Smoking policy not enforced

The smoking policy has been in effect a little over a year now, but there's still plenty confusion as to whose responsibility it is to enforce it.

The policy, which the Student Government Association and the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., university president,  approved fall of 2008, limited smoking areas to 10 locations on the main campus and four locations on the Broadway campus.

"It is our responsibility as university staff people to remind students or other staff or faculty where the smoking areas are, but we aren't solely responsible," Roger Pinac, Loyola University Police Department captain, said.

Pinac, who is not a smoker, said it is a community responsibility to remind smokers where the designated areas are located.

Neefiyah Mousa, chemical engineering freshman and Buddig Hall desk assistant, said that although desk assistants try to enforce the policy, students continue smoking regardless.

"People still smoke out there. They try to get away with it. But I mean, and sometimes people as the desk fuss at them, sometimes they don't," she said.

"It's not consistent, so they're going to keep doing it," Mousa said.

While some smoke anywhere on campus, Ross Schneider, international business sophomore, said he would stay away from areas that had the "No Smoking" signs.

"I only come to areas where I only see people smoke," Schneider said.

Student Affairs Vice President Robert Reed felt the current process has been effective on a general level.

"I would say 90 percent maybe more. Most individuals have complied with the policy and live within it and maybe some people have not, on occasion," Reed said.

"But not significant enough to effect the quality of life and environment and everything else here at Loyola."

According to Mousa, the policy in place has not been helpful.

"I don't think the policy is really helping because maybe not that many people know about the policy. We know about it because they notify us at the desk but I don't think students who are smoking know about it at all," she said.

 "If they do, then they don't really care, which they should, because I don't like breathing in their smoke."

Schneider said he thinks the designated smoking areas are fair.

"There are a lot of people that don't want to get the secondhand smoke," Schneider said.

Reed also addressed the issue of overhead covers.

There is only one covered area, located at the corner of Buddig Hall and Carrollton Hall. To his knowledge, there is no progress on covering any of the other areas.

"The question is, you know, if you provide covered smoking areas," said Reed. "Are you providing and enabling people to continue to participate in a habit that is really not healthy for them or anybody else around them?"

It is a habit the university is not encouraging, Reed said.

"Do we really want to encourage people to smoke? I don't think the university really wants to do that."

 

Monica Vo can be reached at qavo@loyno.edu