Matt Weir / The Collegian
While Fresno State policy limits the smoking population to designated smoking areas, not all students are aware they exist.
There are currently 25 selected areas for students, staff, faculty and guests of the university to use while they are smoking. These areas are located across the campus, and are marked with benches and a specific ashbin to discard the remnants of their cigarette.
In 2003, the Smoke-Free Campus Policy was established to help provide a “healthy, comfortable, and productive environment for the students, faculty and staff of this campus.” The policy does not ban people from smoking on campus, but only limits the use to specific locations.
The policy also restricts tobacco related products from being sold or distributed on campus through the use of venues such as vending machines, and the Kennel Bookstore.
These designated smoking areas have been assigned to areas of the campus within a reasonable distance of each other and are evenly spread around the campus.
The smoking community is asked to use these designated areas instead of other common areas, or smoking and walking around campus.
“I would rather see people use the smoking areas instead of walk throughout the campus and smoke,” Anthony Kupina, a mechanical engineer major said. “If there is a policy they should do the responsible thing and follow it.”
Amy Armstrong, the public information officer for the University Police Department discussed the role the university police officers participate in to uphold this policy.
“If an officer sees someone smoking where they are not supposed to be, the officer will approach them and educate them on the policy,” Armstrong said. “Usually they comply with officers.”
Armstrong explained that if the person does not follow the orders of the officer or if someone has repeat offenses Risk Management will join forces with the University Police Department to help enforce the situation. Officers around campus are there to help promote and educate people about this smoking policy.
“Since I have been working here at Fresno State I have not seen any paperwork of someone not complying with an officer regarding the smoking policy,” Armstrong said.
While the police department is not seeing many problems with people resisting the policy, many students are completely unaware of the policy during their years at Fresno State.
“I never knew there is a smoking policy that limits where I can smoke,” Gilbert Felix, a third year political science major said. “I wish there were better signs around campus that indicate where specifically we can smoke. If I was better educated of this policy I would have never broken it.”
While this policy has been in place for many years now, the university has found problems in promoting it.
Armstrong explained that the entire campus has a responsibility in promoting and educating people about this policy. She explained that college is like a revolving door, and the university continuously has to promote this policy in order for everyone to be educated about it every single year.
“We must have a joint effort in order to take care of our campus community,” Armstrong said.