www.elvaq.com
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
15
OPINION/COLUMN
Non-Enforcement Renders Policy Useless By Marlon Miranda EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
T
he smoking policy for GCC was revised three times since it’s adoption in 1988 but nothing has changed; smokers are running rampant and no one is enforcing the policy 23 years later. According to the Glendale Community College District Smoking Policy, smoking is not permitted in any building on campus, in college owned or leased facilities, or in college-owned vehicles. The policy states that “Smoking shall be permitted in designated smoking areas only.” Interestingly enough, all the smoke clouds around campus have been forming everywhere but in the seven designated areas. One can attribute the empty designated areas to the lack of signs
or police cadets informing smokers where to go when they are in need of a nicotine fix. Nursing student Ashley Jackson, 21, feels that it isn’t fair that she has to smell smoke around every building. “There is nothing worse than when you get your lunch and right when you’re about to eat, you get people next to you smoking and it ruins your meal. The smokers should at the very least respect the fact that not everybody wants to smell their cigarettes all the time — some for personal reasons and some for medical reasons,” said Jackson. Students are angry. They cannot avoid getting ill from secondhand smoke. Why should nonsmoking students be penalized by those enjoying the pleasure of a cigarette?
Why is nothing being done? Why are there multiple smokers in front of buildings while campus police walk by them without even threatening a citation? If there is a policy that no one follows and no one enforces, does that policy really even exist? Public Relations Coordinator Wendy Grove knows that it’s all a process and certain things need to be done before changes are seen. “There is still an ongoing committee discussion. It has to go through the process, and they will figure out how the signs will be paid for,” said Grove. If discussions need to be made and funds need to be found, the chances of getting signs up anytime soon are bleak at best. There has been no noticeable decrease in smoking and campus security shows little to no inter-
est in enforcing the policy. The administration may be giving students some time to adjust to the new policy, or perhaps there is a higher priority that outranks teaching students about where they should smoke. Angela Sandoval, 19, science major, has been smoking for three years, and said she feels that all this hoopla is for naught. “Students can’t find classes, schools are lacking funds, [so] why waste money on signs now? Spend money on opening more sections, adding classes,” said Sandoval. While designated smoking areas may feel like a prison and make smokers feel like wrongdoers, they should take some responsibility. Students should act like adults and respect the health of others.
According to the US Surgeon General’s Report, second hand smoke contains more than 50 known carcinogens (cancercausing agents) and causes lung cancer and heart disease in nonsmoking adults. Evidence indicates that there is a 25 to 30 percent increase in the risk of coronary heart disease from exposure to second-hand smoke. When did attending college become a health risk? The smoking policy at GCC has to become more than just a link on our school’s website. Are Vaqueros enrolling in school to get a degree or to develop lung cancer?
Marlon Miranda can be reached at Marlon_Miranda@elvaq.com
Text Messaging: Addiction or Connection? By Kate Krantz
EL VAQUERO STAFF WRITER
A
re you texting while reading this? Assuming your cell phone just alerted you with a new text message, it’s reasonable to believe that you are deciding whether to text back as the phone shouts for your attention. Texting is a serious addiction. It’s a widespread epidemic that has swept the college student population and now that it has taken effect, the recovery is debatable. An addiction is often classified by the state of being abnormally reliant on a particular habit. Whether you admit it or not, that text message conversation about what you ate for breakfast this morning falls under this category and is also pointless. First and foremost, I admit I was a text-messaging addict. I might as well have been placed in TMA (Text Messenger Anonymous). Don’t laugh because this potentially will exist sometime soon. At first glance, texting seemed harmless. It was convenient and quick. I was capable of text messaging as fast as my thumbs could fly. I used to text on the way to class, during a lecture, eating lunch, completing homework, during family and friend outings
and even while working out. I was obsessed to the extent that I gave myself bribes such as putting off an assignment an extra day in exchange for texting a friend about how a date went. On an average, I had 5,000 text messages a month and my family was not thrilled with this new record I set. I’m still surprised I don’t have carpal tunnel syndrome. My over excessive text messaging not only took a toll on my grades but relationships as well. I was completely unaware of this until it resulted in a fight with a friend via texting. I was agitated by the dispute. And I grew even more upset with myself because I allowed my cell phone to control me. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem and I became a programmed text-messaging machine. It was a massive wake up call, almost as piercing as the sound of an alarm clock. From that moment on, I stopped texting cold turkey. It has been almost half a year and I haven’t had my buttons pushed since. I repeat, I do not text message. I don’t send nor do I receive messages in my inbox. You might be reading this and thinking I’m from planet mars but I assure you, I come in peace.
Most earthlings, also identified as students with their cell phones, are a common sight at GCC. The college campus is one large social network. Whether on Facebook, Twitter, Skype, iChat, AIM or text messaging, students are connected. On a typical day, college student life consists of exams, composition essays, clubs, extracurricular activities, etc. But how can you focus when such distractions come into play? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to communication. However, I believe that texting is the largest distraction amongst all forms of mass media and everyone and their grandmother is doing it. So what makes it so bad, right? Although each type of media is appealing, mind overpowering matter is the hardest obstacle to overcome. There is not single day when a student isn’t texting in class. The vibration of the phone breaks their concentration as the screen light glows on their face. To be frank, it’s distracting and disrespectful to not only me but also the professor. Honestly, if you think an argument about how JWoww is hotter than Snooki is more important than education, you seriously have some issues. You know who you are. And what’s this nose hovering
over your cell phone as you’re walking business? It’s not attractive nor is it an intelligent idea. Are you really even multitasking? I’m sure that the woman at the mall who nosedived into the water fountain could tell you otherwise. When you’re text messaging someone, it is a virtual conversation. Most people want a response quick and it becomes a habit. It’s like fast food and ordering from the dollar menu at McDonald’s: quantity for a lack of quality. “You do it because it’s easier for the other person … at least, I do,” said student Angela Marie. Texting might be more convenient for the person on the opposite end but is it really simple for you? In my past experience, it takes so much effort to send one simple text message and spell check is just the beginning of the errors. Texting makes conversations longer whereas a one-minute phone conversation takes you 10 minutes via texting. In addition, a text message is never received immediately and when that occurs, some people tend to take unnecessary actions such as texting, “Hello, are you there?” a thousand times. Stop. It’s annoying. Just do it old school and pick up the phone. However, I doubt that you
will because you don’t have the courage to verbally say it. And in most text conversations, that is often the case. It is very common for a person to portray an image through the cell phone screen. “It’s like Halloween for everyone every day. It’s what you’re scared to be, it’s like a second life,” said student Bong Hoang. In a nutshell, text messages lack emotional value. Because a text message is neither visual nor auditory, the message is more susceptible to misinterpretation and assumption. I hate to break your heart but we don’t all have telepathy. Texting has become so common that it’s almost second nature and in turn, the use of body language is decreasing. “It’s a body shock to most people to even use it,” said Hoang. With abbreviations such as “BRB,” “TTYL,” and “LOL” on the rise, text messaging has made people anti-social and even greetings have lost significance. “It’s like a smile and a hand wave doesn’t mean anything,” said student Bernard Leon. Texting demeans real communication. You can rewrite a text message, but in life, the words you speak are natural and [See Texting, page 16]