USU smokers say OK to Clean Air Act
In 2001 the Utah Legislature implemented a new rule about smoking into the Utah Clean Air Act.
“Smoking within 25 feet of building entrances is prohibited,” according to the act.
The act asks smokers to look for designated smoking areas or ask a building manager where smoking is allowed. The act also mentions that one of the main reasons it is in place is “to reduce the health risks of exposure to second-hand smoke.”
Gregory Nath, a senior majoring in math and physics, has been a smoker for about nine years. He said he first learned of the act when he saw it written on an entrance door to the Taggart Student Center.
“I think it is a good thing,” Nath said.
People who smoke should not smoke around the entrances to buildings, because those who are in the building should not have to be around cigarette smoke if they do not want to be, Nath said.
Nath also said he feels most of the smokers he knows, know about the rule and generally try to be considerate of others.
“It is hard to remember sometimes,” said Jamie Jeppson, a Utah State University student who smokes.
She said she is aware of the act and does not think it is much of an inconvenience.
Jeppson heard a lot of grumbling when it first came out, but overall, she said she thought it was a good rule. It is only hard to follow on days when it is really cold, she said.
It would be nice if there were more designated places on campus to smoke, Jeppson said.
Another USU student who agrees with the act is Sage Fonnesbeck, who is not a smoker.
With what society knows about second-hand smoke, it is important to have strict regulations to protect the public, Fonnesbeck said.
Lt. Steve Milne of the USU Police Department said police have never cited anyone at the university in violation of this act. People really have not complained about there being a problem, he said.
Eric Hansen, director of Environmental Health and Safety, said that sometimes his office will receive calls, and the department will do an investigation, but this really does not happen too often.
If the department receives a complaint, it will usually have a sign put up so smokers will be aware of the rule, Hansen said.
“We want to work with all involved entities to come to a good resolution,” he said.
–alwhite@cc.usu.edu