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Smoking policy to be more heavily enforced

By Erica Ponte

On April 21, 2011

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While smoking cigarettes is completely legal at the college, finding a place to smoke is becoming more and more difficult to do. Public Safety will be cracking down on illegal smoking on campus.

Students, faculty, and guests of the college are allowed to smoke in the parking lots only, preferably at designated areas, such as the "Butt Hut", but lately buttons are being pushed and lines are being crossed.

Many students have found a smoking spot outside the dining hall which is on campus and not a designated smoking area.

Smoking outside of the dining hall hasn't always been a problem, so why now? "Enforcement works. It isn't fun. Nobody likes to do it; we don't like to do it, but it works," said George Hacking, director of public safety. "It's not like they don't know the rules. They need to have a little respect for the school."

The protocol for being caught smoking on campus will generally be followed up with Resident Hall Director Erin Rossetti.

"There isn't really one answer to what occurs, because every situation is different. In general students can be given verbal or written warnings or have a request for a formal hearing. The ‘punishment' that they receive can vary from student to student as well," Rossetti said.

When the Stonehenge parking lot gets reconstructed this summer, the "Butt Hut" may be moved to the other side of the parking lot where the basketball courts are currently located. This way, those people walking from the parking lot, past the Butt Hut, to the residence halls do not have to walk through the smoke if they don't want to.

Although it will still be in the same parking lot, it will be a little longer distance to walk. Frequent smoker Karen Byrne is opposed to the move.

"I understand, but at the same time, why can't they expand the parking lot and leave the butt hut where it is," she said. "Safety is a concern to me; I don't want to walk through the parking lot where cars are driving to go smoke."