2008 Woodie Awards
No Smoking Please
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Editorials
At President Joel's Town Hall Meeting last semester, a student asked YU's top administrator if he could please look into the daily smokescreens outside campus buildings. As he did with most of the questions that day, the President candidly agreed with the questioner and promised to look into clearing the entryway of university buildings from scent of nicotine and the site of cigarettes lying on the ground.
Nearly three months later and little, if anything, has changed.
For whatever reason, smoking is especially problematic outside Furst Hall where small groups of staff congregate during their breaks to puff clouds of nicotine while parents of potential students enter the building on their way to the Office of Admissions. But sure, this is a great way to encourage these potential students to choose our college. "Send your kid here! They can learn how to smoke too!" And hey, there's nothing quite like struggling through the wind tunnel on the way to Belfer, only to be shot with a blast of slightly more toxic air upon trying to enter the building.
Now, we're not passing judgment on people who smoke. That's a personal health choice, and we would not attempt to tell them how they should live their lives. But when that decision impairs the health of others, then we do need to stand up and protest. When students of Yeshiva constantly have to endure secondhand smoke, which is detrimental to their health, it is the responsibility of this university to do something about it.
The administration needs to step it up and create a separate smoking area, with an emphasis on the word separate. Placing ashtrays by the entrance to every single building gives smokers the right to smoke in those areas. We need to put the ashtrays far from the entrances to buildings, so that the rest of us don't have to suffer from the secondhand smoke.
Why don't we make the alleyway in the back of Furst Hall a designated smoking area? It's an area that's outside, out of the way, and perfect for the smoking population.
Now some people might pipe up and complain. "Why should we be supporting their smoking? Why are we giving them special areas to smoke? Won't that just encourage a terrible habit?"
Yes, it will. But unless Yeshiva wants to make a uniform No Smoking on Campus policy, this is the next best solution.
So let's compromise. We'll give the smokers an area to smoke outside, just as long as it's not where they can blow smoke in our faces.
Nearly three months later and little, if anything, has changed.
For whatever reason, smoking is especially problematic outside Furst Hall where small groups of staff congregate during their breaks to puff clouds of nicotine while parents of potential students enter the building on their way to the Office of Admissions. But sure, this is a great way to encourage these potential students to choose our college. "Send your kid here! They can learn how to smoke too!" And hey, there's nothing quite like struggling through the wind tunnel on the way to Belfer, only to be shot with a blast of slightly more toxic air upon trying to enter the building.
Now, we're not passing judgment on people who smoke. That's a personal health choice, and we would not attempt to tell them how they should live their lives. But when that decision impairs the health of others, then we do need to stand up and protest. When students of Yeshiva constantly have to endure secondhand smoke, which is detrimental to their health, it is the responsibility of this university to do something about it.
The administration needs to step it up and create a separate smoking area, with an emphasis on the word separate. Placing ashtrays by the entrance to every single building gives smokers the right to smoke in those areas. We need to put the ashtrays far from the entrances to buildings, so that the rest of us don't have to suffer from the secondhand smoke.
Why don't we make the alleyway in the back of Furst Hall a designated smoking area? It's an area that's outside, out of the way, and perfect for the smoking population.
Now some people might pipe up and complain. "Why should we be supporting their smoking? Why are we giving them special areas to smoke? Won't that just encourage a terrible habit?"
Yes, it will. But unless Yeshiva wants to make a uniform No Smoking on Campus policy, this is the next best solution.
So let's compromise. We'll give the smokers an area to smoke outside, just as long as it's not where they can blow smoke in our faces.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Daniel Yolkut
posted 1/28/08 @ 2:42 PM EST
Don't our Roshei Yeshiva hold smoking is assur? The RCA psak on smoking has the haskama of R'; Schachter, R' Rosenzweig and R' Willig ---see http://www. (Continued…)
Brian Parramore
posted 1/29/08 @ 8:42 AM EST
Indeed we are passing judgement on smokers. As a group people that smoke are less intelligent that non smokers. A smoker is either stupid, or wants the world to think that he is stupid. (Continued…)
Josh Sandburg
posted 1/31/08 @ 11:42 PM EST
Well, I wouldn't go that far, but some of them are incredibly inconsiderate with their choice of location for smoking. It's unpleasant for many nonsmokers to have to walk through their dirty, smelly clouds all day and night and since the smokers don't seem to be affected by their affect on others, they're just being downright rude. (Continued…)
Tsedek
posted 2/04/08 @ 4:56 AM EST
A compromise is a good idea and they should provide smoking areas away from the entrances. Nicotine is a narcotic so people smoking have an addiction, even though they do not call it a drug addiction since there are many worse drugs. (Continued…)
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