Should NYU faculty and their dependent children receive full tuition remission?
NYU recently announced a proposal to prohibit "all smoking within 15 feet of the entrances, exits and air vents of university buildings." As a smoker, I was thoroughly surprised and angered by this blatant discrimination against a large constituency of the student body.
At the College of Dentistry, where a similar ban is already in place, it is common sense that secondhand smoke would be a major issue: It is a health center, where stringent rules must be upheld for the sake of well-being. The College of Dentistry, however, is not a residence hall. I cannot count the number of times I have been yelled at for smoking a cigarette on "The Stoop," (within feet of the entrance of Weinstein residence hall), as if I am intentionally blowing smoke like a dragon toward students coming in and out just because I am in a spiteful mood.
The administration has used the example of a lit cigarette butt that caused a fire in a Bobst Library trash can to emphasize the danger of smoking near entrances. However, it seems illogical to use this argument: This was the irresponsible act of a senseless smoker that should not be applied to the larger masses. All smokers must have courtesy for their surroundings; it is disrespectful to leave lit or unlit cigarette butts — or any type of litter — anywhere.
I understand, as well, that the courtyards of residence halls are not New York City streets and that smoking in the courtyards can be an annoyance for residents passing through. It is unreasonable, however, to blame smokers for smoke entering outdoor smoke vents, which is another reason the administration has proposed the ban. Smokers cannot change the physics of rising warm air; it will happen anywhere smoke is present. Under this rationale, it would mean that every air vent in the city is in danger because, as I'm sure you've noticed, smokers are seemingly everywhere. Therefore, repeating the argument mentioned before, people living in houses 15 feet from any entrance to an NYU building will be the new victims.
I am greatly thankful for the facilities that $11,720 (the cost of living at Weinstein for a year) can get me nowadays, but this cost should also lend me certain rights. Students like myself do not want to be quarantined like animals when we leave our living space. To gain a more universal perspective on the issue, I asked two friends of mine, Phil Devries and Max Riccio, for their perspectives. Their general reaction: "Give us a break!"
Finally, the ban is a hindrance to the bubble of congregating smokers: a social aspect of NYU that is often significantly ignored. Whether it's a term paper for philosophy or a classic like Homer's "The Iliad," students should be able to discuss these universal topics over a cigarette, free of harassment from the Department of Public Safety. Although there are numerous activities for promoting conversation among students, I have come to discover and treasure the unique friendships and inter-curriculum advice formed in the smokers' circle, an essential ingredient of life here at NYU.
heidi
Nov 03, 2009
10:54 a.m.
Oh get over it. Sure you have a right to smoke, but I have a right to breathe clean air. You put smokers on the same level as people of particular races or religions or homosexuals. No one is discriminating against smokers. I don't want to have to walk into a cloud of smoke when entering or exiting buildings at NYU or period for that matter. You pay $11,720 to smoke wherever you want, well I pay the same to NOT have an asthma attack everytime I go near the stoop ( I lived in Weinstein when I was a freshman). Just suck it up and walk 15 feet away from entrances. Seriously, you act like NYU is killing you when in fact, you actions actually could kill someone else. Smokers in general have no regard for others' comforts. Have you ever been burned on the hand or in the eye by a rogue cigarette? Nope? Well, I have and buddy it's not fun. So in conclusion I say this, oh-entitled-Frosh, move away from the entrances and if that's not good enough, move off campus. Trust me, you can find a decent apartment in which you can light up to your little heart's desire for less than $11,720.
pam
Nov 03, 2009
2:56 p.m.
Agree with Heidi. It's ridiculous for you to paint this as persecution of smokers -- it's simply NYU asking people who choose to do something that adversely affects those around them do so in a less obtrusive way. It shouldn't be news to you that second hand smoke is physically harmful, not to mention incredibly unpleasant for non-smokers to be around.
Ellie
Nov 03, 2009
10:28 p.m.
Oh, please. This article is offensive. Do you know how many people have asthma, and how easily smoke can trigger an attack for a lot of people? If you want to be destructive to yourself, by all means go ahead, but nothing--not even the almost $12,000 boarding cost--gives you the right to be destructive towards others.
09Grad
Nov 04, 2009
2:55 p.m.
You pay for the apartment. You do not pay for the right to make your neighbors room, your common room, and the hallway to smell like cigarette smoke. You also do not pay for the right to force NYU facilities to try to get your toxic crap off the the walls and get the smell out of the furniture and upholstery in the room.
p.s. You are RENTING the apartments for 9.5 months, you have no rights outside of those that the landlord, in this case NYU, gives you. You'll find that out when you sign your first real lease.
Bill Santagata
Nov 04, 2009
6:26 p.m.
The comfort and well-being of non-smokers should be given precedence over smokers. It's not discrimination when smokers choose to smoke. I love how he says he can't control the fact that the warm smoke rises into the vents. Uhh yes you can! How about you don't smoke?
Ashley
Nov 06, 2009
1:45 p.m.
"Smokers in general have no regard for others' comforts." Yeah Heidi. Good one. Instead, how about people that generalize have no regard for the truth? Just because we chose to smoke doesn't mean we don't care about others. I don't intentionally run up to babies in strollers and choke them out. I stand outside of my dorm, off to side, out of the way. It may not be 15 feet away, but it's enough. I know that asthma and other related conditions are serious so I, and most smokers, are certain to blow our smoke away from other people. I'm sorry if it negatively affects some, but I'm not going to stop smoking for the comfort of others. PDA and public profanity make me uncomfortable but I don't complain about it. And I know that some will say "oh but it's different because it's about health." Getting lung cancer from inhaling second hand smoke a few times a day is highly unlikely. And what did you expect moving to a city where people are everywhere and many of them smoke?
And finally, don't even tell me that smokers are persecuted. They are. Why else would cigarettes now cost $10 a pack? Taxes keep rising just to dissuade people from smoking. That is the only reason. When I started smoking two years ago, cigarettes in PA were $4. Now that are $6. That number will keep climbing until no one can afford to smoke. How would you feel if they constantly increased the tax on alcohol? You feign being health-conscious but that would devastate you.
mz
Nov 06, 2009
1:48 p.m.
This discussion is based on a misunderstanding that can't be reconciled. Non-smokers will never be able to understand the reasons why smokers choose to smoke. Smoking is an integral aspect of smokers' lives, which can result in the belief that it is a 'right,' offending non-smokers. As a smoker, obviously I can identify with this idea of smoking as a right. I also sympathize with non-smokers, because I used to abhor cigarettes and lived in a country where it was legal to smoke everywhere, inside cabs, restaurants, shopping complexes, etc. I try my best to be mindful of others when I am smoking, and will not smoke in the presence of someone who minds. I also try to avoid walking past children if I'm smoking on the street. I don't mind smoking 15 feet away from an entrance, but would obviously stand in the entrance to smoke if it were raining or snowing. I don't want my choice to be a detriment to the health of others. But I also want to enjoy my right to make such a choice, as my choice to smoke has shaped my life and my relationships with others. If there was an area that I was allowed to smoke conveniently and comfortably in (without getting rained on), I would not hesitate to go there to smoke. But as of right now, this place does not exist, which makes me seek the coverage of my dorm's small doorway, especially when it is raining. The choice of smokers should not affect the health of non-smokers; I certainly would not want to infringe on their right to breathe clean air. But I just wish there could be designated smoking areas where smokers could exercise their choice, and be comfortable with doing so.
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