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New smoking rules adopted
The university will begin enforcing a more stringent smoking policy early next month, but the new rules shouldn't prove any less convenient for the few smokers on campus.
Under the revised policy, approved by the President's Council in early January, smoking will be prohibited within 25 feet of building entrances or operable windows beginning February 5. Lighting up will also be banned within the “boundaries of all outdoor stadiums during games.”
The university banned smoking in all campus buildings in 1993. The new policy still allows students to smoke on the balconies of campus residence halls.
Most of the popular smoking spots on campus — patio plazas and benches — are well beyond the 25-foot boundary.
“I walked it off from my office,” says Tom Hay, director of Human Resources. “Twenty-five feet is not that far. I believe this decision will make for a healthier environment for our students, faculty and staff while not placing an undue burden on anyone.”
The university began re-examining its smoking policy in July after the University of South Carolina adopted a “25-feet rule.” Hay, who chaired a 12-member committee that examined the rules, says the new policy should further protect non-smokers from the dangers of inhaling secondhand smoke.
On January 1, the city of Greenville began enforcing a policy that prohibits smoking in nearly all public buildings, including bars and restaurants. The ban extends 10 feet from the doorways to buildings.
Although the university keeps no record of the number of smokers on campus, longtime employees have noticed a sharp reduction in the numbers during the past decade. Many of the smokers seem to be off-campus construction workers and others providing contract work for the school.