Opinions at Mesa State meeting for, against smoking ban

At least 119 people, mostly college students, attended a meeting Thursday night at Mesa State College to discuss a potential campuswide ban on smoking.
The meeting is the first of four meetings on the subject planned on consecutive Thursdays at the college.
While some student smokers defended the act of lighting up and some nonsmokers defended their right to fresh air, others focused on cigarette-related littering and possibly designating smoking areas rather than banning cigarette use altogether.
Mesa State student Kyle Evans said his fellow classmates, instead of seeking a ban, should speak up when a person litters or stands too close to a building while smoking.
“We just don’t have the means to enforce this legislation,” Evans said.
Ted Rodriguez, a student and a grounds crew worker at the college, said prohibition of alcohol didn’t work and that a smoking ban won’t take well, either. But he would appreciate it if those who choose to use tobacco clean up after themselves, Rodriguez said.
“There’s nothing more disgusting than picking up a cola can and finding out it’s a spit can,” he said.
David Miller, a math major and smoker, said some smokers are considerate.
“To lump me in and alienate me and tell me I can’t smoke because a few people throw their cigarettes down isn’t fair,” he said.
Jen Kimbrou, a Mesa State student-athlete, said it isn’t fair that plumes of smoke effect her health when shuttling between classes.
“I’m allergic to (smoke). As a student-athlete, I can’t afford these allergic reactions,” she said.
Dave Robinson, a Mesa State student, said the ban would not stop people from smoking; it would just push them to the outer edges of campus to do the deed. Robinson said he worries how the college would appear to passersby and prospective students if a ban were enacted.
The Thursday meeting and a forthcoming survey conducted by the college’s business department will provide some insight for Associated Student Government members to discuss at their next meeting, said Nick Lopez, college government vice president.
“I feel this was really helpful,” Lopez said of the meeting.