Smoking Ban Proposal
by Kimberly Parks
Photos By Kimberly Parks Let’s think back to the 1960s: back when a Ford Mustang hardtop was a mere $2,368, the Baby Boomers were still just being born, the University of Georgia had just desegregated and smoking cigarettes was fashionable.
A lot has changed since then: a Ford Mustang is almost ten times as much, the Baby Boomers have reached retirement age, the UGA demographic is a combination of many ethnicities, and smoking is no longer as socially acceptable.
The world is constantly changing especially on college campuses.
Fifty years ago it was OK for people to smoke inside buildings, even on college campuses. Fifty years ago most people also did not know the severe risks associated with smoking such as cancer, respiratory diseases, and heart disease. As the health effects of smoking have become more apparent, changes have gradually been made.
Students can no longer smoke inside buildings, and as concerns about secondhand smoke effects increase, stricter regulations are being put into place. Many college campuses are now labeling themselves tobacco free; in fact, UGA is the only college in the Athens area that has not passed a campus-wide ban, although that might be changing in coming years. Currently, Athens Technical College, Gainesville State College, and Piedmont College all have bans against tobacco.
Last year, UGA Student Government Association members proposed a smoking ban and allowed students to vote as a part of the ballot for homecoming court in order to get their feelings about smoking. Gregory Locke, a senior political science and sociology double major from Kennesaw and sponsor of the proposal, said that the referendum showed a 66 percent majority in favor of the ban. A more detailed survey, accessible to all 35,000 students in which less than 3,000 responded, closely correlated with the results from the referendum. As for faculty and staff, 50 percent who responded to a survey were in favor of a full ban, while a vast majority were in favor of some sort of ban. After the results, SGA has modified the proposal, which currently stands as this: a ban at bus stops and a 25 foot ban around all building entrances. The proposal also calls for removing cigarette receptacles around building entrances and posting signs educating people of the ban.