‘Coughing’ up personal rights for public health
I hate cigarette smoke. It gives you black lungs, yellow teeth and an unattractive stench. Anyone who has ever taken junior high health class knows the consequences of cigarette smoke.
NDSU likes to promote health and fitness to all of its students, but it seems to forget about second-hand smoke.
We all know that smoking is harmful to everyone’s health, so why is it still allowed on campus?
Every day I walk from class to class and see people leaning up against a building with a cigarette in hand, surrounded by a cloud of smoke. Just walking through campus I feel like I’m in a Scooby Doo cartoon.
If those people want to smoke and give themselves cancer, then that’s their decision, but I shouldn’t have to deal with it.
These people will tell you that it is their personal right to smoke in a public setting such as NDSU, but when you are inflicting harm on those around you, it becomes a public health issue.
Drinking alcohol is a personal right, but when you get behind the wheel after doing so, it becomes a public concern because it endangers the lives of others.
It may be your personal right to smoke, but it is my personal right not to.
I do not want to put my health on the line and I should not have to avoid or “walk around” those who smoke on campus.
This community has already banned smoking in restaurants and in some public buildings, but why does it stop there?
NDSU must be a smoke-free campus because second-hand smoke is harming those of us who choose not to do it.
Also, a smoking ban would help students to kick the habit. Students would no longer be able to go outside after a stressful test and light one up.
A smoking ban would also show future generations that NDSU is a “health friendly” environment and does not tolerate anything that harms the health of others.
This university needs to step up to the plate and ban smoking on campus to strongly promote and encourage healthy decisions.
NDSU has a tremendous influence on this state and placing a ban on smoking would set a good example for other universities as well as the community.
Other universities such as Mayville, MSUM and UND are also considering a smoking ban on their campuses and it would be great if NDSU could lead the way.
If this university really wants to promote health and fitness to the student body, then they should prohibit smoking on university grounds. This would show students that NDSU cares about public health issues and the well-being of its students.
It is important for this university to not only give us an education, but to provide us with a healthy atmosphere, so I strongly suggest NDSU either bans smoking on campus or starts selling oxygen tanks in the Varsity Mart.
Andrew is a senior studying biological sciences.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum