By Gao Na Yang
The proposed campus smoking ban has turned into one of the most contentious issues in UP student government this year.
The ASUP Senate's 23 to 8 vote defeating the resolution supporting the smoking ban on Nov. 23 was the outcome of a debate that evoked strong opinions on the ban.
The core of the defeated resolution said "ASUP approves the smoke-free campus as long as enforcement and the safety of its students, faculty, staff and community members are addressed."
One week later, when Senator Brian Vu introduced a revised version of the resolution, ASUP senators who opposed the smoking ban refused to discuss it.
"Tobacco related deaths are preventable, so we should care for the health and well-being of everyone," Vu said. "We should have faith in the administration and trust that they will decide upon an acceptable policy."
Senator Andy Ottolia voted against the resolution.
If the resolution proposed designated smoking areas, the constituents might have felt differently, and thus the votes might have been different, he said.
"It's a hard issue trying to please both sides of the spectrum," Ottolia said.
Senior Matthew Buxton is against the ban.
He feels that smokers already respect the set boundaries, so smoking itself should be a personal choice.
"If smokers are pushed off-campus, people will probably sneak off to The Bluff," Buxton said. "That could be a problem."
Although sophomore Anna Usselman has asthma and the smoke is not good for her health, she is indifferent to the issue.
"You have to consider people who have to smoke off-campus," she said. "If the conditions were met, I'd be for the ban."
While students are verbally represented by the ASUP Senate, some UP faculty who smoke are more hesitant to voice their opinions on the ban.
Several faculty smokers contacted by The Beacon declined to comment on the issue.
The Cove employee Chris Roberts isn't too worried about the possibility of a smoking ban. His solution is simple: he'd walk off-campus to enjoy a cigarette.
"People are going to smoke no matter what," Roberts said. "You can't stop people with a ban."
Lin Renfroe, a Physical Plant employee of 20 years, remembers the days when Buckley Center had ashtrays.
Renfroe feels that the ban would deny smokers their rights.
"If I'm blowing smoke in your face, you have every right to slap me," he said. "But if I'm standing all the way over here, I'm not hurting anyone."
Austin Phipps, who has been an employee at The Commons for two years, thinks the smoking ban may promote a healthier campus by preventing students from starting, but it probably won't spur major smoking cessation.
"The ban is kind of silly," Phipps said. "It's understandable to not want people to smoke in some places, but an all-out ban is like making something that's legal illegal."
Phipps decided to quit smoking recently, but like Renfroe, he feels that his decision was personal and others should choose their own paths.
Individual choice is also important to Dirk Theisen, who has been a Physical Plant employee for five years.
Though he is against the smoking ban, he may quit smoking if it is implemented.
"The ban is a politically-correct thing to do," Theisen said. "Though, it disturbs me that non-smokers are trying to force their ways on smokers."
Another staff member who's willing to kick the habit is The Commons employee Kyla Reynoso.
She began smoking as a means of socialization at work.
While many employees are weary of the possible ban, Kyla Reynoso is voting in favor of the ban.
"I think the ban is a good idea," she said. "I hear so many people talking about how they want to quit smoking, so it would definitely benefit them."
Reynoso has been an employee at The Commons for 10 months. Reynoso defined smoking as "disgusting," "a waste of lungs" and "a bad habit."
"We're all for healthy food and a healthy environment, so we should be healthy," she said. "It's gross when people are parking and see workers smoking before handling food."
There have been many spirited debates about the smoking ban, but ultimately, the decision to implement a smoking ban is up to Beauchamp and the Presidential Advisory Committee on Health and Safety.
Although it would not be binding, the resolution will be revisited during next week's ASUP Senate meeting, Vice President Alyssa Schmidt-Carr said.
