Leslie Dickinson 9/26/12

Leslie Dickinson

Jour 271

September 26, 2012

Hard news story

410 words

Smoke Free Policy: What exactly is it?

OXFORD, Miss. – The big news around campus these first few weeks of school are the new policies of smoking. Ole Miss became an official smoke-free campus as of last year when the Associated Student Body passed the resolution.

The University plans to enforce the fines starting in the month of January, for the time being they are giving out warning cards. 

            There has been much confusion on what the exact policy is and what the consequences are for breaking the smoke-free policy. The university starting in January will give out fines to people who are smoking on campus. The fine will start at $25 and go up after your first fine. Confusion arose when people started about football season and the grove. The campus says that we are a “dry campus” but on game days there is alcohol in the grove, which is on campus. So people are asking is there an exception to smoking on game days? That is why the fining will begin in January when the football season is officially over.

Since the campus has become “smoke free” students are not bombarded by the cloud of smoke when walking through the smoking areas around campus. “It is so nice walking around campus and not constantly smelling smoke,” said Rebecca Elder, student.

            “ I am use to smelling it when I go out to the fraternity houses and bars, but when I am walking to class I would prefer not to walk through clouds of smoke.” The purpose of the smoking ban is to prevent people on campus from breathing in second hand smoke, which is just as bad as smoking.

            There have been multiple protests against the smoking free policy. The group “Smoke Up the Grove” is one protest in particular where students who opposed the policy went out in the grove and lit up their cigarettes and smoked. There have been petitions that have gone around campus, but none have turned around the policy.

            Wednesday September 26, 2012, the town council held a meeting to discuss the smoking free policy. It was open to the public for anyone to come with questions and concerns about the smoke free campus policy.

Jessica Brouckaert, who is on the Smoke-Free Policy Implementation Committee, is a big advocate for this smoke free campus policy. “75.6 percent of students at ole miss support a smoke free campus. There is a lot of backlash about the policy from the opposition. Unfortunately the vocal minority tends to drown the silent majority,” said Brouckaert. She said that the meeting Wednesday night went well and ideas were brought up from both sides.