As a college student, there is an immense amount of stress on the average student. Some students handle this stress by going to the Recreational Center and working out, others like to get with friends to talk about their day and many just listen to music and relax after class; but another group of students like to stand outside, no matter what season it is, and smoke. These dedicated people can be seen outside smoking on the warmest of days, on the coldest of nights and on the rainiest of afternoons.

According to smoking.ygoy.com and inforesearchlab.com, smoking causes 5.4 million deaths a year. An average smoker dies 15 years earlier than a non-smoker. Every cigarette smoked cuts off 5 minutes from a smoker’s life. And it has been proven that smoking is the single largest preventable cause of death and premature disease. We have all heard these statistics, and while many people agree that the numbers are staggering, does this give Ashland University the right to take away a privilege, a lifestyle and a personal choice? Rumor has it that AU is trying to pass a smoking ban.

“That would be ridiculous,” student Melanie Darlington said. “We are all old enough to smoke and I am a responsible smoker. I make sure to stand away from people so they don’t walk through my smoke”.

To get to the bottom of this rumor, information was sought out from Ms. Linda Roeder, a member of the Tobacco Task Force and the director of the Student Health Center. For those students who do not know what the Tobacco Task Force is, it is an organization on campus that has a mission to create a healthier campus environment in the area of tobacco in the following ways:

1. Clarifying and strengthening current tobacco policy on campus.

2. Developing strategies for enforcing and educating the campus population about tobacco policies that support the educational mission of the University.

3. Developing and implementing a strategic plan focused on becoming a tobacco free campus.

4. Maintaining diverse involvement in the Tobacco Task Force and ensuring representation by students, faculty, staff and community.

Roeder said the ban is still in the voting and discussion phase.

“You will see that one of the things we are looking at is developing and implementing a strategic plan regarding becoming a tobacco free campus,” Roeder said. “This means that we are looking at this as a possibility.”

Students do not have to worry, though, because the decision is not being made without their opinions. There has been a survey that was passed around to faculty, staff and students, and depending on the results of the survey the University will act accordingly.

“We are evaluating the data from that survey and will be meeting in the next week or two as a Task Force to review the data,” Roeder said. “The next step will be to share the data with the appropriate people/groups of people on campus and determine the data’s impact on our goals and objectives.” 

The whole purpose of the Tobacco Task Force is to educate the people on campus about living a healthier lifestyle. The ban is only in the idea stage but in the future if the ban gains support, it will take time for it to actually be implemented. That time will be used as a time to prepare the student body for the change.

“If the data leads to a decision being made regarding becoming a tobacco free campus, the actual transition will be done over an extended period of time,” Roeder said. “This time will be used to help educate and prepare the campus community for the change. There will be several obstacles which will need to be addressed very carefully during this preparation time.”