“Last week, the university reminded students about the state smoking ban in a Zipmail. Obviously, they don’t care too much whether or not students are reminded. If they did, they would’ve found some other way to remind students than by using Zipmail. Or maybe they haven’t realized that no one reads Zipmail anymore.”
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Last week, the university reminded students about the state smoking ban in a Zipmail.

Obviously, they don’t care too much whether or not students are reminded. If they did, they would’ve found some other way to remind students than by using Zipmail.

Or maybe they haven’t realized that no one reads Zipmail anymore.

We did, and we’re surprised that the university plans to depend on the general public to enforce the ban.

After one offense, the person violating the ban will recieve a warning letter. Each subsequent violation will invoke a $100 fine.

A parking ticket at UA is $25. Smoking outside merits a $100 fine?

It’s a good way to enforce the ban, surely, though many may be unaware of the fine. It wasn’t in the Zipmail.

We suggest that if smokers are subject to such ridiculous fines at UA, parking violators should be as well.

Maybe if we start fining people who park without a permit $100 each time, they’ll stop taking our parking places.

Why enforce such a ban anyway? The only benefit of doing so on campus comes in the fact that secondhand smoke might not follow people into buildings.

Other than that, we’re still going to have to walk through smoke clouds on our way into Olin Hall.

Though that leads to the next subject-a complete ban on smoking on the campus. In a seemingly threatening remark, the Zipmail stated that the law allows the university to adopt a public policy prohibiting smoking anywhere on campus in the future.

Is smoking a crime? Aren’t parts of the university designated as public space?

How can smoking be outright prohibited?

And if anyone can e-mail or call in to report smoking violations, does that mean we can call in members of the College Republicans and report them? Can we get anyone we want slammed with a $100 fine?

Maybe the university should designate smoking areas on campus. Not now, definitely, but if they’re planning on prohibiting smoking in the future, designated areas are a must. What about the people who work in the Student Union for eight hours a day?

We wonder where this will go in the future. Will students step up to enforce the ban themselves?

Will it remain the way it has been, with few people respecting the ban?

Will UA actually prohibit smoking anywhere on its campus?

There simply are too many uncertainties for this policy to be both effective and fair to everyone.

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