IU smoking ban ‘not workable’

The proposed campus-wide smoking ban which will take effect in January is an unworkable and lamentable idea.\nCertainly, there is reason to be concerned for the health of the student body, and it is understandable why the campus has banned smoking within 30 feet of buildings. As a smoker myself, I believe in taking others into consideration, and that means trying not to smoke in places where there is high pedestrian traffic. Still, banning smoking campus-wide puts unreasonable duress on a portion of the student body that uses tobacco.\nFurther, the idea of a campus-wide smoking ban is not workable. Just like any “war on behavior” it will only be enforced sporadically unless there are policemen stationed throughout campus. Sporadic enforcement erodes the student body’s confidence in authority and police in general. It creates circumstances where armed police will engage students for making personal decisions. This results in officers spending more of their time policing the behavior of students instead of maintaining a safe campus.\nIs it really necessary to create these confrontations? Can’t we find compromise? Couldn’t there be designated smoking areas set up well away from pedestrian traffic where those who decide to imbibe tobacco can do so away from police harassment and in a manner that respects other students?\nI urge students who are concerned with issues of personal responsibility, the role that government plays in our personal lives and policing to formally propose a compromise to President Michael McRobbie.\nI assume that the intentions of President McRobbie are good; however, I don’t think any of us enjoy being told how to behave in public spaces – spaces where we as students pay to work and study. Surely, we all can agree that smoking is a health problem, but there are wiser ways to solve this problem than by handing down unenforceable commands from on high. Campus should be a place where students learn to make decisions. It is not a place to be nannied through life. Mandating behavior in this regard is poor policy.\nJustin Blair\nGraduate student