Sinclair Community College first pushed its smokers out of campus buildings.
Then, they gave smokers a place to go with smoke. Sinclair designated smoking areas with signs and ashtrays to dispose of cigarette butts.
Smoking on Sinclair’s campus is permitted only in designated areas. These areas are marked clearly, but some students, like Jeff Smith, ignore them.
“I’m not a second-hand citizen,” Smith said. “I smoke where I want to.”
“I’ve taken to smoking, or finishing my smoke, on the way to class,” Brian Olinger, student, said. “You may find me next to an entrance if I have class.”
However, non-smokers don’t always appreciate that.
“I think it is rude not to smoke in the designated areas,” Sean Anderson said. “Especially when you are walking in and out of buildings, you have to walk through a cloud of smoke. The smell sticks on your clothing just walking through it.”
Anderson said he liked the idea of Campus Police handing out tickets for those caught smoking in non-designated areas.
“I would feel happy if they started ticketing people,” Anderson said. “I feel if they’re going to have a law they need to enforce it.”
Another non-smoking student, Zachary Hildenbrandt, said he didn’t like seeing all the butts around campus.
“Good idea or not, cigarette butts are all over Sinclair,” Hildenbrant said. “The cigarette butts are an unwelcome sight.”
Olinger has an answer for both the non-smokers, and it’s one of kindness.
“People simply need to begin considering each other kindly,” he said. “The government, or school officials, shouldn’t need to regulate courtesy.”