No smoking, please

According to the United States Fire Association Web site, about 1,000 deaths, 3,000 serious injuries, and several billion dollars in costs of property loss, health care, and pain and suffering result each year in the United States from fires started by dropped cigarettes. Given these statistics and the concern for the general health of its students, Valparaiso University decided to ban smoking in its residence halls. \nSome would argue that smoking in residence halls is fine as long as smokers are put in the same area of the building. Then they aren't forcing a health risk on non-smokers. But pairing people together on smoking floors isn't good enough. \nHealth is hardly the only good reason to ban smoking in dorms. Smo-king inside a residence creates a greater fire hazard. In most cases there are other non-smokers that live in the dorm, and to permit smoking in the building is to put all people that live there at a higher risk. \nIt is true that there have not been any previous fires at VU as a result of smoking, but there can be no doubt that there is an added risk. \n Kudos to VU for not waiting for a major catastrophe to ensure the safety and well being of its students. \nSome also say the ban is pointless because some students will still smoke in their rooms regardless of what the administration says. But we can't say that just because students will break a rule that a rule shouldn't be made. Students drink on campus, and that is certainly against the rules. \nEven 21 year-olds, who can legally decide to drink or not to drink on most other premises, are banned from ingesting alcohol on campus -- and that is the university's right to decide, just as it is the university's right to decide if and where people should be allowed to smoke on campus. Both of these things should be able to be controlled by public and private universities because they deal with a liability risk. \nAs for the "unfairness" of making people go through the "hassle" of going outside every time they want to light up -- poor baby. People who smoke are the ones who exercise their adult "right" to smoke. If they don't want to have to go outside, I suggest they invest in a nicotine patch.