By Katie Welch
For many Trinity students busy with classes and exams, the dangers of smoking may seem like the least of their concerns. However, the discussion about smoking has reemerged following the university’s announcement of a new policy that will ban smoking on campus.
The policy, which will start to take effect on August 1, 2017, prohibits the use of all tobacco products on campus, including public outdoor areas. The ban also includes electronic cigarettes and vaping. The ban applies to all Trinity students, faculty and staff.
The policy was first proposed several years ago by Health Services coordinator Jackie Bavilacqua. The lengthiness of its implementation is due to the in-depth research and surveys conducted by her office, Bavilacqua says.
Katherine Hewitt, coordinator of Wellness Services, admits that the number of students who smoke on campus is small, but she insists that the policy is part of a larger health plan for Trinity.
In contrast, students have expressed confusion over the policy because they do not see smoking as a significant problem at Trinity.
“It’s a problem for the individual. I don’t think it’s a problem for the campus, and that’s a big difference,” junior music major John Morgan argues, saying that there is a disconnect between students and the administration on the issue.
Both Hewitt and Bavilacqua have stressed that the decision process was transparent and provided time for student feedback. Bavilacqua says that the university took steps to include student perspectives, including multiple surveys through the health fair and a town hall meeting.
“Smoking was how I got through classes,” she says. “It’s not the healthiest way to do it, but it’s better than my mental condition suffering.”
Although one of the goals of the policy is to encourage quitting from smoking entirely, the administration is aware that this may not happen for everyone.
“Change is always difficult, especially for smokers,” Bavilacqua says, addressing Walls’s point. “I’m not saying they can’t smoke, just not on campus.”
For some, the real question of the policy is its potential for success. Will the smoking ban actually cause students to stop smoking? Hewitt and Bavilacqua hope that the answer is yes, but students seem more skeptical.
Kate Walls believes that the policy will not lead to less smoking, but instead force students to change where they smoke. This issue may be exacerbated by Trinity’s requirement that students live on campus for three years, which leaves many smokers with few options for an off-campus alternative.
“I think if anything it’ll encourage students to hide it, or smoke on their balconies,” Walls says, a concern that the smoking policy fails to address.
At the same time, Hewitt says that they have received very little negative feedback about the ban. Lei-An Chen, a junior accounting major, is one of the students in support of the ban, although she was unaware of the policy before it was announced.
In contrast, students have expressed confusion over the policy because they do not see smoking as a significant problem at Trinity.
“It’s a problem for the individual. I don’t think it’s a problem for the campus, and that’s a big difference,” junior music major John Morgan argues, saying that there is a disconnect between students and the administration on the issue.
Both Hewitt and Bavilacqua have stressed that the decision process was transparent and provided time for student feedback. Bavilacqua says that the university took steps to include student perspectives, including multiple surveys through the health fair and a town hall meeting.
“There was a lot of time for students to react and make comments,” she notes.
However, some students disagree, arguing that it felt like the university wasn’t truly planning to incorporate this feedback.
“They should have made a more genuine attempt to get kids to quit rather than going behind everyone’s back and making a ban,” says Steven Gutierrez, a junior communication major.
Both Health and Wellness Services offers various resources for those interested in quitting smoking, although Gutierrez still feels the ban itself was unwarranted.
“People who smoke are probably stressed out and dealing with their own stuff,” Gutierrez added. “I hadn’t heard about this ban until very recently.” He suggests that the university didn’t get the desired responses from student surveys and instead went forward with the policy anyways.
However, some students disagree, arguing that it felt like the university wasn’t truly planning to incorporate this feedback.
“They should have made a more genuine attempt to get kids to quit rather than going behind everyone’s back and making a ban,” says Steven Gutierrez, a junior communication major.
Both Health and Wellness Services offers various resources for those interested in quitting smoking, although Gutierrez still feels the ban itself was unwarranted.
“People who smoke are probably stressed out and dealing with their own stuff,” Gutierrez added. “I hadn’t heard about this ban until very recently.” He suggests that the university didn’t get the desired responses from student surveys and instead went forward with the policy anyways.
Senior engineering major Kate Walls agreed, noting that she had started smoking after she came to Trinity to deal with stress. For her, smoke breaks were the only time she was able to go outside because of her intense schedule.
“Smoking was how I got through classes,” she says. “It’s not the healthiest way to do it, but it’s better than my mental condition suffering.”
Although one of the goals of the policy is to encourage quitting from smoking entirely, the administration is aware that this may not happen for everyone.
“Change is always difficult, especially for smokers,” Bavilacqua says, addressing Walls’s point. “I’m not saying they can’t smoke, just not on campus.”
For some, the real question of the policy is its potential for success. Will the smoking ban actually cause students to stop smoking? Hewitt and Bavilacqua hope that the answer is yes, but students seem more skeptical.
Kate Walls believes that the policy will not lead to less smoking, but instead force students to change where they smoke. This issue may be exacerbated by Trinity’s requirement that students live on campus for three years, which leaves many smokers with few options for an off-campus alternative.
“I think if anything it’ll encourage students to hide it, or smoke on their balconies,” Walls says, a concern that the smoking policy fails to address.
At the same time, Hewitt says that they have received very little negative feedback about the ban. Lei-An Chen, a junior accounting major, is one of the students in support of the ban, although she was unaware of the policy before it was announced.
“I don’t smoke, so I love the policy,” she says. “Whenever people smoke, we have no choice to not be exposed to it.”
However, Chen does not believe the policy to be the best way to discourage smoking. She worries that more students may smoke in their room, which would force non-smokers to be in closer proximity to secondhand smoke. Instead, she suggests more secluded smoking areas away from high-traffic areas like the library.
The addition of a task force to enforce the policy has left students further questioning the policy’s effectiveness. The task force is still recruiting, and it will include both faculty and students. After basic training, the task force will approach people smoking on campus to explain the policy and offer referral cards with more information. According to Hewitt, this is designed to be a more sensitive approach to curb smoking that will accommodate people simply unaware of the policy.
Regardless, the task force has struck some as ineffective at best, and condescending at worst.
“I think it’s kind of silly,” John Morgan says, adding that he didn’t want anyone to be receiving lectures on his habits.
Steven Gutierrez is even more upset at the idea, and he admits that being approached by a task force member would only frustrate him more. “I’d be so antagonistic to anyone who came up to me,” he says. “That’s ridiculous!”
However, Chen does not believe the policy to be the best way to discourage smoking. She worries that more students may smoke in their room, which would force non-smokers to be in closer proximity to secondhand smoke. Instead, she suggests more secluded smoking areas away from high-traffic areas like the library.
The addition of a task force to enforce the policy has left students further questioning the policy’s effectiveness. The task force is still recruiting, and it will include both faculty and students. After basic training, the task force will approach people smoking on campus to explain the policy and offer referral cards with more information. According to Hewitt, this is designed to be a more sensitive approach to curb smoking that will accommodate people simply unaware of the policy.
Regardless, the task force has struck some as ineffective at best, and condescending at worst.
“I think it’s kind of silly,” John Morgan says, adding that he didn’t want anyone to be receiving lectures on his habits.
Steven Gutierrez is even more upset at the idea, and he admits that being approached by a task force member would only frustrate him more. “I’d be so antagonistic to anyone who came up to me,” he says. “That’s ridiculous!”
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