Pierce and Smokers
If you are a smoker, Pierce is not an easy place for you. Most of the old “smoking areas” are gone and you are relegated to smoking in the parking lots. Even these sanctuaries are under attach and may be gone in a year or so.
Let me say that I am sympathetic to your addiction. It is difficulty dealing with the added stress of school and using tobacco seems to help. Your cravings can cloud your good judgment and your natural friendliness. They can even make you down right mean. To help, when Pierce put in the Non-Smoking Campus rule it also offered free Stop Smoking help at the student health center.
The subject came up again last week at the Faculty Senate, with one of the faculty pointing up the difficulties of trying to police the smokers. Lots of other faculty joined in with their stories and pointing out that one of their own faculty members was one of the big offenders. It was also noted that a new law AB-795 was passed that allowed Community Colleges to set and enforce penalties for smokers. The result will be to put some teeth into the law.
Here is what I suggest:
Smokers
- · Defiance will only lead to stronger sanctions and determination of non-smokers to enforce their rights.
- · Difficult as it may be, keep your smoking to the perimeter parking lots and away from the pathway of pedestrian. Remember that behind building, Rocky Young Park, the athletic fields and other inviting nooks are also off limits.
- · Pick up after yourself. Your trail of butts is unsightly in our beautiful campus and adds to the resolve of the non-smokers for a total ban.
- · Get help for your addiction
Non-Smokers
- · Compassionately remind the smokers of the college rules, it is a difficult addiction but we have a right to a clean safe campus
- · Don’t be confrontational; if they refuse just call the Sherriff, who will eventually join in the campaign if we keep up the pressure on them.
Sherriff
- · Your reticence is part of the problem. You really need to step up and take a leadership role here.
- · Just having officers hanging out in known smoking areas at the right times will have a big effect on their behavior.
- · Our evening students are now our biggest offenders, where are you?
- Faculty and Staff
- · This is particularly hard on you smokers because you are on campus from most of the workday but you have an obligation to set an example for our students. By breaking the rules you embarrass yourself and the college.
- · Please also set a good example by disposing of your butts in the proper manner
Pierce College
- · Let’s get those signs up – the temporary saw horse signs are effective, but let’s also put up permanent ones- lots of them. They don’t need to be 8 feet in the air either.