Smoked out?
I really think it unfair for a small group of people to make a decision about what I should or should not do with my life. I am a 61-year-old, healthy full-time student, mother and grandmother. I live with two of my daughters with three of their kids in a small apartment — stress is my middle name. Smoking is my only outlet till I get my degree.
I enjoy sitting with my coffee and doing homework reading of the day or going over a paper that is due. If the worst anyone does is smoke I’d be happy. Young people between 15 and 25 are dying from drugs or prostituting themselves to get a fix. I am not saying smoking is good for anyone, but there are worse things out there.
Young adults drink and do pot before class every day. The young people I talk to do not even know the school is planning to make the campus smoke free.
I cannot walk out to the street after class or before because I use the disability cart to get to my classes because of my knees. Although if you do make designated areas, one nice place would be near the MU across from Student Services where there are benches and trees.
The campus is huge and we are outside even when it is very hot out. If this was a small campus I could well understand this. I know there are some who really do not care, but most smokers are considerate of others. There are non-smokers who see a smoker and sit down anyway and then complain. One cannot win for losing.
Mary Deptowicz Undergraduate
