KRTI’m walking along the lovely Cabrini campus. I say hello to friends I pass on my way out of New Residence Hall. As I go outside, I am greeted not only by the warm sun, but also by the cloud of smoke I must pass through as I leave the building.
“No big deal,” I think to myself. “There is no point in complaining about every little thing that bothers me during the day.”
I keep on walking towards Founders Hall. I notice the amber colors of the leaves that are beginning to fall and then my peaceful state of mind is once again broken by yet another, even bigger, wall of smoke that greets me as I walk through the doors into Founders.
To be completely honest, the smoking outside of Founders and the residence halls does annoy me as a non-smoker. As a non-smoker I have obviously chosen not smoke for a reason; I don’t like cigarette smoke. Now I’m not going to turn this into an anti- smoking campaign. I just want to get the point across that I think the smokers here at Cabrini should try and move back a little when they smoke outside of the most occupied buildings on campus.
When I spoke to some Cabrini non-smoking students, they said that it does annoy them when they have to walk through cigarette smoke in order to go to
class, dinner or their dorm.
Many said they think the smokers should move back 30 feet
from whichever building they are smoking near. This is the required rule, which is supposed to be enforced.
From my experience, I rarely see people smoking this far away from the buildings even at New Res, which has its own patio especially designed for people who wish to smoke outside and away from the building.
Other places on campus don’t have this luxury. Woodcrest Hall, Xavier Hall and other buildings on campus don’t really have a place for smokers to smoke. Maybe there should be a place built for these smokers, like the patio at New Res.
Why is it that this rule of standing 30 feet away is not enforced? It seems that the other rules on campus are. I mean, if you don’t have your ID in the cafeteria, you can forget about that mashed potato dinner you were dreaming about all day.
When I asked smokers about this issue, some said that they sometimes don’t move away from the front of the buildings because of the weather outside. Other smokers just smoke by the stairs outside of New Res., which is further away from the main doors. Some smokers didn’t know about the 30 feet rule at all.
Other Cabrini students say it’s a courtesy issue. They think that it is rude for smokers to stand in front of the buildings and smoke because it is an inconvenience to non-smokers.
Now, I’m not saying that smokers are rude people and that they shouldn’t be allowed to smoke, for those of you who are about ready to send me hate mail, but please just move away from the building if you can. It would be easier for everyone. I understand that some places on campus are not equipped with places for you to smoke, but if there is, please take advantage of them.
Posted to the web by Shane Evans
