Smoking Bans in College Dorms
Should Tobacco Use be Banned in Student Housing Facilities?
Jun 14, 2009
Throughout the past decade, smoking bans on college campuses have become more and more commonplace in the United States. Libraries, classroom buildings, cafeterias, student centers, and other campus areas have become smoke-free zones. As this trend continues, an issue that campuses are now facing is whether smoking ought to to banned in college dormitories.
Currently, most colleges and universities allow students some option to smoke within student housing facilities. Although smoking is not allowed everywhere, typically students can opt into rooms designated for smokers, or smoke in a designated place in the building.
Should these options for smokers be available, or should smoking be banned from college dorms and other student housing? Here are some arguments for and against smoking bans.
Arguments in Support of Student Housing Smoking Bans
One of the main arguments in support of smoking bans is that failure to do so risks exposing nonsmokers to secondhand smoke. Although limiting dorm smoking to designated areas may reduce this risk, it's difficult to limit secondhand smoke entirely when it's being generated in another part of the building. Moreover, nonsmokers may feel pressure to enter designated smoking areas to socialize with peers.
Another argument in favor of smoking bans is that cigarettes pose a fire risk. Dormitories tend to be crowded places, and many are older buildings that do not have modern sprinkler systems and other fire precautions. When a student falls asleep smoking or otherwise uses a cigarette irresponsibly, other students are put at increased risk of injury and property damage. Smoking ban advocates point out that candles and other open flames are banned in most student housing facilities, so why should cigarettes be exempted from these rules?
Others argue that colleges and universities should ban smoking from student housing to set a good example, and to send the strong message that smoking is dangerous and undesirable. Banning smoking from most areas of campus but allowing it in the dorms may send a mixed message. At state institutions, which are funded in part through taxpayer dollars, smoking ban advocates argue that it is especially important to send an anti-smoking message.
Arguments Against Student Housing Smoking Bans
Opponents of these smoking bans argue that these bans are unethical because students are adults. Smoking is a legal activity for adults in the United States, and because of this, adults are allowed to smoke in their own homes. Dormitories and other kinds of student housing are homes, and therefore it is unreasonable to ban smoking.
Other opponents argue that it is not up to colleges and universities to instill moral and character issues, including the question of whether an individual should choose to smoke. Although some private Christian colleges do actively promote behaviors and values, this is not the place of a taxpayer funded institution.
In addition, opponents fear that banning a legal activity such as smoking may set a precedent for banning other legal activities and limiting the freedoms of students and other members of society. If smoking can be banned in the dorms, why not ban junk food or video games? Furthermore, if smoking can be banned in dorms, why not ban it from private households?
The Future of Smoking in College Dorms
As smoking becomes more and more taboo in the United States, will there be a day when smoking becomes illegal on all parts of college campuses, including student housing facilities? Whether or not this becomes a reality, this issue is one that is likely to become more heated in the next few years.
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