The new smoking policy at Winston-Salem StateUniversity is causing smokers to walk a little farther inorder to have a cigarette.
According to the new University of North Carolina campussystem law, smokers must be at least 100 feet awayfrom any school building. This does not leave many spotson campus for smokers. However, students are allowed tosmoke outside older dorms like Dillard Hall and Atkins,but not the newer ones like Foundation Heights.
Soon that will change as well, starting July 1, there will beno smoking outside the dorms.
“I think that it is a dumb idea,” said Matthew Virgil, ajunior at WSSU. “If no one can smoke inside then at leastlet us be able to smoke outside somewhere that’s not faraway. Everything around this city and campus is based offof tobacco-the names of the streets and the buildings.”
The new policy was taken into effect on January 1, 2008.Students, faculty and staff have been informed of the newWSSU policy through an e-mail and yard signs scatteredaround campus.
In an online poll at thenewsargus.com, 89 percent ofthose polled said that smoking should be banned on WSSUand all UNC system campuses because smoking is harmfulto those who smoke and those around them.
According to the General Assembly of North Carolina foremployees, a first reported violation of this smoking policywill result in an oral warning, a second violation will resultin a written reprimand and a third will result in disciplinaryaction.
Violation of this policy is considered a personal conductissue and is subject to disciplinary action including dismissalfrom employment for employees. Student violatorswill receive two warnings before being subject to sanctionsunder the Student Judicial Code.
Although the e-mails were sent before students wenthome for winter break, apparently not everyone checkstheir e-mail.
“I didn’t know about the new smoking policy. I thoughtwe could still smoke out here,” said a student smoking justoutside of the Thompson Center.