen doing so is unnecessary.

This is an issue that could be resolved if each side just gave in a little bit. Smokers ought to step away from building entrances and non-smokers ought to accept that there are students who smoke and they have the right to do so on campus.

Somebody is going to be inconvenienced. Such is life.

A couple ideas: smokers could use the second floor balcony of the TSC, which is currently mostly unused. The smoke wouldn’t bother people passing by underneath and the between-class traffic wouldn’t disturb those who want to sit and relax.

We know it’s cold, but, really, if you’re bothered by the smoke you can walk around. Bundle up. Resist the Loganite tendency to ignore the fact that it’s winter and not wear warm enough clothing. The smokers are sitting out in the cold; you’re probably warmer than they are.

The bottom line is, since both sides think they have a right to something, be it to smoke or to have clean air to breathe, neither seems very willing to give anything to the other.

A compromise is possible, so the sooner it is made, the better for all parties. Smoking on the patio has been an issue for long enough.